Summer Sports - Cricket
“Working at Malahide is a real honour - it’s so exciting to be involved in a ground where so much time and investment has gone into it”
so we are very pleased with the ground’s first outing.”
In the case of the Malahide project, whilst the scheme has not yet received funds from the DPFF, the ICC was still very much involved in an advisory role and recommended TTS be appointed to lead the ground’s design and construction. The company’s technical consultant, Dr Andrew McLeod, worked closely with local contractor, Sportsworks, to bring the scheme to fruition. Work on the four-year project began with the construction of an 11-pitch international standard square in the outfield of Malahide CC's existing ground in October 2009; with TTS specifying and monitoring work throughout. Phase 2 commenced in July 2011 with extensive work on the outfield including grading, the installation of primary and secondary drainage systems and ducting for the cabling required for TV coverage of international matches. Seeding for all areas of the new ground took place in September 2011 and, following final grading and tidying works, Malahide CC started to use its new ground in the 2012 season. Having now seen the new square perform in its first ODI, Andrew looks back over some of the challenges faced during the project:
“One of the main issues at Malahide has been its rather beautiful location. Due to the historic status of Malahide Demesne Regional Park, the project has been subject to a standing archaeological
Temporary stand would house close to 10,000 spectators
watch which resulted in numerous delays during the earth moving stages of the project. The fact that the club wanted to continue play in and around the areas being worked on also meant that timescales were longer than would usually apply and, during phase two of the project, there were some last-minute changes to outfield design due to changing requirements from Fingal County Council.” “Weather also played a significant part
in proceedings. During a site visit in the very bad winter of 2011/12, we saw the new drainage system being tested - and coping admirably - as the Dublin area experienced 100mm of rain in just four hours! The continuing poor weather in 2012 also resulted in the establishment of the outfield being held back a little, which meant we needed to overseed to improve the sward. Conversely, the very dry weather we experienced this summer means that the club is now looking to topdress the drainage trenches to ensure an even roll on the outfield.” “Despite the challenges, it’s been a fantastic project to be involved in. During the ODI, it was good to see that the overall bounce of the pitch was consistent and, considering the age of the square and the outfield, it looked to play very well. With good maintenance it will continually improve and, with a seasoned professional like Philip Frost in charge, I can only see it going from strength to strength.”
Sowing the seeds
The man in charge of preparing the ground for its first International match was former Somerset CCC Head Groundsman, Phil Frost, who was appointed Malahide CC’s Head Groundsman back in April of this year. Phil’s vast experience, which includes a twenty-six year tenure at Somerset’s Taunton home ground - during which time he won the coveted ECB pitches award no less than five times - make him ideally placed to nurture the newly constructed playing surface to world class standard. He says: “Working at Malahide is a real honour - it’s so exciting to be involved in a ground where so much time and investment has gone into creating what has the potential to be a fantastic venue for international cricket. The fact that it’s such a grand setting is just the icing on the cake.”
“Since I came on board, my main goal has been to prepare the wicket for the recent Ireland vs England match. We did test the wicket back in May which, in hindsight, I’d rather not have done as it may have meant play in the September match had a bit more pace, but the surface didn’t let us down and provided true bounce, which is one of the key things I was looking for.” “It’s a brand new square, so there are a few issues that need ironing out, and we’ve got some work to do on the outfield to bring it to its full potential,
Cricket is growing in popularity 74 PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013
Raison d’etre - Irish youngsters enjoying the atmosphere
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