Vandals attacked a Huddersfield cricket club, digging holes in the pitch.

And police are also investigating alleged racist graffiti, scrawled in the turf at the Edgerton and Dalton club.

Many of the players are Asian and abusive words were left by the vandals.

The damage was discovered yesterday morning by club officials, who had spent days working on the pitch after the end of the season.

They estimated it will cost hundreds of pounds to repair the damage.

It is the latest in a series of attacks on the club. In a previous incident, nets erected to stop cricket balls hitting nearby houses were badly damaged.

Groundsman Rodger Massiah said: “It is just wanton damage, designed to cause us as much grief as possible.

“I am not surprised but I am angry. We have a facility here that could be used by the whole community but some seem to want to target us.

“We moved here from Edgerton to merge with the former Dalton cricket club in 2005 and we run two teams in the Arrow Central League.

“We had hoped to run a junior team getting local youngsters involved but that has been delayed.

“We don’t want to stop people using the field when it’s not in use by us but we would want them to respect it and not cause wanton damage.

“We have just spent a lot of time and money, including £500 paid by me, to get the field prepared for the next season and it’s now gone to waste.”

A police spokesman said: “Officers have launched an investigation into the incident in which the pitch has been damaged and racially offensive graffiti left.

“Anyone who has information or who saw suspicious behaviour at the ground is urged to call the Huddersfield South NPT on 101 or CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 1111”.