Northland sports clubs are being warned to be more vigilant with their security after a spate of thefts from clubrooms while members were playing outside.
In the latest case, three wallets were stolen from the handbags of people playing in an inter-club competition at the Kensington Croquet Club on Sunday.
Club Captain Flo Osborne said the club was hosting Kerikeri Croquet Club, and the competition had not long started when a man went into the clubrooms, rifled handbags and stole three wallets and a cellphone shortly after 10am.
Ms Osborne was annoyed that she had only been out of the clubrooms a matter of minutes when it happened. "I was washing some dishes then I got a call to go out to start a game. I went out to ring the bell to start the game and was only gone a matter of minutes and he was in."
Ms Osborne suspects the man may have hidden in the toilet as she walked out of the clubrooms before he snatched the items.