Anger as boy racers cut up Selkirk youth rugby pitch

A Selkirk councillor has blasted a group of boy racers who churned up a youth rugby team’s pitch in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Gordon Edgar at the Youth Club rugby pitch in Victoria Park, Selkirk.Gordon Edgar at the Youth Club rugby pitch in Victoria Park, Selkirk.
Gordon Edgar at the Youth Club rugby pitch in Victoria Park, Selkirk.

Gordon Edgar, who lives in the town’s Dunsdale Road, said he was awoken by the cars at 2am on Saturday morning.

Speaking at Monday night’s virtual meeting of Selkirk Community Council, he said: “It was pitch black, and the noise really alarmed those in the caravans.

“It was really quite alarming.

Gordon Edgar at the Youth Club rugby pitch, Selkirk.Gordon Edgar at the Youth Club rugby pitch, Selkirk.
Gordon Edgar at the Youth Club rugby pitch, Selkirk.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“They proceeded to try to do doughnuts on the rugby pitch and they’ve cut it up really badly.

“They also did some emergency stops at the riverside end.

“They weren’t there long, but they were there long enough to leave a lot of damage.

“I have notified the parks department and they are going to see if they can carry out remedial works to allow the Youth Club to train and play in the near future.

Jake Wheelans of Selkirk Youth ClubJake Wheelans of Selkirk Youth Club
Jake Wheelans of Selkirk Youth Club

“And I reported the incident to the police on Saturday.

“We have had several reports of these boy racers in other parts of the Borders and I don’t know why they do it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I think they must take their brains out and hang it up on Friday nights before heading out without them.”

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Around 12:45pm on Saturday, July 11, police received a report that a number of cars had caused damage to the rugby pitch at Victoria Park in Selkirk.

“The cars are believed to have been in the area around 2am that morning and enquiries are ongoing.”

When we contacted him yesterday, Selkirk Youth Club’s Jake Wheelans said he was not aware of the latest incident, but it seemed to be a recurring problem.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “It happened about a month ago, and the youths were charged then.

“To say I’m disgusted at the abuse of a sports field is a bit of an understatement.

“What is going on with the mentality of these people, when it seems everyone else is just trying to keep safe from Covid-19, they are ruining sports pitches?”

Like most rugby clubs, the Youth Club has not played since February, due to lockdown.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, Jake said he hopes it will all start up again soon as lockdown measures continue to ease.

He said: “Hopefully, we will be back playing in October, which means we would hope to be back in training over the next couple of weeks.

“I’ve already cleaned out the pavilion and carried out health and safety checks, but this is a setback we really don’t need.”