Club Week: Further misery for Cannock, tyre mark 'idiots' and arson attack in Huddersfield

The Cricketer rounds up some of the more unusual stories of the past week from across local cricket scenes around the UK...

Bradenham chairman slams 'idiots' who left tyre marks on field

A chairman of a club in Norfolk has been left outraged after the outfield had been desecrated by tyre marks.

Players and officials at Bradenham Cricket Club were supposedly left devastated last week after groundsman Brett Gates arrived to find the outfield desecrated with tyre marks.

Mr Gates took to Twitter to express his anger at the damage, before chairman Tim Evans slammed the culprits for spoiling a highly-valued community asset.

"It is just so disappointing to see," Mr Evans told Dereham Times.

"Whoever's done this has just mindlessly driven round the pitch and even on the square as well. You can still see the circles where they have gone round.

"We're fortunate that the ground itself was not that wet at the time. It was a bit damp but, had it been wet, the damage would've been much worse.

"It is just so frustrating - after all the hard work that's been put in - to see the pitch ruined by some idiots who think they are clever. They've achieved nothing by doing this, other than making a complete mess of something in their own village."

Arson attack on Huddersfield's oldest cricket club

A suspected arson attack has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage at Huddersfield's oldest cricket club.

Firefighters were called to Lascelles Hall Cricket Club on Friday evening after reports that a fire was seen in a building containing an electronic scoreboard and other equipment.

There are suggestions that someone had set fire to a roll of artificial turf next to the building which then spread into the roof, causing the damage which fire crews managed to stop destroying the whole building.

Club president Trevor Shaw, who was the club in 2010 when another fire destroyed the clubhouse, told ExaminerLive: "This time the scorebox has been damaged. We only renovated it two years ago.

"I have been involved with the club for 40 years and sometimes I think is it worth carrying on, it's as simple as that."

Millionaire pulls out of Chase Park purchase

There's more bad news for Cannock CC after the millionaire who won the online auction to acquire their Chase Park facilities pulled out of the deal.

Mo Chaudry (pictured above), the owner of the Waterworld leisure complex in Stoke-on-Trent, pulled out of purchasing the site days before the set deadline.

Cannock Cricket Club remain in operation but are being forced to play their games at other grounds.

Club secretary Graham Machin spoke to The Cricketer at the beginning of the month hoping for a swift resolution to the problem, but that has not materialised as Mr Choudry's plans to evolve the grounds never came to fruition.

Mr Choudry declined to comment on the news when asked by Express & Star.

(Photo credit: Express & Star)

New training facilities at Windhill

Plans to build new training facilities at Windhill Cricket Club in Bradford have been approved.

An application to build what was described as a "non turf cricket practice facility" at the club's grounds on Thackley Old Road in Shipley was submitted earlier in the year.

The proposal suggested building 18-metre long cricket cages, surrounded by netting, at the South East side of the cricket ground.

The Telegraph and Argus stated that Sport England had not raised any objections to the plans, which have now been approved by Bradford Council, who said: "Located in the corner of the plot, it will continue to allow for maximum use of the remaining part of the playing field, which remains quite extensive.

"The cricket net facility is a fairly common feature seen across the UK and is considered to be visually acceptable and appropriate for its setting, with a predominantly lightweight appearance."

Cricketer returns after suffering cardiac arrest during match

A cricket club in Sussex saw a heartwarming return of one of its cricketers this week.

Colin Parsons suffered a cardiac arrest seven weeks ago while playing for Nutley Cricket Club, but has since managed to make a full recovery.

Mr Parsons therefore made his return during a tournament to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the club on Sunday and made a guest appearance for Hadlow Down CC, whose members saved his life when he collapsed during a game between them and Nutley.

Parsons therefore took to the field alongside Karim Iqbal and Simon Rogers, who both performed CPR on him while waiting for an ambulance to arrive, according to Uckfield News.

Excellent news for all involved.