THE Essex club Orsett has had its pitches spoilt by holes dug with garden tools probably stolen from a nearby school shed, the Thurrock Gazette has reported.

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Vandals caused more than £2,000 of damage, digging 14 areas of the cricket square during the night when a break-in was reported by the next-door Orsett Church of England Primary School - which is next door to the cricket pitch.

Vice-chairman of the Orsett club, Graham Tidman, said: "We are all very upset about this. It's going to cost a lot of money to put it right. Every single one of the strips on the square has been damaged -- it's mindless. We have up to 70 kids down here each Friday night, and we usually have games Saturday and Sunday.

Thurrock police confirmed the break-in at the school and added: "A fork and a spade were stolen and a trail was discovered to the cricket

pitch. The turf was dug up. A considerable amount of damage has been caused and we need the public's help to identify those responsible."

THE cricket square of a club in Northern Ireland has been destroyed by vandals with dire financial consequences. Limavady CC, in County Londonderry, will be unable to host matches this summer after weedkiller was poured on to their pitches, killing all the grass.

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Club chairman Ivan Lapsley said the repair bill for the grass would be about £5,000 and he added: "It has dire consequences for the club financially because we would rely on the income from home games. They are now going to be played away from home, so we won't have any income for three or four months."

Until this setback Limavady had been playing their matches away in any case during work to improve the grounds and facilities, funded by a Sports Council grant. "We're almost halfway through the season and we've been playing all our games away from home because the outfield hadn't been in proper condition," Lapsley said. "But now that it's ready we've been upset by this mindless vandalism."

THE Gloucestershire and former England seam-bowler Jon Lewis has criticised in a radio interview the "madness" of the structure of the FP Twenty20 competition this summer.

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The views of bowlers tend to be disregarded in this format, but Lewis has credibility as a durable player who rarely complains without reason. He believes that facing 16 group qualifying games in the space of six weeks is too demanding. "It's frustrating, to be honest," Lewis said on BBC Radio Bristol. "I'm not one to moan about how much cricket we play, but the way the structure has been put together it's just madness at the moment."

He added: "We have a small squad and, without a doubt, there will be guys picking up injuries in this competition purely and simply because of all the travelling we're having to do."

Somerset's director of cricket Brian Rose, with influence in the ECB, tends to agree. "When we get the financial results from the T20 overall towards, say, the end of July, then I think everybody can make a much fairer interpretation," said Rose, a member of the ECB cricket committee. "My own personal opinion is that we're playing four too many games in the T20 qualifying group. I think 10 or 12 is enough."

THE former Kent all-rounder Neil Dexter is to take over the captaincy of Middlesex in his first season after the surprise announcement today that Shaun Udal is to step down.

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Dexter, 25, a South African, is due to lead his new county in an away 20-overs match against Glamorgan on June 26 after a short stint by Adam Gilchrist during the Friends Provident Twenty20 tournament.

Udal apparently has become disillusioned by Middlesex's poor form, though he remains available for selection. A Middlesex official said he had captained Middlesex with "enthusiasm and pride" since September 2008, but that the former Hampshire off-spiner believed the time was right for someone else to captain the club.

Middlesex’s managing director of cricket Angus Fraser said: "Shaun took over the captaincy at an extremely difficult time for the club and has led the side with energy and pride. During the two years he has been in charge he has helped create a united team and a positive environment. He now has a key role to play in assisting his successor, Neil Dexter.

"Shaun cares passionately about how Middlesex CCC performs and has worked extremely hard to turn the team in to a winning outfit, but the indifferent cricket we continue to play has worn him down. It has affected his bowling too. Shaun is an intelligent and articulate man and he feels the team needs a change in leadership.

"His decision is respected by everyone at Middlesex CCC who would all like to thank him for the commitment he has shown during his time in charge. Shaun is not having the best of seasons, but he still has a role to play on the field. Unless I hear otherwise he is available for selection for teams that will be picked on merit."

"Neil Dexter was identified as a worthy successor to Udal earlier in the season and he will captain the club once Adam Gilchrist leaves. Neil is an extremely impressive young man. He is a fine player and is highly respected by everyone at the club."

Udal said captaining Middlesex had been a huge honour. "Letting go of something like that is extremely difficult," he said, "but Angus Fraser and I have agreed that this is the best way forward for the club. I would like to continue playing for Middlesex and will give my full support to both Adam Gilchrist and Neil Dexter."

Gilchrist captained the Deccan Chargers to success in the 2009 Indian Premier League and led Australia in all forms of the game with distinction.

THE former Durham batsman Gary Scott hit the highest individual score on record in the 50-over Minor Counties Cricket Association Trophy as Northumberland amassed the highest total, 394 for six, against Cheshire at Jesmond.

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The short straight boundaries in front of Osborne Avenue and the cemetery took a peppering as Scott smashed 186, including 12 sixes, to overtake the previous best 164 by Norfolk all-rounder Stephen Plumb in 1986. Not surprisingly Cheshire finished well beaten by 219 runs.

The previous highest total was Staffordshire’s 378 in 2002. Cheshire began a hopeless pursuit badly when Matt Muchall claimed three early wickets, including former Derbyshire pair Nathan Dumelow and Ben Spendlove.

ROMAN altar stones dating back almost 2,000 years have delayed work at a cricket pavilion in Musselburgh.

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The BBC reported that after the discovery of these ancient relics and other artefacts -- described as the most significant find of their kind in the past 100 years -- renovations were put on hold while archaeologists surveyed the area.

George Findlater, senior inspector of ancient monuments at Historic Scotland, said: "The stones have carvings and quite possibly inscriptions which can have a wealth of information on them, a lot of data about the people and their religion at that time." At least one of the altars is from the 2nd Century and is dedicated to the Roman God Jupiter.

Councillor Paul McLennan, a member of theEast Lothian Council, said: "The discovery of these remains is particularly exciting as it is not often that Roman altar stones are discovered during an archaeological excavation in Scotland. This helps with the emerging picture of life in and around the Roman fort at Inveresk during the second century."

HOTELIERS in the Southampton area challenged Eastleigh Borough Council's decision to spend £32 million on Hampshire's proposed Rose Bowl 175-bedroom hotel complex, but their protests failed.

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A judicial inquiry rejected their case saying there was "no realistic chance of success" in preventing the £48 million scheme going ahead. Construction had been delayed, and there were doubts whether the building work could be completed in time for next year's Test match against Sri Lanka.

The legality of Eastleigh's investment was challenged, with the protestors claiming there had been a "rushed decision-making process".

The council said the project would create 200 jobs and the cost would have no impact on taxpayers. The redevelpment of the cricket ground includes new stands, and the existing nine-hole golf course will be upgraded to an 18-hole championship course.

CELEBRITY chef Paul Heathcote MBE has been appointed by Lancashire as catering consultant to develop standards at The Point, the new £12 million conference and events facility at Old Trafford due to be completed in July this year.

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Heathcote, born in Farnworth, has been a regular face on television cooking shows. He owns 11 restaurants and is a previous winner of the Egon Ronay Chef of the Year and still the only chef in the North West to be awarded two Michelin Stars. If his influence extends to match-day catering for the mass of spectators, that would only be for the better...

THE former Middlesex and Berkshire seam bowler Tim Bloomfield has become landlord of the Union Inn at Old Windsor and is welcoming county members with a heavy discount.

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Bloomfield, 36, has refurbished this well known local inn, with its Copper Pot restaurant. He said: "After acquiring the business in its rustic state in late 2008, it was important that we enabled the Inn to retain much of its original rural features, but with the modern sophistications and contemporary soft furnishing of a thriving city establishment - a bit like Lord's some might say."

Former cricketers becoming landlords used to be more common than it is these days. Jim Love, of Yorkshire and England, springs to mind -- he took on the White Swan, with an excellent eaterie at Wighill, near Tadcaster.

There is no sporting theme in the Union Inn bar, as the strategy was to broaden the place's appeal. The Union Inn received a four-star rating from the English Tourist Board within a year, which Bloomfield regarded as a "huge achievement". But to the bottom line... on the county website he is offering all Middlesex members a 20 per cent discount on food and accomodation on production of a valid membership card. www.unioninnwindsor.co.uk