THIEVES smashed their way into a cricket club and left a trail of broken glass and a repair bill estimated at more than £1,000.

Abingdon Vale Cricket Club was raided on Friday night when more than £100 worth of bottles of alcohol were stolen and smashed around the site.

Club chairman Robin Newman said members spent about three hours on Saturday cleaning up broken glass while police forensic investigators scoured the scene for evidence including fingerprints and footprints.

He said the raiders had smashed windows and used a metal bar to force their way inside the Culham Road club.

The bar was badly damaged and bottles of spirits, ginger beer, cider, and lager were taken.

Mr Newman said someone from the neighbouring Abingdon Town Football Club saw the break-in and called the police.

He said: “They made a real mess. They have probably taken as many bottles as they could carry and chucked the rest away.

“We have a dustbin full of glass which shows the kind of mindless damage they have done.”

He estimated that about £1,000 worth of damage had been caused by the late night break-in.

He also said the weekend burglary had added to the club’s recent bad luck caused by heavy rain, adding: “The field is flooded as well to compound our misery.

“It is annoying but it should be okay as long as it doesn’t get any worse. It should be alright in a couple of weeks.”

Abingdon Town Council leader Sandy Lovatt said the club was an important part of the town, adding: “Why do people do things like that? I’m sorry this has happened to them. The people who did it should be ashamed of themselves. The fact that they can do this to the community shows how little they care.”

No-one from Thames Valley Police was available for comment.