Cockies wont defeat baseballers

DESTRUCTION: Thousands of corellas caused enough damage to Blue Lake Sports Park to cancel baseball games.

BASEBALL was cancelled last weekend due to damage inflicted by thousands of corellas on playing diamonds at Blue Lake Sports Park, but the problem is already being fixed.

Mount Gambier City Council has addressed the problem and the Mount Gambier and District Baseball League has moved its games to other fields to enable the season to continue this weekend while the damaged diamonds recover.

Secretary of the Mount Gambier and District Baseball League, Chris Rundle said swarms of the birds had created a dangerous playing surface at the sports park and the destruction was discovered too late to reschedule games leading to the decision to cancel the round but that the League was grateful for a quick response from the Mount Gambier City Council that will ensure baseball players are back playing on the diamonds at Blue Lake Sports Park as soon as possible.

Mr Rundle said that, in the meantime, four games have been relocated to Millicent’s Bolton Oval for this weekend.

Council’s Manager Operations and Engineering, Abdullah Mahmud said Council has sprayed the baseball diamonds to deter African Black Beetle grubs which were attracting corellas as a food source.

“The mowing specs have also been altered from a reel mower to a gang mower which will allow the grass to grow slightly longer with deeper roots meaning the corellas will not be able to easily uproot the turf,” Mr Mahmud said.

Council has also delivered sand to assist the baseball league to fill the holes that the corellas created in the diamonds.

“Council has been very helpful,” Mr Rundle said.

“Next Monday our committee will meet at the diamond being repaired and see how it’s looking with the hope that we will be able to resume the normal game schedule next Friday.”