Senseless vandals have trashed three cricket pitches across The Hills, forcing the relocation of games in the middle of the cricket season and costing ratepayers thousands of dollars.
The three separate incidents occurred over recent weeks at Les Shore Reserve in Glenorie, Glenhaven Oval in Glenhaven, and Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill.
The latest incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning at Les Shore Reserve. Members of the Glenorie District Cricket Club arrived to find tyre marks across Field One, leaving the pitch unusable and resulting in one of their games being moved to another field. Police have launched an investigation into the matter.
Another attack happed at Fred Caterson Reserve, with the synthetic pitch set on fire, requiring full replacement at a cost of $7,000. A rude image was also spray painted onto the wicket.
At Glenhaven Oval an alleged e-bike was driven across the pitch, leaving deep grooves. Repairs are underway and will cost Council upwards of $7,000.
Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, condemned the acts which have caused serious disruption to local cricket competitions.
"Five minutes of brainless fun has ruined an entire season of cricket for three clubs," Mayor Byrne said.
"Council is assessing the full extent of the damage and will confirm repair costs in the coming days. Sadly, these costs will ultimately fall on our ratepayers, which is unacceptable.
"This is not fair on the community, the police, the sports clubs and Council who now faces the burden of repairs and diverting resources from more important priorities."
Council is urging residents to assist Hills Police Area Command with their investigation.
