Cricket pitches attacked

Members of Brigade Cricket Club in Londonderry arrived at their Beechgrove grounds on Friday to find three wickets destroyed, including an artificial surface.

It is estimated that the damage will cost the club around 7,000. The attack followed the destruction of Limavady Cricket Club's pitch on the previous weekend, which will cost the Roe Valley club an estimated 30,000.

Jim Wallace, Brigade President, said: "There are a few wickets which have been vandalised and the all weather wicket has been ripped up at both ends and some paint thrown about, but I think that can be wiped off. Our Thirds match has been postponed on Saturday, but cricket will be played again at Brigade. I spoke to our chairman and we are very disappointed that this has happened. Limavady also had their wicket damaged this week. The North West (Cricket Union) have enough of their own problems and hopefully this isn't another one.

"Thankfully we don't have many other matches apart from games involving ourselves that have to be played on the wicket, but the two cup finals we do have means that will put pressure on us to get them ready."

Ian Stone, chairman of Brigade Cricket Club said that the attack was carried out overnight, when the artificial wicket was torn up at either end, and holes were dug in two other wickets which also suffered paint damage.

He said Brigade had played against Limavady the previous night and had "shown empathy" towards the Co Londonderry side after the attack on their ground, little knowing that they would face a similar situation themselves the next morning.

Fortunately the club has other wickets to play on, and the senior team is playing away this weekend, which will allow the members to start repairing the vandalised surfaces.

Brigade captain Mark Simpson said: "Thankfully we have not been as badly affected as Limavady and we will be able to fulfil our fixtures. The main damage has been caused to the artificial wicket which we used for practice, especially with the juniors.

"Two of our seven grass wickets have been vandalised with a spade and one of those will probably be out of action for the rest of the season."

Groundsmen David Tosh and Graham Moore - who discovered the damage - said that the loss of the two wickets would put them under real pressure to fulfil their fixtures this season.

"We're doing pretty well this year, with seven teams," said Graham. "That includes the firsts who play in senior one, and we're still involved in various cups as well as the leagues. It's hard to understand (why this has happened]."

Mr Tosh said: "Somebody has dug the wickets up with a spade, and we'll be able to repair those through time. But the artificial wicket has been ruined and we'll have to replace that at a cost of 6,000 - money that any club can scarcely afford."

Mr Moore added that as well as the Brigade and Limavady incidents, their neighbours Glendermott had been vandalised early in the season.

Mr Simpson said: "It's a very worrying development and something that has never happened to clubs in the North West league before. All sections of the community play cricket up here - there's a great love for it - and we can just hope and pray this stops.

"We're all amateurs and play purely for the love of the game."

The incident came just days after an attack on a cricket pitch in Limavady where vandals poured weed killer over wickets.

Limavady Cricket and Rugby Club President Bob Dallas said 30,000 worth of damage has been caused to the home pitch, but depending on the strength of the weed killer used, the cost may escalate.

Mr Dallas described the action as "devastating" and "deliberate"

"This wasn't just an act of vandalism, this was someone who knew what they were doing," said Mr Dallas. "They were certainly hoping, and probably have, put Limavady Cricket Club out of playing for the season.

"It's a disaster financially for the club and for the cricketer, and for the people who come every weekend to enjoy watching the cricket and the sunny weather. We have already had a lot of members down here looking at it and they are all devastated."

While fears are growing that vandals may deliberately be targeting cricket clubs, police in Londonderry said last night that they were not aware of any links between the two incidents.