Whittle and Clayton-le-Woods CC on Kem Mill Lane has been targeted by yobs who recently climbed onto the roof and smashed holes into it, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

The club, which was founded in 1900 and moved to its current location in 1947, has seen a number of attacks over the past few years and has had to shell out large amounts to get repairs done.

Members recently raised £6,000 to renovate facilities at the ground so they could improve their chances of getting promoted from Division 2 of the Palace Shield into Division 1.

John Cowley, chairman of Whittle and Clayton-le-Woods CC, said: "This is taking away vital money that we could use to buy equipment for the junior team.

"We came back to the club house and noticed a small hole at the front of the roof and a much bigger one further in.

"It's frustrating to see people causing this damage and it shows that they have no respect for the work that we're doing.

"It has taken us a long time to raise thousands of pounds but we keep spending it on repairs instead of making improvements.

"We have had to put barb wire up to protect the changing rooms because people have broken in there in the past.

He added: "The club is in a Catch-22 situation because the property is owned by a private owner who wants to sell the ground to us.

"At the moment we haven't got any money to buy it but unless we own it we can't apply for grants to get extra funding to make repairs.

"We are in a beautiful, idyllic setting close to the river and the church and everything a village cricket ground should be.

"I often think that some people in the village don't want a cricket don't want a cricket team and certainly don't deserve one if this vandalism carries on."

The club's original wooden pavilion was burnt down in an arson attack in the late 1970s.

Insp Ian Roberts, of Chorley police, said: "I am aware of the damage at the cricket club - damage is a crime and should never be thought of as a juvenile prank.

"I will put increased patrols in the area to talk to any youngsters in the area and to prevent further damage."