L-r: Stan Haycox, John Birch and David Hill
ECB/Channel 4 trailer for end of season renovations, and they begin straight after the last match which, this year, will be on 12th September. This gives them an early start to their renovations. Stan and David undertake the bulk of work, enlisting other club members to help carry the loam and help spread and brush it in. The square is scarified in several directions and finished in the line of play, applying 6-8 bags of loam to each strip and overseeding with a mix of dwarf perennial rye grasses - 60% Bareine and 40% Bartwingo - seeding at a rate of between 35-50gms/m2
. David hires the WAG Groundsman spiker and aerates the square a couple of
times between October and December. In January the club hire in a vertidrain to deep aerate the square.
During the winter months the square is fed to maintain plant health and colour. In the same period the outfield receives little attention other than cutting around 25mm to maintain grass growth. The club do not have mobile covers but use a flat sheet that was once part of the famous Edgbaston Brumbrella. However, it is not easily managed, especially by just one or two people. But the square is relatively quick drying and, anyway, Stan firmly believes players get better experience playing on unprotected pitches!
L-r: Belle and David Hill
A core sample taken during my visit showed the square to be in good condition with very little thatch, no visible root breaks and rooting beyond 225mm.
Stan, who will be retiring from this labour of love at the end of this season, gives the wicket a good roll’ for at least twenty minutes, and possibly longer, when preparing for Saturday games. He rolls at two speeds depending on requirements - either one or one and a half miles an hour. It’s a job he actually enjoys (perhaps a rarity amongst cricket groundsmen), no doubt because of the peace and tranquility of the setting. The wicket is prepared over a ten to
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