Wet wicket: Vandals have been blamed for removing the covers from Junction Oval on Saturday night.IT is a curator’s worst nightmare.
After firmly fixing the covers to the turf wicket at Junction Oval on Saturday evening, ground officials returned at dawn on Sunday to find the covers had been deliberately removed.
Overnight rain had not been forecast, but light mist fell in the early hours of the morning and soaked through the hessian cover that was left on the pitch.
The result was a number of wet spots and a two-and-a-half-hour delay to the start of play.
Premier Cricket manager Peter Binns said it was disappointing that vandals caused a delay in the grand final.
“Whoever did this must have gone to some effort, because the cover was pegged almost a foot into the ground,” he said.
“Yet the hessian wasn’t removed. They were probably disturbed.
“The hessian cover probably saved the day’s play.”
Mr Binns said overnight security would be put in place for next year’s grand final.
“This has never happened in a grand final, and won’t happen again,” he said.
