(d) Roll the soil into a ball and place it on a clean plate. Cover the soil with a wet cloth (wrung out by hand) and leave standing for 2 hours.


(e) Re-mould the soil by hand, making sure that it is plastic but not sloppy. It should have the consistency of putty and have little tendency to stick to the hands. It should also readily mould into a ball without forming cracks.


(f) Roll into a sausage shape approximately 12.5 mm (0.5 inch) in diameter and cut into sections 25 mm (1 inch) long.


(g) Carefully mould each section into a ball and then roll between the palms of the hands.


(h) Place the Motty balls onto clean plates and allow to air dry in a cupboard for 7-10 days.


(i) Place each dried ball in turn on a bathroom scale and slowly exert pressure (with a piece of wood) until the ball


ASSB / MOTTY VALUE 113KG (250LB) AND OVER 91-113KG (200-250LB) 68-91KG (150-200LB) 45-68KG (100-150LB) 23-45KG (50-100LB) 9-23KG 20-50LB) UNDER 9KG


breaks. Make a note of the reading when the ball breaks.


(j) Discount the lowest value in each set and obtain the mean value of the rest.


(k) Readings between 45 and 90kg (100 to 200lbs) have been shown to be optimum for British soils.


The table below details classification of clay content and breaking strength (ASSB) values (V I Stewart 1994)


Apart from local materials, there are several recognised loam suppliers in the UK: GSB, Binder, Surrey, Ongar, Mendip, Kaloam,


Boughton. Use of Marl is not encouraged nowadays as it can cause layering A simple modification to the motty test was proposed and endorsed by Professor W A Adams who recognized the potential to assess loam compatibility, particularly when top dressing. The modification involves joining two half


EQUIVALENT CLAY CONTENT FOR WELL MADE MOTTIES


OVER 55% 44-55% 33-44% 22-33% 11-22% 4-11% BELOW 4%


motties of different loams together along the flattened face of each hemisphere. It is


important not to trap any air along the joining surfaces, as this may affect results. If there is excessive


differential shrinkage between the two halves on drying the Motty will duly separate, thus the soils are not compatible. If both loam types remain strongly bonded and only break after pressure, these two loams are likely to be compatible. The Motty test is a simple reliable field test that can play an important part in


determining the selection of clay loams for cricket. Groundsmen should be made aware of this technique and readily try it out to assess their soil strengths.


Having a better


understanding of soils is paramount in the management of natural grass pitch facilities.


The Other MOTTY


The BBC’s John Motson, the man who brought you “The World Cup is a truly International event”. For some he’s a legend; for others he ruins a game of football. Whatever your view, his commentary can be priceless... and we couldn’t miss the opportunity!


And Seaman, just like a falling oak, manages to change direction.


STRENGTH CATEGORY EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG VERY STRONG STRONG MODERATELY STRONG WEAK VERY WEAK NON-BINDING


• Soils which disintegrate at pressure of up to 45 kg are not suitable for use on a cricket pitch. • Soils which disintegrate between 45kg and 70kg are suitable for club pitch use. • Soils which disintegrate between 70kg and 90kg are suitable for county and international pitch use. • Soils which disintegrate at pressures greater than 90kg tend to be too strong for cricket pitch use.


Brazil - they’re so good it’s like they are running round the pitch playing with themselves.


For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are in the all yellow strip.


I think this could be our best victory over Germany since the war.


It looks like a one man show here, although there are two men involved.


It’s Arsenal 0 - Everton 1, and the longer it stays like that the more you’ve got to fancy Everton.


Nearly all the Brazilian supporters are wearing yellow shirts - it’s a fabulous kaleidoscope of colour.


Northern Ireland were in white, which was quite appropriate because three inches of snow had to be cleared from the pitch before kick off.


Not the first half you might have expected, even though the score might suggest that it was.


That shot might not have been as good as it might have been.


That’s an old Ipswich move - O'Callaghan crossing for Mariner to drive over the bar.


The goals made such a difference to the way this game went.


The match has become quite unpredictable, but it still looks as though Arsenal will win the cup.


There is still nothing on the proverbial scoreboard.


Roll into a sausage Place on bathroom scales Does all this look slightly illegal?


Illustration courtesy of George Williams. Copyright retained.


Visit www.caricatures-uk.com


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