Summer Sports - Cricket
with Ongar loam when the grass was up. With the cricket season ending late September, the time for renovation and getting the new grass growing is very limited, so it helps to get on as early as possible. Then, its normal autumn/winter maintenance - cutting, spiking and keeping an eye out for disease.
The club employs an outside contractor, JMG Amenities, to undertake the control of weeds, worms and moss on the outfield. Fusarium is always a problem due to the heavy covering necessary which produces a perfect environment for Fusarium to take hold.
What’s in the shed
2 Auto-rollers 1 Blotter
1 John Deere triple mower 1 Dennis outfield mower 1 Allett outfield mower 1 Protea mower
2 Ransomes Auto Certes 2 Allett Shavers 2 Sisis Auto Rakes 1 Sisis 600
1 Sisis Arrow spiker 2 Kubota tractors
1 Honda Isy mower for banks and surrounding areas.
As you can see the preferred suppliers are Sisis or Allett and servicing of the equipment is carried out by local mechanic Charnwood and Highmeres.
In terms of wildlife, foxes have been a problem in the past, ripping expensive groundsheets etc. The club tried to control them by bringing in an outside company who would trap them and release them miles away but, as soon as one was caught, another seemed to take
its place. However, the problem is not too bad at the moment and they seem to be staying away from the covers and sheets.
The ground is hired out for corporate days four or five times a season, mainly at the back end in September. This is on top of playing every Leicestershire first team fixture at Grace Road (no outgrounds) and fourteen days of county second fixtures. Therefore, maintenance, planning, future developments and budgets are paramount to the successful running of the club.
As with any club, budgets are very tight so every penny counts. Andy reports to the Operations Manager regarding every aspect as it can be a real struggle to stay within budget. The main restriction is in terms of relaying pitches, which are mainly due to cost, but also the fact that so much cricket is played that
The LCCC groundscare staff - From L- R: Sean Graham, Chris Skinner, Andy Ward, Shane Sketchley, Simon Brown, Callum Lewin
84 I PC JUNE/JULY 2014
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