Club secretary Dave Ross said they tried to get into the equipment sheds but couldn’t,  then smashed their way into the pavilion.

He said: “They’ve made a mess but got very little before they were scared off by the police arriving.

Thieves tried to break into Wellington CC over the festive periodThieves tried to break into Wellington CC over the festive period

“They smashed a window and door, it could have been much worse. The alarms did their job, alerting the police who arrived on the scene and nearly caught them.

“We have them on CCTV and will share in due course. So a warning for any other clubs in the area to be aware that these people are about at the moment.”

Wellington, who won the Shropshire Country Cricket League‘s Premier Division this year play at Haygate Road.

Cricket Shropshire Lead Officer Steve Reese said: “It’s a timely reminder to all cricket clubs to be aware and take precautions so we can stop this sort of thing from happening.”

West Mercia Police have been contacted for details.