Winter Sports - Rugby
At the end of the season, I cut the pitches low and chain harrow them all to remove any thatch. It is at this time that we carry out any sanding and seeding if required
There are three rugby pitches, with one doubling up as a football pitch; two cricket squares, two cricket nets, two artificial cricket mats, one general training area and one water‐based artificial hockey pitch. With the backing of the ground convenors, Scott calls in outside contractors to carry out verti‐draining and other specialist tasks such as sanding and seeding.
They also use a consultant, Phil
McCormick, who not only advises but carries out all the fertiliser applications and any spraying that is required.
Scott cuts the grass on the rugby pitches twice per week in the summer time and once per week from September onwards at a height between 50mm and 75mm. “This is followed up by a regular programme of cutting and slitting the pitches every two weeks with the Sisis MegaSlit,” said Scott. “At the end of the season, I cut the pitches low and chain harrow them all to remove any thatch. It is at this time that we carry out any sanding and seeding if required,” he said.
When it comes to the cricket pitches, Scott maintains the cricket square, which is graded top one by the Northern Cricket Union, at 10 to 12mm and the wickets down to 4mm. Within the Instonians stable there are six cricket teams, youth and ladies cricket, three senior rugby teams as well as youth and mini rugby teams, which play on a Saturday morning. At Cooke Rugby Club things are a bit simpler, with two senior rugby teams, youth sides, mini rugby and ladies rugby teams. When the seasons are in full swing, and with such heavy traffic on the playing fields, they take a lot of battering and become compacted, hence why Scott favours the MegaSlit machine.
“The pitches do tend to get a lot of use, but that’s what they are there for,” said Scott. “It’s up to me to try and manage them, which can be quite difficult at times when the main pitches are used for training
”
Striped
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