groundsmanship, it’s mostly come from
“I can’t say I ever really learned
paying attention to what the ‘real’ club groundsmen do!”
various IOG courses at the end of this season to gain a better understanding as to why we do the things we do. At Plymouth we’ve currently two IOG level 3 Groundsmen along with another very experienced person who just doesn’t want to do the courses, so there is a wealth of expertise (for an amateur club) to learn from. Most of my learning is
currently coming from the Head Groundsman. Pitchcare has been amazing for me. I’ve learned so much in a short time and most of it has come from the people on the message boards and the articles. I knew roughly what we did to create a cricket track, but had no idea why we did what we did. I’ve had access to all the Pitchcare magazines but, as it has been of such great help to me, I just had to subscribe myself.
PLYMOUTH Cricket Club was initially formed in 1857, and has been on its current site (Peverell Park) since 1924. A lot has been achieved in turning round the club in the last ten years, which has necessitated in the need for a second ground.
When I first joined, we were struggling to put out two senior teams; we now have four senior Saturday teams, four colts teams, a ladies team, evening league side and a Sunday club side. The club has put its faith in the committee and the growth of a colts system and that is now reaping its rewards. We were the first club in Devon to gain the ‘Clubmark’ accreditation and currently have twelve ECB qualified coaches. We have coaches going into local schools, reaching around 2000 children, and regularly have over 50 colts at training on Saturday mornings. The club also formed a
relationship with Perth Cricket Club, in Australia, which gives our senior players the opportunity of playing overseas and we’ve had at least one player from Perth playing here for the past five or six seasons, with some returning for a second or even third season. In 2003 we hosted a touring colts side from Brisbane and sent our under 15’s on a reciprocal tour last year. The amount the kids learned from that tour made
all the hard work worthwhile. The colts system has seen the 2nd XI climb into the premier division, the 3rd XI have yet to lose a game in two seasons, and the 1st XI are now starting to reap the benefits (32 pts clear at the top of the B division). As a club, we are starting to get excited about the possibilities for the future and we’re looking forward to seeing the 1st team climb into their premier division.
This year the club had the opportunity to take on a much needed second ground. The Mount Wise facility was previously owned and operated by the Ministry Of Defence (MOD).
I NOW look after the Mount Wise ground, which consists of a fourteen track square with 70+ yard boundaries to the centre tracks, along with a three track artificial training area.
Help this season has been
more forthcoming than I expected to be the norm, with numerous members pitching in to get the ground ready for the first match and many offers of ongoing help. It was historically a minor
men/women hours
... six hand rakes and numerous
counties standard ground and last hosted a full minor counties game on 18th August 1999 when Devon played Berkshire. The Plymouth United Services team operated out of the ground until their demise in 2004. As could only be expected, the MOD, knowing that the facility was going to be closed or sold, didn’t put the necessary money or work into the ground in the immediate years prior to 2004. From 2004 until 2006 the only maintenance done to the ground was topping the grass to a length of about 4 or 5 inches.
The actual sale and
transfer of the facility to the developers (Firmac Developments Ltd) concluded in April 2006 where they made the decision that they wanted cricket to remain on the site. On the 2nd of May 2006 Plymouth Cricket Club gained access to the facility, only four days prior to the first match due to be played! And basically that’s where the fun started!
WHEN we got on the ground, four days before the first match, we found it
Topsoils•Cricket Loams
Telford Way, Telford Way Industrial Estate, Kettering, Northamptonshire NN16 8UN
Tel: 01536 510515
Fax: 01536 510691 E-mail:
enquiries@boughton-loam.co.uk www.boughton-loam.co.uk
50
Turf Dressings•Rootzones•Sands•Grass Seed•Landscaping•Horticultural•Paving Boughton Club Loam
Boughton County Loam
A loam with a typical clay content of above 30%. Boughton County Loam gives a firm true pitch able to last four days at county level or to give a good surface for the better standard club
A loam with a typical clay content of between 25 and 28% clay. Boughton Club loam is used at clubs that need a true firm pitch but do not perhaps have the resourses to cope with the higher clay content of Boughton County Loam
Boughton Kettering Loam
A loam with a typical clay content of 24%. This loam has been the main stay of local authority and school pitches. It is an ideal loam where a pitch is required to give good firm surfaces while receiving the minimal amount of preparation
All Boughton Loams can be supplied either loose, in 25kg or 1 Tonne bags and can be supplied anywhere in the UK. Please contact us with your requirements. 23
www.pitchcare.com/re
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99