CRICKET LOAM
So, how does a cricket loam come to market? Laurence Gale MSc meets Simon Hedley ...
The loam arranger
S
o, where does cricket loam come from? Where is it sourced from, how is it harvested and what are
the processes that bring the various grades of dressing to the sports market? To answer those questions, I met up with Simon Hedley, Business Director of Boughton Loams, at their production plant near Kettering in Northamptonshire. The company has been in existence since 1984, and has built up a good reputation for the supply of soils and loams to the sportsturf industry.
Simon joined the company in 1997 as a sales representative and, over the years, has seen his role develop to become Business Director, a position that enables him to pursue new marketing opportunities whilst, at the same time, continuing to ensure production is efficient and meeting demand across all sectors of the business. Boughton Loam make and supply a wide rage of soil based products for both the landscape and sportsturf industries, including topsoil, cricket loam, mixed topdressing and planting compost. For the purpose of this article, I will concentrate on just one area - cricket loam.
Most of the various types of soils used for making products are sourced locally. Boughton do not use any recycled soils, as they are considered to be inconsistent and not suitable for use.
Simon inspects any potential soil 122
supplies personally, and takes a number of samples. These are then sent to Soil Science Wales Ltd., to check its quality - clay, silt and sand content, organic matter content and soil pH. A particle size analysis is also carried out to confirm soil type and check that it is not contaminated. It is at this stage that the loam is tested for its binding strength. If all the various criteria are met it will be certified for use. Once approved, the soil is delivered to Boughton’s four acre depot storage area. The holding area can hold thousands of tonnes at any one time, so guaranteeing compatibility. Ten staff are employed at the depot.
Five work on the production side, driving heavy plant to move and transport soils, operating the screening machines and bagging the finished product, whilst the other five are admin and support staff, who arrange deliveries and deal with customers.
So, how does a cricket loam come to market?
The essential element of a good cricket loam is that the soil must be consistent in texture, and clay content. Once a particular batch of soil has been identified for use as a cricket loam, it goes through a series of processes to refine the product to meet its specification.
The first part of the process entails breaking down the imported soil into a
malleable state. This is done by spreading the soil in layers and cultivating it until it gets to a manageable size. The soil is then run through a series of screening processes (10mm, 4mm and 3mm screens) to reduce and refine the material. The loam is then put through a soil sterilising machine and bagged. For every tonne of clay loam produced, ten tonnes of virgin soil is put through the screening process. However, none of it is wasted, as it is used to make other Boughton products.
The machinery used in the refining
process does not come cheap. The earth movers and screening machines cost tens of thousands of pounds each, with the prime soil movers costing in excess of £60,000, and the screens costing in the region of £130,000.
Last year the company produced
around 90,000 bags of cricket loam material alone. All cricket loams have their own characteristics and need to be managed in different ways and, quite often, there are other variables that affect its performance. In many cases a loam is only as good as it is managed. For many clubs, particularly at the lower levels of the game, the performance of a loam can be compromised by lack of resources - machinery, covers, staff knowledge and time allocated to preparing wickets. The company manufacture three specific cricket loams. The difference
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