Friday 1 September 2017 08:43, UK
A County Championship Division One match between Middlesex and Surrey was abandoned on Thursday afternoon after a metal-tipped crossbow bolt was fired onto the pitch during play at The Oval.
Play was suspended shortly after tea when the projectile landed on the square to the right of play during Middlesex's second innings.
The umpires stopped the game and instructed the players to head inside, while a warning was also issued to the 1,068 spectators in the ground - urging them to also move indoors.
Middlesex later confirmed that the match had been abandoned, with the game ending as a draw.
Metropolitan Police issued a statement on Thursday evening which confirmed that no injuries had been suffered and that officers were investigating the incident.
The statement read: "Police were made aware at 1635hrs on Thursday, 31 August to reports of an arrow/crossbow bolt having been loosed into the Oval Cricket ground.
"Officers are on scene. The ground is in the process of being evacuated. There are no reported injuries. At this early stage it is believed that the object came from outside the ground.
"No arrests. We retain an open mind as to motive."
Surrey CCC chief executive Richard Gould praised The Oval's security staff and the umpires for their quick response to the incident.
When asked if there were adequate security measures in place, Gould replied: "We would like to think that they are always effective.
"We had around 25 stewards and security on site for this Championship match. The police arrived very swiftly and the umpires did a very good job in removing the players from the pitch very, very quickly.
"We look at a variety of threats constantly. Living and working in London, the threat is always with us.
"We will of course review and see if there are any other measures which need to be taken into consideration."
