$10K repair bill for vandalized Stratford cricket pitch
Isabella Zavarise | CBC News | Posted: July 9, 2018 11:00 PM | Last Updated: July 9, 2018
'You just can't fold that down and glue it back'
The cricket season has been delayed as the Town of Stratford, P.E.I., works on replacing the playing surface of the cricket pitch in Tea Hill Park after discovering it had been vandalized earlier in the year.
Some time after the field was uncovered in April, holes were found in a few sections of the specialized artificial turf.
Stratford Mayor David Dunphy said the repairs will cost $10,000.
"It looks like it was cut with a knife and ripped up. You just can't fold that down and glue it back. It's gotta be replaced," said Dunphy.
PEI Cricket Association President Ross Dwyer said the damage was so bad, the season had to be delayed.
"We didn't want to get guys out there and have the possibility of injuries," he said.
'Sense of community'
The sport brings athletes from various backgrounds together to play on the Island, Dwyer said.
"To have our own space, it gives us a great sense of community and attachment to the town," he said.
The field at Tea Hill Park was one of the first cricket pitches in the Maritimes.
Dunphy said the materials to fix it are coming from the U.K. and he expects the pitch to be repaired in the upcoming weeks.
Dunphy said the pitch is an important feature of Stratford as it reflects the town's diversity.
He's also requesting that anyone with information about the vandalism contact the RCMP.