A CRICKET club has vowed to play on despite having part of its pitch dug up in a calculated attack by vandals.

Members of Rawdon Cricket Club arrived at the ground on Larkfield Road to discover vandals had dug up large pieces of turf on several of thewickets, and strewn chunks of soil and turf about the ground.

However, it appears the damage, caused last Wednesday, was deliberately intended to cause maximum damage to the ground and disruption to the club.

Club cricket secretary Mr Lawrence Walker said: "This mindless attack was perpetrated by someone with a knowledge of the game and was obviously pre-meditated".

Large chunks of the ground were dug up with a spade at both ends of one wicket, which had been specially prepared by ground staff for the club's First Eleven game against Knaresborough at the weekend. The turf was dug out on a bowler's length and in line with the stumps, which is a crucial area of play in the game.

An Under-17 match on Wednesday evening had to be cancelled because the damage made it impossible to play, although the important first team fixture against Knaresborough went ahead after groundsmen managed to prepare another wicket in time for Saturday.

Groundsmen managed to clear up the soil strewn about the pitch, and fill in the holes, but the after-effects of the attack may last for the rest of the season.

The vandals also damaged two other wickets, including the centre wicket, and a germination mat on a repaired wicket was destroyed.

Mr Walker said the groundsmen fear the damage to the centre wicket was so severe the club will be lucky to play on it again this season.

Mr Walker said: "The groundsmen and committee are at a total loss as to what pleasure the mindless morons who carry out such acts gain from it. Perhaps these low-lifes would like to meet our groundsman on a one-to-one basis."

He said Rawdon was not alone in having to cope with such attacks.

Det Insp Steve Payne of Weetwood Police said the attack appears to have been a one-off

incident, and said it is not being linked to any other attacks by vandals. He urged anyone with information on the attack to call Weetwood Police on 0113 2413459.

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