It’s just not cricket: hoon tears up oval

The Elleker community oval has been torn up by hoons after years of effort to improve the condition of the turf.

Elleker Locos Cricket Club player Drew Piddle said he arrived at the oval on Monday to find it “torn to bits”.

“We came down to clean up the edges of the oval,” he said. “It’s been cut up and torn to bits by someone. It’s very disappointing.

“A lot of people have put in a lot of work in the oval. To see it ruined in someone’s few minutes of fun is annoying.”

The oval hosts games in the beloved Pig’s Arse Shield cricket competition.

In 2015-16, the City of Albany allocated more than $7500 to upgrading the oval, including turf, soil and drainage works.

Elleker Progress Association’s Phil Mellon said doing burnouts on a community oval was unacceptable behaviour.

“This ground has been put together by people — locals, — since the 90s, by themselves with a little bit of help from the City,” he said.

“The cricket boys spend nearly two to three days a week here getting the grass growing, mowing and maintaining it to keep it in good condition.

“It’s local people that keep this place in good shape and it’s very disappointing and unnecessary that someone would come along and do this.

“It’s stupid behaviour.”

Mr Mellon said he would report the damage to the City of Albany and police.