A FIGHTING fund set up by Olicanian Cricket Club to kick-start the creation of a new pavilion has raised a staggering £10,000 in its first week and club officials have praised the public for their response to the arson attack.

The club’s timber pavilion was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Sunday, August 25. West Yorkshire Police and the fire service have confirmed arson as the cause. No arrests have yet been made.

The club, which plays in the second tier of the Airedale and Wharfedale Senior League, managed to play a first team game against Hall Park Cricket Club at its Denton Road ground on Saturday and now expects to be able to fulfil its fixtures for what remains of the season.

“It has been a difficult period, to say the least,” said chairman David House. “But we managed to get Saturday’s game played and there is a real determination amongst our members that last week’s shocking event will not bring this club down.”

Saturday’s game went ahead, in part, after Leeds firm Firecrest Construction loaned the club a mobile unit free of charge. The unit will stay on site for the next month. Cricket teas were served from it and the unit also doubled up as the umpires changing room.

The players, meanwhile, changed in a tent. Olicanian won the game with Tom Smallwood scoring a century and with two games to go, the club is sitting in an automatic promotion spot. A win at Kirkstall Educational on Saturday will see the club promoted to the top flight of the league for the first time in its history.

“We’ve really been blown away by the extraordinary generosity of people and businesses, both in Ilkley and beyond, since the fire,” said Mr House.

“One Ilkley woman brought down some home-baked cakes and scones for the cricketers’ teas and we’ve even had some stumps and bails donated as ours were reduced to ashes.”

But it is the fighting fund, set up as a JustGiving page on the day of the attack, which has attracted most of the support.

“There have been donations from as far away as California and Australia and the cricket clubs we normally play in East Anglia when we go on our summer tour have held raffles and donated their match fees.

“One family has donated a thousand pounds whilst others have given us a fiver but whatever people have given, we are enormously grateful,” he added.

Businesses, individuals and school pupils have also offered to organise fund-raising events over the coming weeks.

“We’ve had pupils from the various primary school in Ilkley wanting to make and sell cakes to raise funds and I’m aware of a local gym that wants to do something for us. The Station pub has a collection box on its bar for us and we’ve even been offered a mobile hairdressing unit as a potential clubhouse for next season,” said Mr House.

The club’s committee held two emergency meetings last week, one of which was attended by a representative of the England and Wales Cricket Board and whilst the immediate focus is on getting to the end of the season in two weeks time, thoughts are already turning to what a new pavilion could look like.

“We have had people asking us why we need to raise funds and ‘wasn’t the pavilion insured?’ I can tell you that the pavilion was insured but it was insured on a like-for-like basis and I don’t think anyone at the club wants to see another timber structure on that site for obvious reasons.

“To put something on that site which is less vulnerable to fire will mean we’re going to have to raise some money in addition to what we will receive from the insurance company and I hope the people of Ilkley can understand where we are coming from.

“There is going to be a huge hole in our finances over the next couple of years and there are so many things, both large and small, which will not be covered by our insurance and which only becomes apparent when something like this happens.

“Building regulations have also become more stringent in recent years so they also add to the overall cost of any replacement.

“When it comes to the new pavilion, we want to design something that works not only for the cricket club but also for All Saints Pre-school Nursery, assuming they will return. We think that this is an opportunity to create something which works for both organisations and we will want to include Vicky Wood, who runs the nursery, in the design process,” he said.

“In addition, the response to our plight has been so profound that we’d like to design a building which the local community feels it can make use of in the future.”

The club is awaiting permission from West Yorkshire Police to clear the site and that is expected to happen shortly. Currently the remnants of the old pavilion are taped off and the club has urged visitors to the ground not to enter what remains of the building.

“The site is extremely dangerous. We have erected signs around the area warning people to keep out and we would emphasise that the floor is likely to give way if people try to enter,” said Mr House.

Mark Dexter, one of four trustees at the club, said that the response from the people of Ilkley had been extraordinary.

“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like it,” he said. “Clearly, when something like this happens, it knocks the stuffing out of you, but very quickly, we have been buoyed by the emotional support of people in the town and heartened by the practical offers of help from individuals and businesses.

“We would rather the fire had not happened, of course, but it has brought our club to the forefront of everyone’s minds in the area and has strengthened our bonds with the people of Ilkley. In a strange way, I personally feel it’s been a positive thing. We’ve had past members coming out of the woodwork and getting involved again and I’m sure that some of our former senior and junior members who might have given up playing cricket, may re-join us as a result,” he said.

“Lots of people have expressed their anger on social media about the people who have done this but, in truth, the way the community has pulled in our direction has demonstrated how the vast majority of people are kind, caring and decent and we prefer to focus on people like that rather than those who prefer to do things which damage society.”

A spokesperson for All Saints Pre-School also thanked everyone who had kindly offered help and support.

She said: “We’ve been deeply moved by the hundreds of messages we’ve received from people offering to donate toys and equipment. It’s heart warming to see our community really rally around at a time like this.

“The good news is that we will be opening our doors again on Monday 9th September, at our new temporary premises (Little Lane Children’s Centre).

“Sadly, we lost quite a lot of equipment in the fire, and we desperately need the following items in time for the start of term: Small world toys: trains, cars, pirate ships, castles, diggers, Peppa Pig toys, fire stations etc; Construction toys: Stickle bricks, wooden blocks, Duplo, K’NEX etc; Craft materials: paint, pens, paint brushes, stencils, stamps and chalk; Wooden peg puzzles and other puzzles for under 5’s; Games such as Orchard board games for pre school children.

“If you are able to donate any of the above items, please drop them off at the Children’s Centre next week, Monday - Friday 9-4pm.

“Whilst the Olicanian Cricket Club have already set up a Just Giving page for their own specific fundraising, we are going to wait until we have a full and clear picture about our insurance before doing the same.

“In the meantime, we will be working very closely with the club to ensure a speedy return to the site.

“Thank you again for all of your help and support.”