Summer Sports - Cricket “ Fred Naden


I hate it when the members turn up on the day of play, having done nothing to help all week, and say ‘it looks a bit green’ or ‘which strip is it?’


” 80 I PC APRIL/MAY 2015


I like to look out over the ground from the pavilion, which is set above the square looking north-east, and see alternate green stripes, with a nice straw colour strip in the middle, all set and ready. Anything else just doesn’t cut it


Fred Naden on the Stothert & Pitt roller


round the boundary all year round. The local stoolball club uses the outfield one evening a week, plus a local senior cricket club, the Sevenoaks Wednesdays, recently relocated here to use the pitch on Wednesday afternoons. We also hire out the facility, ground and clubhouse, for parties, weddings, wakes; you name it!” Regular maintenance consists of cutting the perimeter once a month to 30 mm, using a Bolens 33 rotary mower, confirms Clive. “The outfield is cut once a week, normally on a Friday, at 19mm with a Ransomes T185D, usually in a north/south direction, along the profile ‘humps’ of the old hop field. The square is also cut once a week, again normally on a Friday, at 15mm with an Atco 30, and again, north/south in the direction of play.” “Preparation of a match strip begins on a


Monday, according to a rotation worked out long before the season begins; they are scarified, cut, scarified, cut, cross scarified, cut, soaked with Sumisansui laser perforated hose (Reguflow), then allowed to flash dry, before rolling. They then receive a light scarify on Friday, and another cut and roll, prior to being marked out. The boundary line


is also painted in at this point.” “On Saturday morning, the strip is


brushed, and given a quick cut and roll, ready for a two o’clock start. The Sunday strip is similarly prepared before the game.” “Wednesday’s strip tends to be one of the


weekend strips, which is repaired, re-cut, rolled and marked out on Monday, with a brush, cut and roll on the day of the game.” “Aeration tends to happen in November, although we are considering getting a Groundsman spiker, which could double as a sarrel roller. Our current sarrel is a 3ft oak and iron affair which dates back to the war, although debates abound as to which one!” “The weekly scarifying is carried out with a


pedestrian Sisis Combirake, although the end of year deep slitting is done with a Graden GS04.” “Weed control happens in May and July with a contractor - ‘Pete the Sprayer’ - who comes in on his quad with a 4 metre boom. He has all the right qualifications and the gear to boot, and charges a very reasonable £125, so I reckon we’ll stick with it. The square is done separately in June, by hand, with Verdone 2 by someone from the village who is suitably qualified. I feel that this gets


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