FLOODS, injuries and a plague of rats has left a rugby club praying for better luck as it raises thousands of pounds to restore its clubhouse.

Chester-le-Street Rugby Club has been left with a £6,000 bill after its clubhouse was destroyed in less than three weeks.

The pitch at the riverside site froze over just before Christmas, making play impossible, and when the sportsmen returned three weeks later they were met by a shocking sight.

Pipes had burst, causing the building to flood and the ceilings to cave in. To make matters worse, rats had moved in and built nests among the rubble.

The beleaguered building was deemed a health risk by health and safety inspectors and closed.

Team captain Martin Stephenson was one of those who discovered the mess.

He said: "It was in a terrible state. The whole place was flooded and rats had moved in, in about two weeks. It is going to cost about £6,000 to get it back to the original state."

As if the club had not suffered enough misfortune, two of its players were struck down by injuries when playing. Centre Micky Welsh suffered a broken jaw and Mark Treglown needed metal pins inserted in his leg after it was broken in two places.

Mr Stephenson said the club had high hopes of being promoted from the Durham and Northumberland third division before its run of bad luck.

He said: "Having to play out of the local bar and meeting in car parks was not the ideal preparation for any of the games.

"Players were getting demoralised and down-hearted during December and January, causing some disappointing league results against opposition that we had a realistic chance of beating."

But, at last their fortunes are beginning to look up. Osborne Workingmen's Club, in Osborne Road, Chester-le-Street, recently offered to provide a temporary meeting place for the players.

Now, the club is devoting itself over the summer to raising the thousands of pounds needed to get the clubhouse back in order.

Anyone wanting to help with fundraising is asked to contact Mr Stephenson, on 07767 437529.