CRICKET club members were left stumped after a gang of louts dragged their sight screen across their pitch and tried to topple it into the canal.

Members of Cherry Tree CC, Blackburn, are now increasing security at their ground after a series of attacks.

Club officials were alerted by police after residents saw the timber frame blocking the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

Geoff Bowden, whose home in Fir Trees Drive backs on to the canal, said: "It's a really big thing and the vandals pushed it right through a fence and down the bank.

"People were having to climb over it to get along the towpath. It was at a crazy angle and it was almost in the canal."

Bob Duxbury, the club's cricket chairman, said: "We are not talking about young kids doing this - it takes four or five of our players to move the screens, so it must have been grown lads.

"The vandals turned the screen on its side and dragged it across the ground.

"They've left tracks across the ground, although luckily they are not on the playing square.

"They toppled it and tried to throw it in the canal. Luckily one of the wheels got caught and stopped it going in the water.

Mr Duxbury said: "When we saw it, we thought 'How the heck are we going to move that?' and in the end we had to take it to pieces.

"We are in the process of putting a big fence round the ground to try and stop this sort of thing."

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