Early sand-filled surfaces offered flatness but were brutally abrasive on knuckles, knees and elbows, and clubs struggled to maintain them properly
inconsiderable achievement for a product that this year celebrates only its 45th birthday.
Artificial turf has become firmly entrenched in the fabric of sports development around the globe -n
not an
We talk to Andy Carter of Notts Sports about its history and the future
as a cornerstone of the development of the game, particularly in underprivileged countries. Yet, national associations are all too quick to ban its use for league fixtures - others, like cricket and hockey, see it as fundamental to the continued success of their respective sports. The future seems like an odd place to start a feature on the ‘history of artificial turf’ but, in cricket, rather than what has happened in the 265-year history of the game, it is exactly what might happen in the next few years that is most interesting, when it comes to pitches, anyway. “For most sports, the need for the development of artificial turf was to simply create better playing surfaces,” says Andy Carter, chief executive of Notts Sport, a leading specialist in the field and the world’s leading supplier of artificial cricket pitches. The company celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and has specialised in artificial turf since day
W
hile some sports continue to wrestle with it - football’s
international governing bodies see artificial turf
one - so they’re better placed than most to know.
“But, in cricket,” continues Andy,
“where there is a need to create a very specialised and bespoke playing area, the use of artificial pitches is critical for the game’s global roll-out.” “Countries like China are not going to build grass cricket pitches. But, we are already looking to develop a system which can be overlayed on pre-existing artificial surfaces, that have been built for baseball and football, which would enable the International Cricket Council to take the game there.” The Far East’s love of gadgetry and technology can also integrate seamlessly, and more easily, with artificial surfacing than grass. PitchVision, for example, a software system which uses sensors located within the turf to record a bowler’s pace, line, length and trajectory could be integrated into one of the company’s flagship cricket practice products. Adds Andy: “In developing countries, the cost of building and maintaining natural grass surfaces - combined with the lack of groundsmanship skills that has been identified within sports on a global
basis - makes synthetic surfacing very attractive. And there’s much wider general acceptance of this now, particularly when it comes to practice facilities.” “We've seen the major influence that technology has had in cricket and tennis in recent years with Hawkeye. Now there’s an opportunity to incorporate PitchVision into a surface that would then become a complete statistical analysis tool for player and coaches.” Like most sports, cricket in the UK had its first experience of artificial turf in the 80s, in June 1980 to be precise, in an exhibition match under floodlights between Essex and the touring West Indies at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground. Harry Brind, the groundsman at The Oval, who also held the same post at Stamford Bridge, was brought in to supervise the laying of a drop-in wicket but, in the end, an artificial pitch was laid.
In a carnival atmosphere, Graham Gooch smashed a 77-minute century, Viv Richards blasted 53 runs in one brutal eighteen minute period, and Collis King broke one spectator’s
ARTIFICIAL TURF
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