Police hunting for a person who fired crossbow bolt into the Oval cricket ground during a match have arrested a man.
A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted GBH after a crossbow bolt was fired onto the pitch on Thursday, Scotland Yard said.
He has been released on bail to a date in late September.
The crowd at the Test match venue were ordered to move inside following the incident, before the ground was evacuated, with the players taken off after the bolt landed in the middle of the field. The match was later abandoned.
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The umpire holds the crossbow bolt, fired onto the Oval pitch during play on Thursday
The bolt fired into the ground is carried by a steward during the controlled evacuation
Armed police arrived at the ground soon after the incident at the iconic cricket venue
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 well-being 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.’
It is thought the object was fired from outside the ground, with an armed police presence arriving at the scene following the incident.
The match was being live streamed by Surrey on Youtube and was played in front of a crowd thought to be around the 1,000 mark. Play being abandoned resulted in the match ending as a draw.
Surrey player Stuart Meaker, who is playing in the match, tweeted: ‘Well…we have just officially gone off the field because a metal tipped arrow just landed on the pitch.’
Nick Compton, the Middlesex batsman who was at the crease when the crossbow bolt was fired, was able to see a lighter side of the situation as he referenced Sir Robin of Loxley, an alternative name for famous bow and arrow uses Robin Hood.
The players react just moments after the bolt landed on the outfield, to the left of the pitch
Bowler Scott Borthwick, bottom left, can be seen cowering after the bolt lands on the field
Fans were moved inside before being evacuated from the ground amid the police presence
The issue of the ground’s security was brought up in the aftermath of the incident but Surrey chief executive Richard Gould said it would have been almost impossible to defend against this sort of unusual event at a low-profile fixture.
Around 30 security guards were at the Oval on Thursday.
Gould said: ‘We do not know if it was fired deliberately or if it was fired and just landed on our green space.
‘It’s a lightweight projectile but one which looked as if it could have travelled 800 metres.’
Surrey captain Gareth Batty was fielding about 25 yards from where the pink-coloured bolt, with red and yellow fletching, landed, and he said: ‘It was a pretty tasty arrow with a proper metal end.
‘I did archery as a kid and that was not a normal archery arrow. The umpires dealt with it very well. There were no questions asked – we went off very quickly.
Surrey player Stuart Meaker tweeted soon after he and his team-mates left the field
‘Someone saw it in flight, there was a noise when it landed but it happened so quick.
‘You have to be diligent, it would be stupid not to be but if you’re constantly worrying about what is going to happen that is not a great place to be.’
Crossbows are not illegal to own in Britain but are illegal to hunt with and can be considered an offensive weapon if carried in public.
Anyone with footage or information can call Lambeth CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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