Ystradgynlais rugby club forced to close after Boxing Day break-in

A rugby club is appealing for help to trace intruders it says burgled their clubhouse in the early hours of Boxing Day.

Ystradgynlais RFC said it was forced to cancel events at its premises after two people smashed their way through its roof, taking money a large quantity of spirits.

The club released images taken from its clubhouse CCTV which it said was “related to the incident” and showed one man standing in front of an open till.

Dyfed-Powys Police has been approached for comment.

Boxing Day, when the club was due to show televised fixtures of matches between Wales’ top four rugby union teams, is important to the club as it is one of its busiest days of the year.

On social media the club said it was “hugely disappointed” it had to shut.

Club director Martin Donnelly said: “We were alerted by people who were out walking on Boxing Day morning that several tiles had been disturbed on the roof.

“At first we thought it was the wind, but on further inspection, we realised that somebody had removed the tiles and broken through the the wooden battens underneath and forced away into the foyer of the club.”

Inside, Mr Donnelly said, there was “considerable” damage.

“They smashed a hole into the ceiling of the foyer, which obviously we’ll have to replace,” he said.

“Then they sort of dropped down, got into the bar area, forced the shutter on the bar, climbed into the bar, and then stole money from the tills and removed bottles of spirits.

“I think they had quite a few bottles. We’ve lost quite a bit of money and on top of the financial there’s also the emotional impact on the club and members.”

The club reopened on Saturday but Mr Donnelly said it was sad for this to happen during the Christmas period.

“Boxing Day is a huge day in our calendar, where people come together, watch the local rugby derbies on the TV, and people from away come back to see their families.

“It’s always a great occasion, so it’s very sad to miss out on that.”

Mr Donnelly said they were hopeful that with the forensic examination of the crime scene and the CCTV the alleged thieves would be caught quickly.

The club plans to reopen over the weekend.