Vandals tear-up oval causing thousands of dollars damage

Parkes Shire Council is working with local police after vandals allegedly tore-up the playing surface at Woodward Oval, now threatening the start of the cricket season. It's believed one or more electric scooters were used on the oval last Friday afternoon, causing significant damage to the turf wicket and delaying its availability for the upcoming cricket season. The cost to repair the damage is estimated at $3500, which includes materials and council staff time. Repairs to the facility already got underway over the weekend and Tuesday, but council said work will continue for the next couple of weeks. The wicket is likely to remain out of action until November, depending on weather conditions and how the turf responds. The damage is so significant the wicket is likely to remain out of action until November, now delaying the cricket season at Woodward Oval. Council has provided relevant footage and images to police to assist with identifying those responsible. Council’s sporting fields team has invested significant time, effort and resources preparing the wicket to ensure it is ready for the start of the season. The damage means further work is now required before the wicket can safely be used for cricket. The repair costs will be borne by council, meaning the impact of this incident will ultimately be felt by the wider community. Parkes Shire general manager Kent Boyd said the vandalism was extremely disappointing and stressed that damaging community facilities was not acceptable. “This is not harmless fun. It is vandalism that has caused real damage to a community facility and will directly affect local sporting clubs and players who have been looking forward to the start of the cricket season,” he said. “Council staff have put considerable time and effort into preparing this wicket, and to now have that work damaged because someone chose to do circle work on an electric scooter across the playing surface is incredibly disappointing. “These facilities belong to our community. When they are damaged, it costs money to repair them, takes staff away from other important work and, in this case, means local sporting groups are the ones who miss out. “Council takes vandalism seriously and we will not tolerate behaviour that deliberately damages community facilities, we will not hesitate to prosecute offenders.” Mr Boyd would like to remind the community electric scooters, e-bikes and similar devices are prohibited from being ridden on Council sporting fields and playing surfaces. "These restrictions are in place to protect playing surfaces and facilities from damage and to ensure they remain safe and available for organised sport and community use," he said. "[We] understand most of the community respects and values its sporting facilities. However, incidents such as this have consequences for everyone. "Community facilities are there for everyone to enjoy – but everyone also has a responsibility to look after them, so if you see facilities being vandalised, please report it immediately to the police."