Summer Sports - Cricket Overseeing the project has been Chris
Wood, the ECB Inspector of Pitches, who invited me to Loughborough to see how things had been going. Chris began the project in March 2013 by preparing specifications that met both ECB and Heath & Safety guidelines. I was met by Will Relf, Loughborough’s Head Cricket Groundsman, and the man tasked with preparing the wickets in this unique environment, whilst having to cope with air flow, condensation and fluctuating temperatures.
The England performance squad practised twice a day - morning and afternoon - and Will’s first job was to put the heaters on to help dry the playing surfaces and heat up the marquee to make it comfortable for the players. This was achieved by running three large propane gas heaters for a couple of hours between 8.00am and 10.00am. A huge fan helped circulate the warming air around the marquee. Will explained that, at this time of
year, temperatures would fluctuate considerably, usually starting somewhere between 6-10O rising to 15O
C in the morning, and C once the the heaters had
taken effect. If the sun came out, the temperature inside the marquee could get as high as 25O
C. Equally,
temperatures would drop quite rapidly in the afternoons. This caused a significant build up of condensation internally, which produced a lot of water that needed removing when it had run down the roof panels of the marquee. The marquee used was a large 50x15
metre structure, giving enough length for full bowlers run ups and wide enough to accommodate a maximum of three net bays.
Inside the marquee, a fully rigged ECB
approved integral net system, supplied and installed by AT Bone, was used to protect the side panels, and enabled the coaches to split the practice area into different sessions.
The pitches - two Ongar loam and two Boughton loam - had been used earlier in the summer for net practice, but were set aside in August when they were scarified, reseeded and vertidrained. In September, when the rest of the
square was being renovated, Will applied a fungicide and Primo Maxx to the four strips to minimise the likelihood of disease and reduce growth rates, before covering them with flat sheets to keep them dry until the marquee was erected on 14th October. Once erected, it was back to the daily
routine of mowing, prepping and rolling the pitches for play; not a ‘normal’ occurrence for a cricket groundsman heading into early winter! Prepping pitches under canvas in November certainly brought some fresh challenges, and the microclimate that had been created, with its high level of condensation, made it difficult to completely dry out the surface, the top 2-3mm tending to remain damp. There were signs of fusarium taking
hold on the bowler’s run ups, with the marquee providing the ideal conditions for its spread. Will suggested that, next year, he may need to increase air flow using additional or larger fans. He may even consider removing some of the side panels if air flow and high temperatures continued to be a problem. It may also require the heaters being run during the night - controlled by thermostats - to keep an optimum temperature inside the marquee to reduce condensation and humidity. Other issues that were highlighted included the need for a gutter system to deal with the sheer amount of surface water run off from the roof and side panels of the marquee. But, as he says, it’s all part of the learning curve. Once the training had been completed in late November, Will was tasked with renovating the four pitches as quickly as he could. This was completed within two days, whilst still under cover for a two week period to aid germination, and involved scarifying with a Graden, aeration and overseeding. The marquee was then dismantled and
taken off site, leaving Will to topdress, seed and cover with germination sheets, hoping that the weather would remain favourable for quick establishment. It has been an interesting experience
for Will and his team. The complexity of the project has highlighted the skills of the groundstaff to produce top quality playing surfaces in the midst of winter, under canvas. There will be plenty of discussion taking place in an around the counties to see if the project is viable. To date, the project has cost £28,000, but much of that money has been set-up costs, buying the net system and marquee covers. Second time around, the costs will be dramatically reduced to just hiring the frame, heating systems and fans. Compare that to the cost of taking the team on a pre-season tour abroad, and there’s a lot of positives in employing this system.
Once the optimum operating conditions have been realised, through the provision of better heating systems, fans, lighting rigs and guttering systems, it should not be long before more clubs invest in something more permanent to provide much needed early training facilities on natural grass pitches. Certainly, the players and coaches confirmed that they had been very pleased with the results and enjoyed working in a unique facility that offered a far more realistic surface to bat and bowl on, with the added benefit of putting less stress on the bowlers’ joints. Whilst on site, I was able to talk to some of the England players, along with Chris Wood and Mark Ramprakash, to get some feedback on how well this innovative facility had been received.
Overleaf: Chris Wood Q&A session where he explains how the project came to fruition, his role at the ECB and much more ...
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014 PC 37
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