Barkby: Weed killer damage to cricket pitch was 'vandalism'

The club chairman believes the damage was done deliberately

A village cricket club is hoping to raise £10,000 to fix its pitch after a section of the grass was destroyed with weed killer.

The unusual damage to the ground belonging to Barkby United Cricket Club in Leicestershire was thought to have happened between 12 and 25 June.

Club chairman David Davies said he believed it was deliberate vandalism.

Leicestershire Police said officers were making enquiries after it received a report of criminal damage.

Mr Davies said they first realised something was wrong with the ground in Beeby Road when a groundsman raised concerns about the condition of the square.

As the days went on it began to look even worse.

"Our initial thoughts were perhaps somebody had made a mistake," said Mr Davies.

"But as we began to put drones in the air and see quite the pattern that had happened we began to think this was something more of vandalism.

"There are some tale-tale signs at either end where it would appear somebody's done a pretty professional job of killing the grass off."

Mr Davies said the club would not spend "emotional currency" wondering who was behind the act.

"We've got to focus on the here and now and concentrate on what we can do to put this right going forward," he said.

'Really harsh lesson'

In order to repair the square just over an inch (30mm) of topsoil needs to be replaced followed by a complete re-sow of grass seed.

It has been estimated this work could cost up to £10,000 to complete.

Mr Davies said the club had received a huge amount of generosity to its fundraising appeal.

"It's a really harsh lesson in life but the element of it that I think we've taken comfort from is the way that people have reacted to it," he said.

In the meantime, other clubs have offered to host matches that should be taking place at Barkby.

David Davies (left) and Steve Flowers (right) said the club had received a huge amount of generosity towards repairing the damage

Club captain Steve Flowers said the damage had not impacted the clubs performance.

"We've won four in a row since this has happened so it has certainly bought everyone together," he said.

Leicestershire Police said it received a report of criminal damage at Barkby United Cricket Club on 26 June.

Anyone with information has been asked to contact them using the force website.