Over a century of sporting history went up in smoke yesterday after a fire destroyed the home of a Worcestershire sports club.
Masshouse in Hopwood, the clubhouse of the Five Ways Old Edwardians cricket and rugby club, was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Monday.
The blaze destroyed memorabilia from the club's 113-year history.
"It is devastating," said rugby club chairman Peter Grace.
"In the short term the loss of facilities is terrible but we can recover from it.
"It is the loss of photographs from the 1800s that is a monumental blow."
Several England rugby shirts worn by international player and ex-club member Keith Fielding and a cricket bat used by Warwickshire batsman and Post cricket writer Jack Bannister was also lost in the blaze.
Mr Grace said: "The clubhouse is insured and we have a lot of good people at the club who will support us to rebuild."
Five Ways Old Edwardians has three rugby sides and five cricket teams. Mr Grace said other local clubs had offered to share their facilities, although the teams would miss the additional revenue from the clubhouse bar.
