A phone call from Ian Maddocks, Head Groundsman at Knowle & Dorridge Cricket Club, prompted a visit to see preparations for a County Select XI game between Warwickshire and Yorkshire.
Laurence Gale MSc was...
Keeping Tra T
he villages of Knowle and Dorridge sit just outside the M42 corridor, close to Solihull in the West Midlands. The two villages, just a stone’s throw apart are, to all intents and purposes, one community of around 5,000, with the Knowle & Dorridge moniker attributed to the Lions Club, the lawn tennis and squash club, the dental practice and, of course, the cricket club.
Ian Maddocks is the Head
Groundsman and has a long association with the club. Not only has he dedicated himself to looking after the grounds; he was formerly the clubs 1st XI captain and has been a long serving player. He first came to Knowle & Dorridge as a seven year old, supporting his dad when he played for the club. The club has been in existence since 1896, and is one of the oldest in the area. Their clubhouse is a constant hive of activity and is supported by many locals who come to enjoy the social activities on offer, whilst also taking in some decent cricket. Knowle & Dorridge currently play in the Birmingham Premier League, with
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fixtures against towns with much larger catchment areas, such as Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Kidderminster and Moseley. The ground also hosts county fixtures, as was the case when I visited. The club is in constant use seven days a week, with the ground providing pitches and practice facilities for all the club’s teams - four senior sides and several youth sides from under 9s to under 17s. There are two grounds. The main home ground has a square that provides thirteen tracks, whilst their training/second ground provides twelve. They have always invested time and money ensuring the grounds are well looked after, having always paid someone to undertake the maintenance. The club gained Club Mark status
recently, and are continually trying to improve their facilities on all fronts. In 2007, they secured a large grant to improve the outfield and install a perimeter drain around the square. The work was awarded to Agripower Sportsturf Contractors, who fraise mowed the whole outfield, cut and filled some uneven areas, installed some primary and secondary drainage, as well
as installing a brand new perimeter drain around the square. The whole outfield was then reseeded. It has made a great difference to the outfield, ensuring it drains well after rain. Ian usually gets the outfield aerated in February, hiring in a vertidrain to maintain good porosity. Ian officially took on the job of club
groundsman in 2002 after their previous groundsman, David Winslow, sadly passed away. Having spent most of his life at the club, Ian relished the challenge and the opportunity for him to develop his groundsmanship skills. It was Steve Rouse, the Warwickshire County Cricket Club groundsman at Edgbaston, who encouraged Ian to take up the post. Steve and Ian have been friends for years; Steve, a club member, would often call in for a drink and chat and mentor him on the rudiments of cricket pitch preparation and maintenance.
As far as Ian can remember the square has always been on Kaloam, a popular loam used by many Midlands Clubs. The subject of Kaloam supplies has been high on the agenda for many of the local groundsmen since the supplier, Monro
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