THE future of Littleborough Rugby Club is secure after a bid to buy its Rakewood home was successful.

Jubilant officials, who have been raising money through a share scheme, saw off stiff competition from rival bidders when the grounds went under the hammer at Old Trafford cricket ground on Monday afternoon.

Eventually, a £106,000 bid was enough to seal the deal.

Shareholders now own the eight-acre grounds and clubhouse, which are home to three senior and 10 junior rugby teams, three football teams, two cricket teams, morris dancing troupes, dog training classes and community groups such as the Littleborough Lions.

But, eventually, the club hopes to repay its benefactors before putting Rakewood into a trust to guarantee its long-term future.

Players and officials at the club had been in limbo since 1996 when a 30-year lease on the ground expired.

Despite two years of negotiations, former owners, the Craven family, decided to sell up.

But now the club, which was formed in 1930 and moved to Rakewood in 1976, is celebrating a momentous day in its history.

Rugby club chairman David Rawlinson said the move ushered in a new era for sport in Littleborough.

He said: "We can sleep easier now. A lot of worry and hard work has gone into this over the last few months and we were up against some substantial bids but we managed to win out in the end. Now the ground is safe and we can start looking to the future because its not the people who are involved in today’s sale who will benefit from this but future generations.

"This is cracking good news, not just for the club but for the whole of Littleborough.

"We will work on improving the facilities for the whole community and hopefully they will use it because that is what it is there for."

Mr Rawlinson added the club now had a number of administrative functions to carry out, including applying for the seal of approval from the Rugby Football Union, but said they hoped start making improvements soon with the club house top priority.