Early rolling with ballasted Allett 36”
Lawnman’s, one with a brush attachment and the other with the scarification rake attachment. Alternate brushing, scarifying and mowing are performed over a period of a week or so. I also have various hand mowers set up at different height of cut which are used for different purposes, i.e. wicket, cricket square. Cross brushing, scarification and mowing are also key to the removal of grass content prior to the commencement of the match.
DB: When do you know it’s ready?
SR: Only experience can determine how much grass is left on a pitch. In dry weather a covering of grass is needed to protect the surface from cracking open. Keeping the surface moist enough to hold may be a real challenge to us due to other county games in and around the time of preparation for the Test match.
Heavy rolling begins in late March
Slow methodical rolling is undertaken each and every day to dry out the wicket for the start of the match.
On the day of the match we brush, scarify, mow, roll and mark out before handing it over to the umpires. Thereafter, we can clean up bowlers’ ends and make good, but only cut, roll and mark out under their watchful eye.
DB: The outfield always looks good at Edgbaston. How do you achieve that?
Rob Franklin, my number two, tends the outfield. He cuts north to south and then east to west to manicure the ground and to steadily develop the sward.
This year we gave it a really slow release fine grade feed of 28:3:15 +2%Mg +65% PolyN supplemented by EarthResponse at 100 litres per hectare, and 25 litres of EarthHiK soil
Test track ready and waiting
conditioners from Earth-Tec. Steve Loveridge, of Complete Weed Control, carries out the spraying for us.
A further liquid nutritional feed, along with soil conditioners and wetting agents, will take place seven days prior to the match starting.
Hopefully, by this point, the results of our work will be there for all to see. Now it’s down to the players to perform on it!
The methods described above will certainly continue while I’m head groundsman. Why change things if they prove successful.
After that we start all over again!
With apologies to Steve for the weather! Main image © Pitchcare Working images © David H Bates All other images courtesy and © of Sky Sports
The C-Range
Each ‘easy-change’ cartridge becomes an integral part of the machine without loss of quality results.
Provides a wide range of professional turf maintenance needs from one machine.
Hangar 5, New Road, Hixon, Stafford, ST18 0PJ. Telephone 01889 272095, Fax 01889 271528, Email
sales@allett.co.uk, web
www.allett.co.uk
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