- Vehicles smashed through bollards to access the field
- Up to a dozen matches had to be cancelled
- Police are investigating the act of vandalism
Sports clubs east of Brisbane fear they are being targeted by hoons after a second field was destroyed in a matter of months on Sunday.
After the Muddies Rugby Union field was torn up by a driver in a black ute in January, the neighbouring cricket club was targeted on the weekend.
The incident occurred on Saturday night at the Muddies Cricket Club in Birkdale which is located in the Redlands Council region south-east of Brisbane.
Up to seven vehicles smashed their way through wooden bollards to access the field, doing burnouts and doughnuts leaving the field unplayable.
Around a dozen matches had to be cancelled following the wanton vandalism that has left the community and volunteer run club searching for answers.
Aerial footage shows the extent of the damage to the Muddies Cricket Club field at Birkdale in the Redlands region south-east of Brisbane
Muddies Cricket Club president Malcolm Luck said the damage was ‘soul destroying’
The offenders had to smash their way through wooden bollards to access the field
‘It’s just ridiculous,’ Muddies Cricket Club president Malcolm Luck told Channel 7.
‘It’s soul destroying and its just a horrible situation. We can’t budget for this.’
Redlands Rugby Union Club co-president Mark King said the offenders literally had to smash their way onto the field to carry out the vandalism.
‘What do you do? You can only protect it so much,’ he said.
The club has put out a public appeal for witnesses and are urging anyone with information to contact Queensland Police.
‘There is some video footage still to come in, and we all know Redlands Rugby Union Club Official copped a similar go last year with a 4WD, and the culprit was found,’ the club posted on Facebook.
‘So in a similar way we are putting the call out before things go further.
‘Redland City Council have their guys on it in a quick response this morning to get a team to site, and the local police have been notified. Any cameras in the vicinity of the fields will get checked.’
The cricket club has put out a public appeal to try and identify the hoons responsible for the vandalism
The club has also been targeted by local teenagers on pushbikes ripping up the fields, including a synthetic surface that was destroyed before juniors even got a chance to play on it.
‘Police are investigating following a wilful damage incident at Birkdale on Saturday, June 8,’ a Queensland Police Services spokeswoman said.
‘Initial investigations indicate at approximately 8pm, multiple vehicles were driving dangerously near the Judy Holt Sportsfield causing damage to turf, before leaving the scene.
‘No one was physically injured.
‘Witnesses, or anyone with information or relevant vision, are urged to contact police. Investigations are continuing.’
CCTV footage caught a driver using a black ute ripping up the neighbouring rugby union field in January this year
Redlands Rugby Union Club co-president Mark King is at a loss on why the sporting fields have been targeted by hoons
The incident comes just months after hoons tore up the neighbouring field at Redlands Rugby Union Club causing up to $2500 damage.
CCTV footage showed a black ute performing two burnouts on the sodden field before fleeing the scene.
‘Literally, 25 seconds was all it took,’ King said at the time.
‘Unfortunately, with all the rain, the fields were very soft. So when he’s done his burnout, he’s actually gone down about six inches into the ground.’
The field needed to be completely re-turfed at the expense of local ratepayers.
‘This is just a kid who’s obviously just made a stupid decision at the wrong time,’ club co-president Keith Taylor said.