Summer Sports - Cricket


around four millimetres on the match pitch when the grass is growing at its peak.” “The pitches are played on once a week


and we cut the square once a week as well to coincide with that. Every two weeks we give the square a quick scarify, just to keep it clean and provide a better surface to play on.”


“We have a number of machines to hand


that we can use on the grounds. There are a couple of sheds that we store the machinery in.”


“I use the Allett Buffalo 24 to cut the


square at the ten or eleven millimetres height. The other mower is slightly wider and we use that for the lower grass heights on the playing pitches,” Trevor said. “The scarifier is a petrol driven Sisis Trio


“ 74 I PC JUNE/JULY 2017


In all my years looking after these grounds, I have never once had to pick up any dog waste. There is a good mutual respect for the grounds from local residents as well the club members


Rotorake, which I have to say does a really good job for us. We also have a Bomag roller that we use regularly to roll the surface.” “All our machines are quite old, but we try and look after them the best we can. The council does help us out with other machinery should they be required for other jobs.”


It may be a small club down at Larne but


the guys there like to maintain the grounds and have them looking their best at all times, but particularly so when other clubs come to play at Sandy Bay. “Presentation ranks very highly with us,”


said Trevor. “When a team comes to your ground, the first thing they look at are the facilities. I always feel that by having a ground in good condition it also helps the teams play better.”


As the season draws to a close, Trevor and other members follow an annual routine in preparing the grounds for the winter closed playing period. Some of the bigger jobs, including hollow tining, are carried out by either the council or outside contractors. Trevor said: “Firstly, we cut the square to


the lowest setting of about two millimetres. Then we scarify the entire square in four directions, making sure we cover every inch of the surface.” “After this, the ends get hollow tined. This


process is carried out to try and reduce the saddles that have risen up over the year. Finally, we seed and topdress and then dragmat in,” said Trevor. In order to try and keep the grounds in tip


top condition, signs have been placed around them to prohibit anyone playing golf. Pests are not a problem in Sandy Bay but, with it being a heavy built up residential area, normally there could be a problem with dog waste, but not at Larne. “In all my years looking after these grounds, I have never once had to pick up any dog waste,” said Trevor. “There is a good mutual respect for the grounds from local residents, of which I also am one, as well the club members.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156