A CROWN green bowling club, which turned around its fortunes by encouraging youngsters to take up the sport, has been wrecked in an arsonist attack.

Officials at the Kearsley Park club say damage worth thousands of pounds was caused in the blaze in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The fire is believed to have been started against an outside wall.

The kitchen, changing rooms and toilets were destroyed and the rest of the building suffered smoked damage.

Electrics at the clubhouse, in Thomas More Close, Kearlsey, will also have to be rewired.

In the past, the club has been plagued by teenage vandals who congregated outside the club and caused damage.

But last year, officials took the unusual step of inviting young people into the club and on to its greens to get them involved in the club's activities.

The move proved a huge success with a junior section being quickly established and other clubs approached to arrange matches for the youngsters.

Club secretary Edith Wadley said: "It is just mindless vandalism. A small minority ruin everything for the majority.

"We believe the fire could have been started on Monday night and smouldered for a long time.

"It is such a shame. We had just finished laying a new floor and the clubhouse was open every day for the winter activities including bingo and dominoes."

Officials are now facing a race against time to reopen the club for the start of the bowling season in April.

But they have been forced to cancel all the winter activities that had been planned and the club has been boarded up.

Mrs Wadley, who was called to the club house at 6am after a member of the public had spotted the blaze, said: "Hopefully, the club will be ready to re-open for the start of the season in April because we can't take part in the league if we don't have refreshment and toilet facilities."

A spokesman for Bolton police said: "The fire is under investigation."