Pitchcare Classifieds Cricket
If your washing won’t dry outside, then don’t roll!
It’s that time of the year when cricket groundsmen will be starting up their trusty roller and heading out to the square to begin pre-season rolling. Martin Deans offers some advice
The key factor is the time spent on the roller. According to the ‘Cranfield Report’, this no longer has to be mind numbingly boring stints of several hours at a time.
Before any rolling begins ‐ at any time of the year ‐ make sure the grass plant is strong enough to cope. Growth wants to have begun, the plant of a healthy condition and not under stress of any form. Ideally, it wants to be standing to a strong vertical position and the soil surface of the square completely free of any debris and organic matter.
The soil profile of the square wants to be moist, but not saturated. If any water comes up around your boots when walking across the square, then don't roll. Ideally, the weather conditions want to be dry and bright, with a little warmth. If your washing won't dry outside, then don't roll!
Windows for pre‐season rolling during early spring are limited, so become a weather enthusiast. Several days of dry weather together are, ideally, what is required. However, for the part time or volunteer groundsman, weekends may be the only time available to work on the square which, if the weather is inclement, will pose problems, so planning is a must.
Who else can be trusted to operate the roller if there is a window open during the week? Getting as many people involved in the rolling process will be beneficial to all.
Before you take the roller out onto the square, make sure what your soil profile consists of and, indeed, looks like. Higher clay soils may not require the amount of rolling a lower clay soil will.
If renovations have been done correctly, there will be no thatch present. If there is, then this will prevent any lasting compaction. Try to determine the amount of available pore space within the profile which will be holding water; this will give an idea of how long it will take to dry out and reach its maximum density level.
Make sure the roller is in full working order and all drums are clean and undamaged.
Servicing should have been carried out in the winter months and all working parts greased. Run the engine a couple of weeks before just to make sure everything is okay, as this will allow adequate time to repair it if there are any problems.
Give yourself as much fighting room as possible; running over road pins and rope left at the side of the square can create unwanted problems.
Start against the line of play left to right across the square. Include approximately five yards behind either stumps. Split the square into half and proceed by leaving the square at one end and re‐ joining in the middle. Once this has been completed, do the same formation in the line of
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play, splitting the square, this time into quarters, and work across it. This direction can take a little longer but, without hiccups, should be completed in around an hour.
Do each direction twice in the same period of rolling, always finishing with the line of play. So, after around three hours, the first phase of rolling will be complete. Allow the square to dry for two days, then return and repeat this action.
Not only is this firming the square, but also the immediate areas around it, aiding the close fielding positions. Again, once completed, leave for a couple of days.
Now start to reduce the amount of time you go across the square, but only if you are satisfied with the results so far. Moisture levels will begin to reduce quite quickly, particularly if the weather has been favourable.
Once completed, moisture levels need to be assessed. This can be down with a pointed tent peg, or similar, by just applying minimal pressure to the top and seeing how far it can be pushed into the surface. If it meets with no resistance, and the square takes in most of the peg, then much more rolling still needs to be done in better conditions. If resistance is met within the first inch or so, then compaction is being achieved and rolling the whole square can now be reduced to little and often.
If, however, you experience a heavy period of rain or a sharp frost or two, then, providing the frost has come out of the grass plant and the surface is not saturated, a further pass over the square may be required.
As groundsmen, we tend to have a sixth sense in the touch and feel department; this is vital in all aspects of groundsmanship. Take the time to feel the surface, and get to recognise its tendencies after certain operations have been carried out, particularly after rolling. How does it feel to the touch? If it's firm, without being able to depress your thumb into it, then it's just about there.
It is now time to go into normal pitch preparation mode and get ready for the first game, all the time keeping a focused eye on the weather forecast. It's not uncommon to have to apply water to the pitch at this time of year.
Keep monitoring your square's compaction levels throughout the season. If you endure a period of prolonged rain, then it may well be that the square will require a further roll outside of normal pitch preparations to maintain it to its current standard; clay soils can quickly swell and shrink, so timing is key.
If, at any time, you are unsure or have questions, then seek help. The ECB Advisory service is a great place to start. Get in touch with your local advisor through your cricket board. The network of experienced help that is available through the forum on Pitchcare is another; a simple question posed will always generate a response. Never suffer in silence.
This article is precised from the original by Martin Deans, ECB Pitch Advisor for Lincolnshire. To read the full article, go to:
https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/pre- season-rolling-it-s-all-in-the-timing.html
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