Cricket clubs across The Hills are paying the price for a spate of vandalism that has left three cricket pitches damaged, fixtures relocated, and ratepayers facing a repair bill running into the thousands in the middle of the season.
The incidents, which police are now investigating, occurred over recent weeks at Les Shore Reserve in Glenorie, Glenhaven Oval in Glenhaven and Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill. Each attack has rendered playing surfaces unusable at a critical point in the local cricket calendar.
The most recent damage was discovered in the early hours of Sunday at Les Shore Reserve, where members of the Glenorie District Cricket Club arrived to find tyre marks carved across Field One. The pitch was left unplayable, forcing one match to be moved at short notice to another ground.
At Fred Caterson Reserve, vandals went further, setting fire to the synthetic wicket and spray-painting a crude image onto the surface. The pitch will need to be entirely replaced at an estimated cost of $7,000.
Glenhaven Oval has also been affected, with what is believed to be an e-bike repeatedly driven across the pitch, cutting deep grooves into the surface. Repairs are already underway and are expected to cost the Council more than $7,000.
The Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, condemned the damage, saying it had caused significant disruption to local competitions and an unnecessary financial burden for the community. She said acts that took only minutes had effectively undermined an entire season for three clubs and diverted Council resources away from other priorities.
While Council assesses the full extent of the damage, Dr Byrne said the eventual cost of repairs would be borne by ratepayers, describing that outcome as unacceptable. She also appealed to residents to help police identify those responsible.
Anyone with CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Hills Police Area Command or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, as investigations continue into the attacks on the region’s sporting grounds.
