Arson attack leaves Oldham Rugby League Club chairman Chris Hamilton ‘totally disheartened’

Oldham Rugby League Club chairman Chris Hamilton has been left “totally disheartened” after mindless arsonists struck again.

oldham roughyedsSeveral thousands pounds worth of damage were inflicted at the club’s Whitebank Stadium when a new full stand of seats ready to be re-sited were set alight on July 14.

Distraught chairman Chris Hamilton said in a statement on the club website: “We are obviously being targeted and it doesn’t appear anything much is being done to bring the culprits to book.

“We are constantly being raided, and have been for a few years, and to be honest I am not happy with the response from the police.

“I first raised my concerns with them at the end of May after we had suffered 11 or 12 incidents at the ground over a period of five weeks.

“I am thoroughly cheesed off and totally disheartened.

Flames were up to 15 feet high when fire fighters arrived to tackle the blaze late about 500 seats, the stand and cover were damaged.

The angry club owner added: “Every time we are the victims of these mindless attacks we are having to stand repair bills etc and this is having a direct hindrance on the development of our club.

“What happens when Chris Hamilton says, ‘That’s it. I’ve had enough?’.

“Anyone else who might be interested in taking over is hardly going to be encouraged when they see this sort of thing happening all the time.

“Why do I need to, or why should I, put up with all this in return for everything I have put in over the years, financially, emotionally and physically?

“It’s absolutely gut-wrenching. All I’m trying to do is provide the town and its rugby league lovers with a team of which it can be proud.

“We’ve proudly survived everything that’s been hurled at us over 18 turbulent years and the lads on the field continue to do us proud week in and week out.

“I hate to think that, after all the battles we’ve won on and off the field over many years, we’re going to be beaten by a bunch of mindless morons, but I’m getting thoroughly sickened by all this.”