5mm. This leaves a good amount of grass on the pitch to hold the clay together in dry conditions, and during general match play.
Much of the machinery has seen better days and, as the saying goes, are “oldies but goodies”. A second hand Toro Reelmaster 2300D, with a cutting width of 72 inches and a cutting height range from 6mm up to 45mm, is used around three times a week, especially when the desired cutting height is reached, to minimise clippings left on the outfield. The Reelmaster gives a great quality cut while striping up the outfield in both north/south and east/west directions. The north - south direction is usually cut at end of the week or only hours prior to Saturday's match to present prominent stripes, which are visible from the clubhouse at the northern end of the ground.
The biggest, and most important, machine in George’s shed is the old Benford three wheeled roller which is key in creating Northop Hall’s quality wickets. It weighs in at over 1.5 tonnes, and the three wheeled design creates a larger amount of downward force than a modern two wheeled roller, flattening and compacting any pitch into perfect condition.
As a general rule the roller is used for approximately 10-12 hours a week - 8 or 9 on the pitch being prepared for the next match, and 3-4 hours on the pitch being prepared for the following week. Two Dennis walk behind cylinder mowers make up the cutting equipment used on the wicket and pitches. The wicket is cut with a 34” Dennis G860 and is also used to cut the outfield on the odd occasion when the ground is either too wet or when the grass is too
long for the Reelmaster. The light weight of the G860, along with its large catcher capacity and attachable seat, allows the outfield to be cut in most conditions without leaving clippings or causing substantial damage to the turf. The only downside is it takes considerably longer to cut the outfield with the G860 compared to the Reelmaster, but its high quality of cut and versatility in most conditions makes the longer cutting time worthwhile.
Individual pitches are cut with a 20” Dennis FT510 walk behind mower. This machine rivals the old Benford roller in terms of importance due to its versatile, interchangeable cassette design, allowing the club to possess a brush and scarifier, as well as a walk behind mower. The machine gives a great cut each time, and operating is simple, allowing a part time groundsman to use the machine with ease. This is of great importance whilst George is away getting some well earned rest at his yearly holiday destination of Tenerife (okay for some). The FT comes out of the shed approximately four days a week, with the match pitch cut 4-5 times, and the following week’s pitch 2-3 times. The brush and scarifier cassette heads are used when too much grass is left on the pitch after cutting. In this situation the scarifier runs over the pitch until the desired amount of grass is removed, then the brush is applied to collect the deposits from the scarifier and remove any loose strains of grass. The pitch is then cut again to even out the surface. When the weather is wet and the wicket is moist, Dog Lichen (Peltigera canina) becomes apparent and, at times, prolific, especially when heavy rain occurs at the start of the cricket season. The greyish-
black scales (thallus) never have caused major problems for George, due to its ease of removal with a hardy broom or scarifier. As the season progresses the wet weather becomes less common and the lichen dies off, no longer causing a problem.
Fairy Ring is also apparent in the outfield, especially when conditions are dry later in the season. Three large rings are present on the boundaries of the outfield where dead or dying grass within the rings are visible but, due to their location, these rings never become a major issue. Smaller rings are present around the ground and even on the wicket itself, but these do not have dead zones to impact the playing surface. These smaller infections only create a visible section of luxuriant grass, where excessive nutrients are released as the fungus decomposes organic debris. Control of the fungus is very difficult and most of the time impractical, therefore masking fungus where possible with an adequate fertiliser application, is the most viable option for George. When the fungus becomes developed, dead sections of grass are apparent due to high concentration thread-like structures (mycelia), which prevent water movement, weakening or killing the grass.
The only possible options to treat the fungus are chemicals (most of which are very expensive), soil fumigation and total replacement of the infected turf and soil, all of which have no guarantee of success. George is yet to treat the three rings on the outfield boundary but, if the dead areas of grass within the fungus, start to become an issue, total removal of the infected turf and soil would be the most realistic option in terms of cost and
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