Down South
On one particular summer day the field dried out so much the grass
actually caught fire
The most southerly facility is the Florence Boot Playing Field situated in the southeast corner of the Island of Jersey at coordinates 49°10’ N 2°5’W. The mean annual rainfall is 994.1 mm. The average air temperature in January is 6.4°C and, in August, 25°C
THE FB Playing Field occupies over twenty acres in the south east of the island. FB stands for Florence Boot who was the founder of Boots the Chemist. During the war years the main field was used for crop growing, plus a glasshouse nursery and a small
allotment. The football pitch formed part of the field and was used as a games area. After the war years the whole area was turned into a playing field and run by the FB Trust. In the early fifties the Trust bequeathed the playing fields to the people of the island for the sole use of sport. It is now run by the States of Jersey.
The field was re-levelled and grassed over and used predominantly for football and rugby. Hockey, which had previously been played on the beach, was a later addition. A cricket square was added in the early sixties. In those early years four small football pitches and two larger pitches occupied the whole site but, because they were below sea level, were prone to flooding. There were no vertidrain machines back then, just an old Sisis slit tine and a boat! For cricket there was just the one grass
square and two other coconut matting wickets.These often needed stretching due to the heat shrinking them. And, if that wasn’t enough, on one particular hot summer’s day the field dried out so much the grass actually caught fire! Not surprisingly, the field was closed to the public until rain had reduced the risk. Ian John Le Marquand has been Head
Ian John Le Marquand 66
Groundsman for twenty six years. Things have changed, and not all for the good. In the early days there were five staff, but now it’s just two plus a seasonal temp who helps out in the cricket season. The site now has three senior football pitches and three junior/primary pitches, together with a grass hockey pitch. The pitches are vertidrained three to four times from September to March. They are mown and marked out once a week and chain harrowed and light rolled when necessary. The area which was prone to flooding is now a synthetic 400 metre, 6 lane
athletics track with all the associated field events and full competition
floodlighting. The infield now has a very effective drainage system which allows it to be constantly used for football and athletics training. During summer cricket takes over.
There are between fifty and sixty matches played on the grass wickets each season, as well as games every weekday evening on artificial Notts Turf strips The facilities are heavily used by local schools and for friendly games. There are also four permanent Notts Turf cricket nets.
Other facilities include two floodlit netball courts, a table tennis centre, judo and karate hall, weights room and three pavilions. Apart from the cricket squares, all the mowing is carried out with a set of three Lloyds Leda gang mowers. During the cricket season the three cricket outfields are mown twice a week. Due to the higher temperatures experienced on Jersey the grass rarely stops growing, so the winter sports pitches are cut as and when required.
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