Thieves grab baseball fences | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

Wanganui Softball Association will have to find $1500 to replace part of a fence that was stolen from their grounds before a major tournament.

Members of the club arrived at the Wanganui Ballpark in Puriri St last week to find five sections of the metal link fence had gone missing from around their playing diamond. The waratahs supporting the fence had also gone.

It couldn't have come at a worse time - the association was hosting an under-15 boys softball tournament, with 200 boys from Wanganui, Auckland, Wellington, Waikato, Manawatu and Hawke's Bay taking part.

The theft left the diamond with a large gap in its perimeter fence.

Association secretary Lindsay Edwards said the club was "totally gutted".

"We had this complex looking spotless for the tournament, and then this happens.

"We had to change the rules slightly because of the gap in the fence. It wasn't ideal and it was a bad reflection on Wanganui."

The day before, three of the fence sections had been pushed over and had to be put back in place.

Mr Edwards said the club had no choice but to fundraise or for replacement fences. He estimated it would cost around $1500.

"We have 400 kids playing softball on this diamond every Saturday and we can't have people just wandering in and out of the diamond.

"We're a charitable organisation, we don't do it for the money," Mr Edwards said.

He said the fences went missing some time between 10pm and midnight on Wednesday.

"I spoke to some of the neighbours and they said their dogs were nutting off around this time."

Mr Edwards said anyone with any information should contact Whanganui police and he urged members of the public to keep an eye open for the fences. "We just want our fences back."