Investigation after Waterford cricket pitch damaged

A Waterford-based cricket club hit by vandalism at the weekend has said it will cost thousands of euro to repair the damage caused to its grounds.

Vandals targeted the ‘crease’ or focal point of the cricket pitch, used by the Vikings club at their facility on the outskirts of Waterford city, overnight on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

They caused significant damage to the artificial turf used for the crease at the property, which was only moved into by the cricket club in recent months.

The crease uses artificial turf because it is more suited to being used for batting and bowling in the Irish weather than “natural” grass but it comes at a cost of several thousand euro.

Gardaí are investigating the incident.

“Some of it had been peeled off the ground,” a spokesperson for the Vikings club said.

“They took it out and rolled it away,” he said.

The spokesperson said the club, founded two and a half years ago, moved into the field at Gracedieu in recent months and neighbours were happy that they were using and maintaining the property.

The field had previously been unused for about 15 years.

It could take up to €5,000 for the damage to be repaired but “it won’t take much time,” the spokesperson said and they will get it done as quickly as possible, while also organising a GoFundMe appeal to fund the work.