A volunteer who gives his time despite health problems is “fed up” with the vandalism taking place at his cricket club ground.

Donald Renyard, chairman of Carleton Cricket Club in Carlisle, spends free time maintaining the team’s pitch along with fellow volunteer James Skinner.

Mr Renyard, 78, of Durranhill puts in the work at the Sycamore Lane ground despite battling a rare form of blood cancer and shattering his shoulder in a fall last September.

But the work of Mr Renyard and the club’s volunteers is being ruined by groups of youths who are said to have been vandalising equipment at the ground.

Cumbria police paid one of a number of visits to the ground on Wednesday night after Mr Renyard’s granddaughter, Hayley Pearson, saw a group of youths jumping up and down on a pitch cover.

The framework of that piece of equipment is bent out of shape and will need to be heated and reshaped at cost to the club.

In recent weeks, Carleton Cricket Club’s artificial wickets have also been damaged.

Hayley said that it was a source of disappointment for her grandfather during his bout with ill health.

“Going to the cricket, it’s all he enjoys doing at the minute,” she said.

“The cricket season’s just started up, they go down on the weekends.”

But Mr Skinner and Mr Renyard feel disheartened by the acts of vandals.

“They’re just getting fed up," Hayley added.

Two groups of youths are targeting the cricket ground, which neighbours the Crichton Rugby Union pitch.

Team captain Alex Smith said: “Because we’ve asked them not to do it, then it becomes, 'well we’ll go one step further because you’ve told us off'.”

Younger group of vandals are reportedly jumping on a pitch cover but an older group are crawling under it to smoke and drink – Mr Smith added that it was indicative of general anti-social behaviour issues in Carlisle.

“It’s a wider issue; it’s not just us," he added. "It’s a worrying trend.”

Mr Renyard, who has been involved in the club for 53 years, said: “I’ve been a player, captain, secretary and now chairman. We’ve never had a carry on like this.”