A groundsman who has spent eight years tending award-winning pitches in Coventry has blasted the hooligans who wrecked them in 20 minutes.
Bob Stretton, 59, was hired to resurrect the pitches at Massey Ferguson Sports Club in Bannerbrook Park in 2006.
Since then he has transformed the surfaces and up until now he was looking forward to a busy summer of sport at the ground.
His dreams have turned into a nightmare after vandals on a motorbike decimated his cricket square, making half of the wickets unusable for the new season.
The rest will need a huge amount of attention to make them playable for the new season, which is just a few weeks away.
Bob, who has tended to sports surfaces across Coventry and Warwickshire, said: "I've been here since 2006.
"In that time I've been attacked with a knife, chased by a dog, physically assaulted and verbally assaulted, and this is the icing on the cake."
To read the full story click here