As a cricket lover of near fanatical status (being a Yorkshireman) I feel desperately sorry for the club. It must be utterly galling to have these incidents happening regularly.
However, I fear it is simply another manifestation of the envy and spite and hatred that exists in our society today. The vandals are obviously low-life scum and illiterate vermin who feel excluded from everything - largely, their own fault, of course, since they are worthless, spineless and useless apologies for human beings. Cricket is one of the pastimes of decent, ordinary people that they see as middle class and elitist. Beyond doubt, the vandals come from the "sink" council estates located near the club and are so ignorant and thick that they cannot comprehend anything beyond their extremely limited horizons of crime and living off benefits. Perhaps the club should consider moving to a more salubrious and better-off area.

Great idea Roy, but where ?

The problem is that even if these scum bags were caught in the act they would more than likely get off with a caution. This would then be backed up by some do-gooder telling us all that its not their fault they were bored. Something needs to change and quick. Watford Town moving is not the answer. The police know who it is but are powerless to do anything about it. Still look on the bright side, at the end of May they will have a nice new sports centre to smash up and may leave the cricket club alone for a while.

Until they are bored again.

Bring back the Park Ranger with the power to shoot to kill. These scum bags will always be a nuisance to society and will only breed more scum.

Roy I dont think for a minute these idiots even thought it was a cricket pitch, it was just somewhere for them to drive!!!!!

Roy I dont think for a minute these idiots thought it was a cricket pitch, it was just somewhere for them to drive!!!!!

Roy Stockdill wrote:
As a cricket lover of near fanatical status (being a Yorkshireman) I feel desperately sorry for the club. It must be utterly galling to have these incidents happening regularly. However, I fear it is simply another manifestation of the envy and spite and hatred that exists in our society today. The vandals are obviously low-life scum and illiterate vermin who feel excluded from everything - largely, their own fault, of course, since they are worthless, spineless and useless apologies for human beings. Cricket is one of the pastimes of decent, ordinary people that they see as middle class and elitist. Beyond doubt, the vandals come from the "sink" council estates located near the club and are so ignorant and thick that they cannot comprehend anything beyond their extremely limited horizons of crime and living off benefits. Perhaps the club should consider moving to a more salubrious and better-off area.

'Beyond doubt, the vandals come from the sink council estates? How do you back this statement up?How do you know for sure?Surely that is the kind of view that encourages envy and spite that you suggest!
I have been 'dragged' up on one of these estates and now run a local business employing 20 local people for nearly 20 years,so please do not make these bold statements just because you 'think' so.I do find it highly offensive.
What I do agree with you is that the attitude of 'young' people in general has changed over the past 20-25 years and I find that a shame.

Vandals don't normally travel any distance to commit their crimes and I find it interesting that there are a couple of council estates nearby. I tend to doubt they come from middle-class semis. I suspect they also see cricket as an elitist game from which they are excluded, if indeed they have the ability even to consider such a concept.
We in the Avenues estate are sometimes plagued with vandalism and we know precisely where the miscreants come from, but I won't mention it here for fear of unleashing a flood of abuse!
My congratulations to you, however, for rising above your upbringing and becoming an employer of so many people. It just shows it can be done, if only the ambition and desire is there in the first place. Sadly, so many of these yobs possess no desire or ambition to do anything other than make other people's lives a misery because they are a very poorly-educated and ignorant underclass.

About twenty five years ago, an old friend of mine was driving us in his car that he had re fitted with comp speck safety features, roll bars,buckets and harness' , fire protection et al. He took a detour across some very large playing fields and gave us an inproptu display of his rallying skills, he ripped perfect figures'of eight as he played his handbrake like a stradivarius in a brothel! Four cricket pitches got right royaly furrowed. Once I regained my composure from my outrage at what he was doing, I just kicked back and got into it. It was one hell of a ride. He was the son of a very affluent financier, he lived in a eight bedroom mansion encircled by lush & verdant grounds, watched over by a blue stone Doric style folly surrounded by the obligatory topiary. He had just recieved his BSc with honours from Oxbridge.
In conclusion!
Roy, you are an "IDIOT" of the first order.
God help any innocent brought to trial with you as a juror.

"ROY YOU ARE A BELL END"

Roy Stockdill wrote:
Vandals don't normally travel any distance to commit their crimes and I find it interesting that there are a couple of council estates nearby. I tend to doubt they come from middle-class semis. I suspect they also see cricket as an elitist game from which they are excluded, if indeed they have the ability even to consider such a concept.
We in the Avenues estate are sometimes plagued with vandalism and we know precisely where the miscreants come from, but I won't mention it here for fear of unleashing a flood of abuse!
My congratulations to you, however, for rising above your upbringing and becoming an employer of so many people. It just shows it can be done, if only the ambition and desire is there in the first place. Sadly, so many of these yobs possess no desire or ambition to do anything other than make other people's lives a misery because they are a very poorly-educated and ignorant underclass.

Im usually in agreement with your opinions Roy but this time i have to say you are one cheeky,snobby little g1t. "My congratulations to you,however,for rising above your upbringing" You make being brought up on a council estate sound like a living hell and you couldnt be further from the truth.You obviously have no experience of this so you are only assuming.As you might have guessed,i live on a council estate,like the majority of people in this country and your description of it is so wrong as there is good and bad everywhere in life not just council estates.So spit it out Roy,Who does the vandalism on the Avenues Estate? on this side of the tracks we have a quiet estate with little trouble,so i think your barking up the wrong tree..

Check the treads on ford foci......
Case solved!!!!!!!!

Vince wrote:
About twenty five years ago, an old friend of mine was driving us in his car that he had re fitted with comp speck safety features, roll bars,buckets and harness' , fire protection et al. He took a detour across some very large playing fields and gave us an inproptu display of his rallying skills, he ripped perfect figures'of eight as he played his handbrake like a stradivarius in a brothel! Four cricket pitches got right royaly furrowed. Once I regained my composure from my outrage at what he was doing, I just kicked back and got into it. It was one hell of a ride. He was the son of a very affluent financier, he lived in a eight bedroom mansion encircled by lush & verdant grounds, watched over by a blue stone Doric style folly surrounded by the obligatory topiary. He had just recieved his BSc with honours from Oxbridge. In conclusion! Roy, you are an "IDIOT" of the first order. God help any innocent brought to trial with you as a juror. "ROY YOU ARE A BELL END"

Bravo!
as the other 'arf say

Roy Stockdill wrote:
Vandals don't normally travel any distance to commit their crimes and I find it interesting that there are a couple of council estates nearby. I tend to doubt they come from middle-class semis. I suspect they also see cricket as an elitist game from which they are excluded, if indeed they have the ability even to consider such a concept. We in the Avenues estate are sometimes plagued with vandalism and we know precisely where the miscreants come from, but I won't mention it here for fear of unleashing a flood of abuse! My congratulations to you, however, for rising above your upbringing and becoming an employer of so many people. It just shows it can be done, if only the ambition and desire is there in the first place. Sadly, so many of these yobs possess no desire or ambition to do anything other than make other people's lives a misery because they are a very poorly-educated and ignorant underclass.

In reply, firstly, Roy is it not possible that as the damage to the cricket pitches was made by a car that the vandals had travelled a distance, dare I say it maybe even the Avenues? Yes, there are two council estates nearby, but equally anyone with a car could access the grounds and cause this damage.
Secondly please don't offer me your extremely patronising congratualtions on rising above my upbringing, you seem to have got the wrong end of the stick, I am not, and never will be, ashamed of my roots. My point to you was to show that not everyone from a council estate is a scumbag, in the same way not everyone from a middle class semi is a model citizen, and indeed not every Yorkshireman is a pompous, opinionated, prejudiced imbecile.
Maybe if the local area is not to your taste you might like to consider returning to your roots, unless of course you are ashamed of them.

Damaging a cricket pitch is, as far as I am concerned, the ultimate crime and ought to be a capital (hanging) offence, along with arson in Her Majesty's Dockyard and taking sexual advantage of the wife of the heir to the throne, both of which I understand are still on the statute book!
As for rising above one's roots, I had no intention of patronising anyone and I apologise if anyone feels I did. As it happens, I was brought up on on a tiny farm - well, actually, to call it a farm is a misnomer, more a couple of fields on a Pennine hillside in Yorkshire - and I consider that I too have risen above my roots. Nor am I ashamed of them. I always feel that people who started out disadvantaged and rose to better things are much to be applauded, far more than those who had everything handed to them on a silver platter.

Vince wrote:
About twenty five years ago, an old friend of mine was driving us in his car that he had re fitted with comp speck safety features, roll bars,buckets and harness' , fire protection et al. He took a detour across some very large playing fields and gave us an inproptu display of his rallying skills, he ripped perfect figures'of eight as he played his handbrake like a stradivarius in a brothel! Four cricket pitches got right royaly furrowed. Once I regained my composure from my outrage at what he was doing, I just kicked back and got into it. It was one hell of a ride. He was the son of a very affluent financier, he lived in a eight bedroom mansion encircled by lush & verdant grounds, watched over by a blue stone Doric style folly surrounded by the obligatory topiary. He had just recieved his BSc with honours from Oxbridge. In conclusion! Roy, you are an "IDIOT" of the first order. God help any innocent brought to trial with you as a juror. "ROY YOU ARE A BELL END"

Well, upper class Hooray Henrys can be just as moronic and ignorant as any yob from a council estate.
You only have to observe the behaviour of Princes William and Harry to understand that!

Roy Stockdill wrote:
Damaging a cricket pitch is, as far as I am concerned, the ultimate crime and ought to be a capital (hanging) offence, along with arson in Her Majesty's Dockyard and taking sexual advantage of the wife of the heir to the throne, both of which I understand are still on the statute book!
As for rising above one's roots, I had no intention of patronising anyone and I apologise if anyone feels I did. As it happens, I was brought up on on a tiny farm - well, actually, to call it a farm is a misnomer, more a couple of fields on a Pennine hillside in Yorkshire - and I consider that I too have risen above my roots. Nor am I ashamed of them. I always feel that people who started out disadvantaged and rose to better things are much to be applauded, far more than those who had everything handed to them on a silver platter.

Do us all a favour Roy and keep your sympathy to yourself.The majority of the armed forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are council boys.You keep implying that being born on a council estate is a impediment in life " people who are disadvantaged and rose to better things "...stop digging mate.I like to think i've done ok with my disadvantaged upbringing,ive worked all my life,all be it in a variety of jobs but i still chose to buy a house on the very same estate i was born on.I didnt feel the need to move as the place is a nice area to live.Your estate isnt any different to this side of the tracks,still 3 0r 4 bedrooms next to a railway,same schools and shops so i dont feel i have risen above anything or need to.If it makes you feel better to believe you and yours are better or of a higher ilk then fine carry on but please dont think youve arrived just because you live on the Avenues,its not exactly Chelsea..

Do people still live in Council Houses ? I thought that we had sold them all off. Must have missed some.
Anyway, back to my point. I am in no doubt that the perpetrators of this unforgivable crime were on day release from Woodside penal colony.

>Do us all a favour Roy and keep your sympathy to yourself.The majority of the armed forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are council boys.You keep implying that being born on a council estate is a impediment in life " people who are disadvantaged and rose to better things "...stop digging mate.I like to think i've done ok with my disadvantaged upbringing,ive worked all my life,all be it in a variety of jobs but i still chose to buy a house on the very same estate i was born on.I didnt feel the need to move as the place is a nice area to live.Your estate isnt any different to this side of the tracks,still 3 0r 4 bedrooms next to a railway,same schools and shops so i dont feel i have risen above anything or need to.If it makes you feel better to believe you and yours are better or of a higher ilk then fine carry on but please dont think youve arrived just because you live on the Avenues,its not exactly Chelsea..<

Never suggested it was, old son. However,my wife and I also own a home in Poole, Dorset, and another property in Coventry, Warwicks.It's called "Spreading your assets."
I am sure you are right in that the majority of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan come from council estates. More power to their elbow and good on them, say I! They deserve every plaudit they get.

"However,my wife and I also own a home in Poole, Dorset, and another property in Coventry, Warwicks.It's called "Spreading your assets." Your point being? It still not friggin Chelsea.Who on earth would brag about owning property in Coventry lol...Ps I dont nead a geography lesson Roy I know wear Coventry and Poole are.No doubt you will be leaving us to join the blue rinse brigade in Bournemouth..

meridanny wrote:
"However,my wife and I also own a home in Poole, Dorset, and another property in Coventry, Warwicks.It's called "Spreading your assets." Your point being? It still not friggin Chelsea.Who on earth would brag about owning property in Coventry lol...Ps I dont nead a geography lesson Roy I know wear Coventry and Poole are.No doubt you will be leaving us to join the blue rinse brigade in Bournemouth..

Whether we will be leaving to live in Bournemouth or Poole depends on whether my wife can obtain renal dialysis in that area, which at the moment she has to attend Watford General for 3 days a week. She has also just had another major operation as well and will take some time to recover. The money is unimportant in such circumstances and every silver lining has a cloud, to reverse a well-known saying.

Actually, since you ask, Meridanny, our family-owned property in Coventry is leased out as a betting shop with a flat above. Coventry is substantially bigger than Watford and we have other interests there, too.
All in all, The Avenues may not be Chelsea, as you rightly say, but the property portfolio owned by my wife and I and our two sons in Watford, Dorset and Warwickshire is worth well in excess of £1.2 million, so don't knock it!