When Eaglehawk Cricket Club curator Bernie Fitt arrived at Canterbury Park on Monday morning he saw a sight that's a nightmare for all cricket curators.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The pitch Fitt had started to prepare for this Saturday's games against Strathfieldsaye had been vandalised - most likely by someone riding a motorbike.
Read more: High praise for "superstar" Vlaeminck
"It's like they knew what they were doing because they've just ridden on the pitch we wanted to use next Saturday,'' Fitt said.
"They haven't ridden over the whole centre square. It's one motorbike by the look and it wasn't a big bike going by the tyre marks.
"The only damage I can see is on the pitch itself. The little buggers - it frustrates the life out of you."
Read more: No end in sight to umpiring dispute
Fitt had started his pitch preparation on Sunday and left Canterbury Park at about 1pm.
Other club officials were at the ground until about 6pm and the sprinklers were scheduled to come on at about 9pm.
The pitch was soft when the tyre marks chewed up the turf, so it would appear the damage was done between 9pm and Monday morning.
"I came down to the oval on Monday morning to make sure the sprinklers had come on,'' Fitt said.
"It was probably a good thing the sprinklers did come on because the pitch was still wet which made it a bit easier for me to clean it up.
"We're looking at our cameras at the club and we're checking the cameras through the park. We'll find them."
Fitt said club curators could spend up to 20 hours per week preparing, watering and rolling cricket pitches.
He said the last thing they need is mindless vandalism.
"We won't be able to play on that pitch this Saturday...we'll have to go back to the one we used last game," Fitt said.
"Thankfully, it wasn't a big motorbike. If it had been a big bike it would have destroyed it."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- Follow us on Google News