Image © Kieran Galvin, Galvin Eyes


Stuart Kerrison, Head Groundsman for Essex County Cricket Club, explains his end of season renovation techniques, the methods of which are ...


TRIED& TESTED


WITH the finish of the cricket season the important renovation work can commence. Here at Essex County Cricket Club we have used a couple of different methods for that renovation over the past few years. Our square is made up of 22 pitches of which six are practice nets, eleven are usable for First Class Cricket and five are used for middle practice and youth fixtures, due to the boundaries not being within ECB regulations. We treat all our pitches the same for our renovation work to ensure uniformity across the square. Our first priority after the season’s conclusion is to shave off the grass leaf to 3mm. Once this cut is made and the debris cleaned up we can begin scarifying. It is preferable to dampen off the surface of the square before this to allow easier penetration for the various machines that are to be used. We have a tractor mounted Huxley scarifier which is 20 years old and it is just about still up to the job, although not for much longer I fear! With the blades set at 3mm depth we generally do 6-8 passes in a union jack pattern, the amount of passes dependant on the existing grass coverage. Again, the debris is removed from the square, firstly with a Hayter rotary, then a


mechanical brush and, finally, another cut with the cylinder mower set at 3mm. This


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