A RUGBY club will ‘not be beaten’ after vandals attempt to ‘rip the heart out of the club’.

Thieves have stolen the batteries from Shotton Steel Rugby Club’s training lights, meaning teams were unable to train.

Chairman Alan Leaman told the Leader: “It’s cost and cost all the time for the club. We try to do things for the kids, and we don’t charge them, but it gets more difficult.

“It’s heart-breaking, we are all working hard to a good future for the club but then someone kicks us in the teeth.

“We had to turn down promotion because we didn’t have the facility, it’s one struggle after another. We’ve lost players, we have a lot of injuries, we are struggling and things like this don’t help.

“In the short term we will have to use Deeside Leisure Centre 3G pitches but that’s very expensive. They were only put there a few weeks ago. It’s how they got access down there that amazes me.”

Alan said this will be a ‘massive extra cost’ to the club but they ‘will not be beaten.

He added that they have been ‘overwhelmed’ with the ‘generosity’ of people offering to help after the club posted about the theft on social media.

The chairman said: “Words can't explain right now how disgusted we are with the thieves who have yet again decided to steal the batteries from our training lights.

“The damage you have caused and the cost to replace them, will cost a small club that works so hard to help improve the local community, hundreds of pounds we simply don't have.

“Over the last few years attempts have been made to rip the heart out of this club and every time we ask the same amazing but small group of volunteers to step up and repair the damage. No doubt that will be the case again.

“We help teach young people principles that will stay with them the rest of their lives. We give young adults a focus away from the struggles of life and help guide them down the right path.

“We allow older members of the community to get together and remember the good times. But most importantly we give back.

“We will not be beaten we are still here 50 years after forming and we have no intention of going away.”