If this encroachment is allowed to start covering the edges of the carpet, these will tend to be pushed down into the ground - the greater the extent of this the greater the lip when the carpet is cleared back to its edge. Prevention is by occasionally strimming or pruning this growth back to the edge. Once the edges have been cleared the carpet needs to be cleaned of all vegetative growth and debris. This can be removed using a strimmer or the blade of a spade, shovel or hoe, followed by a thorough brushing to clear the pile. Be extremely careful if chemically treating the weeds, glyphosate can remain active for weeks on these surfaces and picked up on feet and machinery when damp.
If the pile is heavily contaminated with moss, algae and soil, proceed as before but then use a pressure washer to clean all the muck out, allow it to dry and then brush it again.
Once the surface is completely clear,
and preferably whilst the subsoil and aggregate are still moist, lightly roll the surface. This should be done with a roller ideally in the range 0.25 - 0.3 tonne but no more than 0.5 tonne. Rollers over this size will cause a bow wave of carpet and this may either dislodge the fixings or seriously damage the carpet itself when the ‘fold’ gets rolled. Heavy rollers will also crush and damage the aggregate base, destroying the built in evenness of pace, so great care should be taken not to allow pre-
season rolling with a heavy roller to include the non-turf pitch! The requirement is to settle any loose surface aggregate, not to consolidate. Should wrinkles persist it may be necessary to lift the pins at that end of the carpet and reposition them.
On pitches built on less aggregate, and incorporating a special shockpad, rolling should only be needed right at the start of the season to settle things down. Those on 100mm aggregate, with the carpet directly laid on top, or with an ordinary shockpad, should lightly roll the ball bounce area more regularly to maintain the pace and consistency of bounce. If spiked footwear is to be permitted,
to prolong the life of a woven carpet, fill the pile of the carpet with fine sand or soil in the bowlers delivery areas, extending no more than 0.50m in front of the popping crease on match pitches. If stump boxes have been installed
make sure there is enough soil, that all weeds have been removed, and that the high clay soil is kept moist before each use.
Lines should then be remarked in
accordance with the rules. This can be done using emulsion paint - ordinary line marking fluid diluted 2/3:1 does an excellent and reasonably long lasting job.
Lifting the Carpet
Once all this is done it may become obvious that the levels need adjustment - unevenness in the ball bounce area or
excessive dishing of the popping crease. This is a major job and is best left to those with experience in this work. On wooden edging it is unlikely an old carpet will come off the boards without damage and should only be attempted with replacement in mind. If you do attempt this work, make sure everything is clear and clean, that all aggregates have been resettled and that nothing gets trapped under the carpet when you put it back. Also, be careful attempting to stretch an old carpet as it may tear in half!!
Practice Facilities (nets)
All the above can be applied to practice facilities as well. In addition, make sure that the nets themselves are secure at the bottom to prevent them blowing backwards and forwards in the wind and sweeping debris into the playing area. When replacing netting ask for the roof to be stitched in - this is a small extra cost but makes putting up and taking down considerably easier, as well as greatly enhancing the safety of the facility.
About the author: Mark Hansford and GroundCare have been in business for twenty years in sports field maintenance and construction and installing artificial surfaces for the last ten. Six years ago GroundCare started using the Verde Sports (Cricket) Ltd systems at the top of their range and, two years later, satisfied Verde’s quality standard to become the Southern installer of their ECB approved Test Match and Premier non-turf systems.
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info@ecosolve.co.uk
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