A VILLAGE cricket club faces spending £10,000 on new security after thieves stripped all the lead from its pavilion in a second attack in a matter of months.

About 60ft of lead was stolen and it is feared the bill will run into thousands.

Yesterday chairman Roger Mitty said he was still waiting to hear from insurers and was angry the club had been targeted.

He said: “The police have advised us that these were professional criminals who would have checked out the club before the crime.

“The extraordinary thing is we have a locked gate at the bottom of our field so whoever pinched it will have had to carry an awful lot of lead an awful long way.”

The criminals struck as the club is preparing to start the new season with a new all-weather pitch and practice nets – after a £51,000 fundraising drive.

Cash for the revamp came from grants and local fundraising.

The club has also bought a new pitch cover and scoreboard after vandals destroyed their old one over the winter.

Mr Mitty said the attacks meant the club would have to shell out more money to put in CCTV cameras and security fencing.

He said: “We need to make sure we protect what they (grant givers) have helped us to buy. It is very sad but it is what we have to do.”

The club teaches about 150 youngsters and has about 60 playing members.

The pavilion was built in 1986 and houses changing rooms and a social club.

Last month Eynsham Cricket Club’s pavilion was destroyed by a fire thought to be arson.

Mr Mitty added: “They are friends of ours and they have been devastated by what has happened to their pavilion.”

The Cumnor club’s scoreboard, thought to have been made before the Second World War, was given to them by the Oxford University college Christ Church.

Mr Mitty added: “It was very precious and served us well until the vandals ripped it off the wall.

“I don’t know what is happening in the world.”

Cumnor Parish Council vice chairman Dick Clarke said: “It is a sad state of affairs when communities cannot enjoy the facilities that fundraising and hard work have achieved without the fear of losing out to vandalism.”

Police spokesman Lucy Billen said the lead had been taken from the club between 8pm on Tuesday last week and 9am last Friday.

Club members will be cleaning and refurbishing the ground tomorrow and Sunday ready for the new season.