Rowdy revellers destroying image of cricket (From Messenger Newspapers)

Rowdy revellers destroying image of cricket

3:53pm Wednesday 7th May 2008

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I HAVE lived on Dane Road in Sale for many years, and over the last few months I have become increasingly concerned at the level of rowdy behaviour taking place at Sale cricket club. During the weekends that the cricket team play at home, the members bar and general area seem to be full of foul-mouthed, lager swilling louts who are making local residents life a misery.

This chain of events came to a head on the last May bank holiday when amidst another rowdy team celebration at the club, several members of the drunken cricket team vandalised the electrics box on the sports field behind our family home. In an attempt to gain access to the switch for the flood lights used by the Spartans rugby team, I watched as at least three hooded figures smashed the front of the box off, and then decided it would be funny to light up near enough the whole of Dane Road.

As you can imagine, me and my wife had a fitful night's sleep as our bedroom was lit up at least four times by the flood lights with their full beam on. I had to go out onto the field to turn them off at least three times before midnight, but the same drunken revellers returned and woke half of the street up again at 4am by once again turning on the switch at the electrics box. The club received several phone calls during these incidents.

I know Sale Cricket Club has a distinguished history, and our family have often watched cricket being played there, however this new age of members seem to be hell bent on tarnishing the club's good name with their uncontrolled binge drinking. As cricket's popularity is on the increase, I do hope that the sport doesn't follow the example set by football in attracting yobs. The sport has always been a gentleman's game in my eyes, and I do hope that Sale CC will impose bans on those who cause further annoyance - or at the very least make an effort to vet those they allow to use the club facilities. As at this moment in time Sale cricket club is in danger of making an enemy of the local community it is supposed to serve.

Barry Trainer - Dane Road.

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