'Devastated' cricket club targeted by thieves again

Members of a village cricket club said they were "devastated" after thieves targeted the site for about the 10th time in just over two years.

Castor & Ailsworth CC, near Peterborough, said intruders caused extensive damage and stole alcohol during a break-in on Wednesday night.

Andy Johnson, club chairman, said the burglars smashed through a rear window of the changing rooms before forcing entry to the bar. "It is very difficult and has a big impact on us as a small club," he said.

Cambridgeshire Police said it was investigating and urged anyone with information to get in touch.

Johnson said the break-in caused "a lot of damage".

He said the thieves were seen on CCTV "loading up a bread carrier and removing a fair bit of alcohol, but no money was taken".

"It's devastating," he said.

"We are just a party of five or six people going down there during the week trying to improve the facilities, and now we've got to spend more time repairing the bits that have been broken.

"Every time we try to beef the security up a little bit, they still seem to want to come through."

For the past three years, the club, on Port Lane in Castor, has been fundraising for a new pavilion that is expected to cost about £100,000.

The chairman said the repeated incidents had taken a "heavy toll" on the volunteer-run club, adding that they are still about £50,000 short of completing the new brick building.

"Every time we lose some money from this [break-in], it takes us backwards," he said.

Despite the break-in, the club continued hosting matches over the weekend and ran its regular Friday evening youth training sessions.

Johnson said the junior section had grown from about 25 children to 100 in three years.

"That's the future - the children that we're trying to train on a Friday night," he said.

He also praised the support shown by local residents and parents following the latest burglary.

"The support is massive from the local people," he added.

Last August, the club suffered another break-in, where a range of things including all grounds equipment, lots of alcohol and even tea bags were stolen.

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