Summer Sports - Cricket
New artificial match pitch that will tie in to the new square and existing surrounds
the surface along with the seed, with extra care taken to maintain an even coverage and avoid the creation of ridges in the final surface levels.
Outfield/square interface
Along with the above works, a new interface between the square and outfield was created to provide a gentle slope for the bowlers’ run-up. To do this, the on- site soil excavated during works was used and oversown with Perennial Ryegrass seed.
Construction of new match pitches
Alongside the above regeneration work, three new natural grass pitches were constructed from scratch, with the same mix of imported and recycled material from the existing square used to ensure a seamless fit across the entire table. A non-turf match pitch, built to total-play’s ECB approved tp365 design, was also constructed alongside the square, with the immediate area around it graded and left to establish with soil and seed.
Ongoing maintenance
With the new surface seeded, initial maintenance was handed over to the
Finished surface, seeded, fertilised, hand raked and rolled
club, with the overriding goal being to ensure moisture content remained tightly controlled during winter to allow the newly regenerated profile the best chance of establishing for the season ahead. Typically unpredictable autumn weather meant the germination situation was closely monitored - a complete lack of rain in the first ten days after seeding caused particular concern, as temperatures were beginning to drop. However, after the first rainfall the seed cracked and everything was back on course. Over the past few months, the club has cut the square a few times and total-play is set to return to site, once weather conditions are optimum, to carry out the initial rolling of wickets and a low-rate overseed to thicken up the grass sward in conjunction with spring fertilisation.
The club will continue to monitor the
square, checking for disease and establishment of the sward, prior to the pre-season pitch preparation that will start once the weather improves. Members are looking forward to seeing how this new process performs in the
An ECB approved non-turf match pitch was built alongside the square
long-term, as Iain explains: “To undertake a complete square
renovation at a club with only one ground is a large risk, and we had to ensure that we had good grass cover before the winter set in. We worked hard with total-play to do this. Now, our challenge is to produce good pitches from year one and look for improvement in pitches through years two and three.”
Olney Town Cricket Club’s square in January 2013
To discuss whether profile regeneration and recycling could be the solution to your cricket table issues, call total-play on 01604 864575.
which also needs to be considered.
The shrink/swell characteristic of clays is also important because of surface cracking on cricket pitches; it can make clays incompatible and be one of the causes of layering. It is, therefore, important to establish whether different clays are compatible when considering changing topdressings. This should also be kept in mind when deciding to remove the surface of worn out cricket pitches; would the replacement cricket loam be compatible with the indigenous soil in the lower horizon?
All of these factors play a critical role in deciding the best course of remedial action to breathe life back into an under- performing pitch; be it replacement, rejuvenation or re-surfacing.
Profile Regeneration & Recycling: an alternative solution?
By combining a hybrid of surface restoration and pitch construction works, and re-using as much on-site material as possible, profile regeneration and recycling aims to offer a cost and time-efficient solution compared to traditional remedial works, particularly where layering is not a problem.
One key benefit is that the ‘history’ of the indigenous material is known, whereas with introduced screened manufactured loams, for example, you would not necessarily know and it could be very expensive to find out.
The biggest advantage, however, of recycling indigenous material is cost; the soil will cost nothing, but any introduced materials have to be paid for; particularly screened, manufactured loams, which can be very expensive by comparison. There are also minimal costs associated with the removal and disposal of unwanted native material.
Another benefit of the regeneration and recycling process is that it results in an immediate improvement to performance, and will enable the square to be used the following season; thereby avoiding the delays often associated with full construction works. In short, a combination of profile regeneration and recycling works can breathe life back into old squares - creating the equivalent of a newly constructed table at a fraction of the cost and playing down-time.
Limitations & Risks
Despite its obvious attractions, profile regeneration and recycling is by no means a ‘fix all’ solution. Its viability very much depends on the state of the existing table, the depth of work required to bring the profile up to scratch and the native soil types.
The regeneration side of the process is restricted to a depth of 80-100mm; if problems with levels and profile layering go deeper than this on a site, it is likely that full reconstruction of the table will be the best
solution.
In profile recycling, the native soil type will influence what, if any, imported materials are required to be added to the existing profile to provide a surface that will consolidate sufficiently and encourage the growth of a sward suited to cricket, such as 100% Perennial Ryegrass. Again, in a case where the soil type is particularly ill-suited, the best solution may well be to start from scratch and reconstruct the square traditionally using imported materials.
Alongside these fundamental considerations, timescales also need to be meticulously planned to ensure that the square has sufficient time to establish ahead of the new playing season, with mitigation in place to minimise potential disruption and delay due to weather and other external factors.
For these reasons, it is strongly recommended that clubs considering this as an option seek expert advice from the outset. A full survey of the site must first be taken by a contractor with an in-depth understanding of both construction and restoration processes to allow them to ascertain the best course of action and, if profile regeneration and recycling is a viable option, put together a bespoke plan of works tailored to the individual site, including a follow-up maintenance schedule.
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