A CRICKET club is threatening never to play at its home ground again after drunken yobs forced a match to be abandoned.

One teenager threw a brick at one of the player's cars during the game betwen Trimdon Colliery and Deaf Hill, of County Durham, and Rockcliffe Park.

A club member, who asked not to be named, said it would no longer play at the ground behind Nattress Terrace, in Deaf Hill, after a two-year catalogue of problems.

He said: "We have finished up there now. It is disgraceful, all we ask for is a game of cricket."

An evening game also had to be abandoned two weeks ago when a youth rode his mountain bike onto the middle of the wicket and refused to move. He later threw a brick onto the pitch after being persuaded to leave.

The club's game in the Oxbridge Darlington & District League on Saturday was nearing the interval when the latest incident happened.

One of the youths walked past supporters and threw a brick onto a car roof.

All the players stopped to see what was going on.

The player from Trimdon Colliery and Deaf Hill said: "Things came to a head on Saturday when one kid had been drinking. He walked past us as the game was going on. He chucked a brick onto a car."

The car had two dents in its roof but no one was injured in the incident.

Play was stopped as the teams made their way to the car park.

One of the players from Rockcliffe Park, of Hurworth near Darlington, who was an off-duty policeman, held the youngster until officers arrived.

More people from the village arrived and officers advised the club to abandon the match on safety grounds.

Glen Hart, treasurer of Rockliffe Park, who was playing in the game, said: "We were just amazed more than anything else. It wasn't safe to continue. We feel sorry for the lads at Trimdon. They are a great bunch."

Trimdon Colliery and Deaf Hill had reached 140 for eight when the game was stopped. The teams will share the points.

A spokesman for Durham Police later said a youth had been arrested and released on police bail pending further inquiries