Man arrested after crossbow fired into Oval cricket ground, police say

An arrow landing in the grounds forced play to be abandoned earlier this week

An official holds the arrow, retrieved from the cricket ground (Twitter/@topmanjem)

Police have arrested a man after a crossbow bolt was fired into the Oval cricket ground on Thursday.

The 35-year-old, who handed himself into police, was held on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm and has been bailed until September.

An arrow landing in the grounds forced the Surrey-Middlesex match to be abandoned earlier this week, after it landed near Surrey fielder Ollie Pope.

It is believed to have been fired from outside the grounds. The site was evacuated and armed police were called.

“It was a pretty tasty arrow, with a proper metal end,” according to Surrey captain Gareth Batty.

Enquiries are ongoing and detectives have appealed to the public for information.

Detective Constable Dominic Landragin, of Lambeth CID, said: “There were significant crowds watching the match, and it is likely that a number of those present will have footage of the incident that could assist in our investigation.

“Although nobody was injured, this was a reckless action taken with no regard for the safety and wellbeing of the spectators or the players.

“It is important that we trace those responsible and I urge anyone who has footage of the incident to get in touch as soon as possible.”

Anyone in possession of footage is asked to contact Lambeth CID by dialling 101, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.