AROUND 20 Bolton sports teams are facing extinction after fire tore through their home ground.

Lostock Sports Club caters for around 130 members with six cricket teams, six bowling line-ups, five football sides and two rugby squads coming under their banner.

But a blaze at their pavilion last week raised the entire facility to the ground, leaving them all with no obligatory changing or hospitality facilities.

Even worse news for Lostock SC is that the building wasn't insured and club coffers will not stretch enough to either re-build it or even install two portacabins as an emergency measure.

The football and rugby teams have struggled on by changing at the local pub but cricket and bowls chairman Norman Taylor says the various leagues concerned will only turn a blind eye for so long before cutting the 48-year-old club from all competitions.

"We are just trying to keep the club going for the sake of the community," he said.

"The leagues we are in have been very sympathetic so far but their patience will run out and when the cricket season starts, that's a different ball game. The rules state that we have to have a pavilion.

"Since last week's fire, we have been trying hard to find a solution to the problem and we've arranged a meeting for members to come up with ideas."

But finding a sponsor has been made an impossible task due to a long standing problem which threatens the club's existence - even if they do survive this latest battle.

Last June British Aerospace, owners of the LSC land for more than 40 years, sold off all the pitches and bowling greens to a Bolton businessman.

The club was assured they could continue playing on the existing site at least until the end of this year but their tenancy after that remains in serious doubt and potential investors are now keeping a wide berth until the ground situation is resolved.

But without financial help from somewhere soon, Lostock may not even survive the current year.

"It is a shame that the club finds itself in this situation when we've been running for so long," said Taylor.

"Our future is so uncertain at the moment and it's frustrating when members ask me what will happen because I just don't know.

"No-one wants to know us because of the ground situation and we can't get any outside help until we get some sort of long term lease.

"We have been to meet with Sport England but they won't give us any money because they won't pay out for damage repair. We've also approached Bolton Council but they don't want to know either.

"We are basically hoping for some kind businessman to come along with a couple of grand so we can buy a pair of portacabins."

Anyone who wishes to help Lostock Sports Club can contact Norman Taylor on 691998.

FLASHBACK: Norman Fletcher and member's secretary Rod Fletcher pictured after the fire

By Chris Hall