Thief adds insult to injury

Michael Vaughan and Darren Gough lost a lot more than a cricket match during their visit to Chester-le-Street.

Both players had their wallets stolen from the England dressing room, with Vaughan being robbed of £1,200 in cash, a photograph of his four-week-old baby daughter, Tallulah, and an Antigua match ticket signed by Brian Lara in April when he completed his world record Test score of 400.

Fast bowler Gough lost £300 as well as numerous credit and ATM cards.

The theft happened on Monday while England were practising at the Riverside ground. The room was not locked and no security guard had been posted outside.

The thief, described as balding and in his 40s, was captured by CCTV, however. The film showed he spent around three minutes inside the room.

"The reason I had so much cash was because I had been given two weeks' worth of our expenses allowance," Vaughan said.

The thief later tried to withdraw money from a cash machine in nearby Peterlee using one of the England captain's cards.

Security was tight at the ground yesterday, although accompanying Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick virtually to the crease seemed a bit excessive.