England’s cricket woes continue

Press, 13 January 1987, Page 11

England’s cricket woes continue

NZPA-AAP Sydney England’s woes at the Sydney Cricket Ground have not been confined to the field. Thieves broke into the England dressing room at the ground overnight yesterday and stole several valuable items of cricketing equipment.

Missing from the dressing room were two bats belonging to lan Botham, including the favourite bat with which he has belted thousands of runs.

Also gone were two bats and a pair of batting gloves belonging to the wicketkeeper, Bruce French, and the bat being used by Jack Richards in the fifth test

The Sydney Cricket Ground Trust’s general manager, Noel Neate, has blamed zealous souvenir hunters for the theft

“I would appeal to the sporting instincts of those responsible to return the gear; nobody should be proud of taking favourite cricket gear from Botham or his teammates to the detriment of

their game,” Mr Neate said. He said the intruders had gained access to the dressing room through the shower block.

“We had security patrols on the ground during the night but they were principally occupied in keeping an eye on the wicket area.”

Mr Neate revealed that he had received a threat to the wicket area before the start of the fifth test on Saturday. “I had a call asking us how would we like the wicket to be damaged before the test,” he said.

“The caller said that the Australians were so awful that it wouldn’t really matter if they didn’t have a wicket to play on. “It was a crank call but we didn’t take any risks.” The England manager, Mr Peter Lush, joined Mr Neate in his appeal for the return of the equipment “I couldn't place a value to the players on the equipment that has been taken, particularly Botham’s favourite bat” Mr Lush said.