Cricket club returns after grubs destroyed pitch

Cricket fans in Derbyshire will be able to take to the field after more than a year following the removal of a chafer bug infestation.

Bolsover District Council said the ground at Langwith Cricket Club was closed after the insects were detected in April last year.

Donors and club sponsors have helped to fund restoration work.

The club hopes the renovations will allow them to develop their youth teams.

Richard Radford, junior co-ordinator with the club, said the damage caused by the grubs left the grass looking "like a potato field" and allowed birds and hedgehogs to wreak further havoc.

"We did all the work for the ground in the winter, [then] we came back in the spring of 2023 and sadly the ground had been destroyed," he said.

"Clubs like this, they're the cornerstone of the community."

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