Castor and Ailsworth Cricket Club ‘frustrated’ by break-ins

An amateur cricket club said it was “disheartened” after there were “several” attempted break-ins this year.

The Castor and Ailsworth Cricket Club on the outskirts of Peterborough was the latest target of a raid between Saturday and Sunday, with two windows smashed and the doors of a shed, garage and gazebo damaged.

Club secretary Joshua Weaver called the repeated incidents “frustrating” and said they placed “a significant strain on the club’s finances”.

The club said it plans to invest in additional security measures to ensure the safety of the venue.

On March 11, the club was broken into. According to Mr Weaver, all equipment was removed from the pitch and left near the entrance, “assuming the burglars would come back to collect the equipment.”

A week later, the club was attacked again. A window was broken and a door was ripped off its hinges, but nothing was stolen.

Police were called and a forensics team conducted an investigation, the club said.

Mr Weaver said if the machine had been stolen, “it would have taken months to replace it, jeopardising the cricket season”.

The club is currently building a new pavilion. The work is expected to be completed this year.

“We are just a small club. Volunteers give up hundreds of hours a week to make cricket possible for the young people here,” said Mr Weaver.

“The loss would have jeopardised the club’s financial stability and any progress on the new pavilion.

“But we have very good support from our local community. We ask residents to be vigilant and to send us any information.”