success.
At the end of the cricket season, in mid September, renovations begin on the wicket. The whole wicket is slit and spiked with a walk behind aerator which has seen much better days, but year after year it keeps enduring each renovation whilst producing good results. The wicket is slit twice, once in the north/south direction and once in the east/west direction. Slitting aerates and softens the surface of the wicket, as well as providing a good profile for seed germination. Spiking of the wicket is also done twice, again in the north/ south and east/ west directions. The wicket is spiked to aerate deeper into the profile to encourage root growth by providing greater levels of oxygen, whilst promoting seed germination. It is then mown to clean up the surface, before
applying a rye and fescue seed mix and a general granular fertiliser to promote growth. These are hand sown over the entire area with the fertiliser applied using a simple spreader.
Loam is then evenly applied and distributed over the surface, with approximately eight bags of loam used for each individual pitch. Renovations usually take around a week working part time, and at the mature age of 75, George needs all the help he can get from club members volunteering to help out.
The success of the 2008 season was unquestionable with the 1st XI being promoted to the top division, whilst also making it to the final of the prestigious Welsh Cup, which they only narrowly lost in the final over of the match. The 2nd XI retained their position in the top
division and the 3rd XI, like the 1st XI, was also promoted to the top division. On a personal note I had one of the most successful seasons of my cricket career, which had a lot to do with the high quality surfaces I played on, especially at Northop Hall.
The ground was rated second best in terms of quality in the competition, behind Colwyn Bay Cricket Club, one of Glamorgan CCC’s out grounds. This was a great tribute to the work of George and the club, capping off a fantastic season. Northop Hall Cricket Club is not an overly wealthy club in terms of money, and its volunteers, such as George, are the life blood of the club season after season. They are a great bunch of people and it was a privilege to both work and play there.
The 'total-play' system offers a low maintenance, high performance solution suitable for match and practice pitches. A range of one to six-bay systems is available as standard, while we can also develop a bespoke or refurbishment solution to meet your specific requirements.
The total-play non-turf pitch system is an ECB approved design, as used by Harrow School and ex-England cricketer Darren Gough. Its unique and modern design offers cricket players a balanced game between bat and ball and is designed to encourage and improve player performance at all levels.
total-play Ltd has become the first non-turf pitch supplier to be awarded the status of England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Non-Turf Pitch (NTP) Code of Practice.
As an ECB approved pitch design, total-play systems are applicable for ECB and Lord’s Taverner’s funding.
Telephone: 01604 750 555 l Email:
info@total-play.co.uk l Website:
www.total-play.co.uk 27
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