Sport
16 October, 2026
Cricket ovals no place for e-bikes
Young people have been filmed riding electric scooters and an e-bike across the turf cricket wicket at Lackey Park in Moss Vale.
Young people have been filmed riding electric scooters and an e-bike across the turf cricket wicket at Lackey Park in Moss Vale.
The recent footage – posted to social media – has prompted a call for parents and guardians to have a conversation with their children about respect for local sporting facilities.
Director of Grounds and Facilities with the Highlands District Cricket Association, Brody Martin, said the Moss Vale incident wasn’t an isolated one.
He said e-bikes had damaged cricket wickets across the Southern Highlands on ‘multiple’ occasions and described the on-going vandalism as “very disappointing and frustrating”.
“Quite frankly, it’s getting beyond a joke,” Mr Martin said.
“A tremendous amount of time, money and effort goes into preparing and maintaining these wickets.
“Our local curators, grounds staff and volunteers work incredibly hard to ensure our sporting facilities are in the best possible condition for the hundreds of people who use them throughout the cricket season.
“To have that hard work damaged in a matter of seconds by people showing absolutely no respect for these facilities is incredibly disappointing.”
The call to keep e-bikes off local sporting grounds comes as the Highlands’ cricket season gets underway for the 2026/27 season.
Mr Martin said the damage caused by e-bikes couldn’t be repaired overnight.
“It takes time, resources and additional work to repair, and depending on the severity, can affect the safety and playability of the wicket,” Mr Martin said.
That means matches may potentially have to be relocated or cancelled.
Mr Martin said he had “absolutely no issue with young people getting outdoors and enjoying themselves” but urged them to show some commonsense and respect for public property.
He said cricket ovals were not bike tracks “and they certainly aren’t places to ride around and tear up the turf”.
He said a few minutes of ‘entertainment’ for e-bike riders usually came at the expense of the volunteers, clubs and players who dedicate so much of their time to local sport.
“As someone involved in managing and maintaining cricket facilities across the Highlands, it’s incredibly frustrating to see incidents like this continuing to occur.
“We are extremely fortunate to have the sporting facilities we do in the Southern Highlands and it’s about time everyone started treating them with the respect they deserve.”
Local residents are encouraged to contact Police if they witness e-bike riders vandalising local sporting facilities.
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Read More: Southern Highlands, Moss Vale