Viewpoint
“ “
We have over two hundred junior members, but how many will go on to play club cricket for ten, twenty or even thirty years?
Stoke Row cricket ground, one of two overseen by Christopher Proudfoot
retired and there’s one female. We have a range of skills and experience. We have set jobs each week and get work parties together for tidy ups in spring and the end of season renovations.” Dave says that, now he is retired, work at
the ground is increasing to ‘fill the time available’. “I’m there most days, certainly four days a week, for at least two hours.”
Could your sport’s governing body do more to highlight and support the grassroots sector?
Colin believes so. “Grants are difficult to apply for, and win. And they are not always for the kind of things actually required at grassroots level.” Christopher complains that many grounds in his area [the South Chilterns] have declined over the years and club cricket, in general, is struggling. “We have over two hundred junior members, but how many will go on to play club cricket for ten, twenty or even thirty years? A bit off track, but both my sons play football (as well as cricket, of course, and hockey) and the condition of the pitches they play on leaves a lot to be desired. That needs to be addressed by the governing body of each sport. One wonders if any basic maintenance is carried out other than mowing. All that money in football and
some think the answer is to replace six grass pitches with one artificial pitch!” Dave adds: “Yes, the funding is sometimes
there, but never publicised, it’s always a question of pestering. Priorities seem to be decided at long-distance and the local FA has little discretion.” “At the moment, it’s all about 3G pitches in urban ‘hubs’. What happens to those of us based in rural areas? And equipment - which is no help to those of us who’ve paid out a lot of money in recent years to sort ourselves out, but now can’t get funding for pitch improvements. Plus, of course, there’s soon going to be an awful lots of equipment sitting in sheds unused. There doesn’t seem to be any attempt to cluster it or expect it to be shared.” “Apparently, the FA doesn’t support
‘routine maintenance’ which seems to include aeration and topdressing - 60 to 100 tonnes of sand per pitch (which the PIP report suggests) at £30 or more a tonne is not ‘routine’ to us!”
Would you say your surface(s) was the ‘best it could be’ given the circumstances, and is there more you wish you could do?
“Surfaces could always be better,” comments Colin, “but that usually means more time and money required and, as has been
pointed out above, that’s never readily available at our level.” “Yes,” says Dave abruptly. “It needs
levelling - it ripples, not a slope - and it has too much meadow grass because we can’t afford to Koro and reseed, and we’ll never get the five figure sum together to improve it without grant support!” “We are very pleased with the pitches we
produce,” comments Christopher. “We would like to increase the clay content of the surface to ensure the footholes hold up better and also to improve the outfields, which we are doing slowly, but spring raking and slitting the outfields will not transform them overnight.” “Are they the best, is there more we could
do?” asks Colin. “Both; with the equipment I currently have, it’s in good shape, but I wish I could utilise better machinery to improve it. Groundsmen should ‘never’ be truly satisfied and always strive to improve.”
Match officials - pain or pleasure?
“Mostly a pleasure,” comments Colin, and Christopher agrees; “they don’t cause us much of an issue and it is pleasing when they make positive remarks about the pitch.” Martin says that he has no problem with
Match Officials; “I treat them as I expect to be treated. That seems to work.”
The pitch needs levelling and it has too much meadow grass because we can’t afford to Koro and reseed, and we’ll never get the five figure sum together to improve it without grant support!
16 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017
Old Boltonians recently constructed (2012) changing room replaced an old RAF hut moved from RAF Padgate in 1958; for the previous 100 years, players changed in the Chetham Arms in the village. Dave Lee comments; “We had help from the Football Foundation for that, but less than £60,000 of the total costs of £170,000. The club raised the rest, although we're still paying off a £25,000 loan!
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