Thieves have ripped up £5,500 of turf at Glenrothes Cricket Club’s new home just days before their season begins.
The club was preparing for the start of the new campaign at its Gilvenbank Park base this Saturday.
However, club operations officer Kenny Crichton was sickened to discover an 11-metre patch of artificial turf had been deliberately cut out and stolen over the weekend.
The club had been regularly targeted by thieves at its previous Riverside Park home, but had not suffered similar problems since moving to Gilvenbank Park.
It had already splashed out £7,000 to lay the artificial turf and now faces a further £5,500 bill to get the pitch ready for Saturday or be forced to relocate elsewhere.
Kenny said: “Myself and many other members have spent countless hours preparing the new ground over the winter and for this to happen now is yet another kick in the teeth.
“It’s very frustrating. We’re only trying to improve the facilities in and for the community.
“This has been done by someone who wanted the turf for a specific reason, not just vandals. They have measured what they needed and cut it straight. It’s probably now lying in their back garden.
“It must have been someone who could carry a lot or there has been more than one person, as it’s heavy material.
“We paid £7,000 to lay it all and for us to replace it will cost £5,500. The season starts on Saturday and the club will have to fork out that money and hope that the insurance will cover it.
“We’ve got options to move to other grounds but that’s not what we want to do.”
Last spring vandals damaged £8,000 metal pitch covers twice in three weeks. In July vandals broke into the club’s Riverside Park pavilion and stole and trashed kit and equipment.
Kenny vowed: “We are going to keep getting up again, whatever happens. This isn’t going to stop us. We’re going to keep going and hope somebody is eventually caught.”
Picture by George McLuskie