LISKEARD Cricket Club has condemned vandals after essential pitch covers were slashed at its Lux Park ground, leaving the club facing a costly repair bill and threatening the seasonal work of its volunteer grounds team.

The damage was discovered on Thursday when club officials inspected the ground ahead of this weekend’s fixture.

In a statement, the club said the covers play a vital role in protecting the wicket and ensuring matches can go ahead, particularly during periods of unsettled weather.

The club’s volunteer groundsmen spend hours each week preparing the playing surface and rely on the covers to safeguard their work.

“Today we went to check the pitch and discovered that our covers have been slashed,” the club said. “These covers play a vital part in ensuring games get played. Our volunteer groundsmen put in hours of work every week to ensure games are played and we rely on these covers to protect the work that has been done, especially on days like today."

The vandalism has left the club with an unexpected expense and prompted the launch of a public fundraising appeal to help replace the damaged equipment.

The incident is the latest in a worrying spell for local cricket clubs.

Just last week, St Austell Cricket Club appealed for information after a car was driven across its Wheal Eliza ground, causing significant damage to playing surfaces and narrowly missing a young child.

The club said a silver Fiat Punto entered the site at around 6pm on June 5, travelling across areas used by the third and fourth teams before continuing across the ground and being abandoned near one of the entrances.

The club described the incident as “extremely serious” and was reported to police.

While the circumstances differ, both incidents have highlighted the vulnerability of community sports clubs, which depend heavily on volunteers and fundraising to maintain facilities.