Summer Sports - Cricket
established, we will apply Ethosat500 to help control any weed seeds. Liquid seaweeds, and possibly a liquid fertiliser will be applied as conditions dictate leading up to firework night. Then Sierrablen Plus 15:5:22 will be applied sometime in early November, once we have vacuum swept the outfield after the event, to see it through the remainder of autumn, winter and early spring. That’s right! Plan A is to get all of this
established ready for 10,000 people jumping about on it on firework night, an annual charity display that the club are keen to continue to support. But, don’t worry, there is a plan B and a plan C since weather conditions can scupper the very best of plans. This year’s works will improve the
infiltration and distribution of water at the surface massively, adjust levels around the square to stop water creeping on in flash floods, improve the drainage of water running down the hill towards the square and generally improve the overall condition of the field. We will also be stripping off the surface of the run-ups in the nets and relevelling these as they have become uneven following the installation of irrigation in very trying conditions.
When are you doing these renovations?
The last two rounds of the Liverpool Victoria Championship are away from home, so our last game at Hove completes on the 12th September. We have allowed the use of the
ground for an under 18s final because the guys will need a short rest prior to renovations starting, and then we get stuck in!
We meticulously plan our renovations on a Gant chart because there is always plenty going on and I need to make the best use of our machinery; the tractor cannot be in two places at once!
” We meticulously plan our renovations on a
Gant chart because there is always plenty going on and I need to make the best use of our machinery; the tractor cannot be in two places at once! Whilst I have not yet fully programmed
the work for 2014, I expect all work to have been completed by the end of September. Last year, we couldn’t start on the square until October and, predictably, the weather made things tricky and re-establishment slow compared with a section of the nets that we completed prior to the end of the season.
What is your budget?
It varies hugely depending on how many wickets we are relaying in a particular year, but between £10,000 to £20,000 for the time being. Clearly, the works to the outfield this year will cost more than this.
Do you use a contractor for any of the work? If so, for which operations?
We use a local contractor called Active Grounds Maintenance for the outfield scarification and topdressing, as well as the digging out of the wickets and fraize mowing of the square in past years. They have proven to be very reliable, have an unbeatable desire to do the job right and I doubt you’ll find a better digger driver than Julian! This year’s outfield work has gone out for tender due to the costs involved.
PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 I 53
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