The Launching Place Cricket Club is appealing for the return of its bowling machine after it was stolen this week.
The machine has tape on the blue poles and distinctive features the club can identify, with the balls made for the machine also stolen.
Club Secretary Leah Parker said the thieves had removed a panel of the storage shed to steal the machine.
“We arrived at the club rooms on Wednesday for junior training and when we unlocked the shed we noticed a side panel on the wall missing,” she said.
“What they’ve done is they’ve taken their own tools and unscrewed it, leaving the panel and screws on the ground,” she said.
The Ringwood District Cricket Association (RDCA) also shared the information saying the RDCA is a ‘big and supportive landscape’ and urging anyone with information to contact the club directly.
Ms Parker said a brand-new version of the same machine would set the club back about $5000.
“It’s a vital part of the club’s training, they use it every week and it would only really have use for a cricketer,” she said.
“Clubs are struggling financially anyway but to take something we didn’t need to replace will take a huge chuck out of our fundraising efforts and hard work.”
Any information regarding the machine can be sent to the Launching Place Cricket Club by messaging their Facebook page.
