CRICKET


What’s in the shed? Poweroll County roller - 8/9 years old Dennis 36” pedestrian mower (square) Ransomes Jacobsen 22” wicket mower


Ransomes Jacobsen Mark 10 triple gang mower (outfield) SISIS Mark 5 brush Greentech Thatchaway Verticutter Groundsman aerator


Honda pedestrian 21” rotary mower (surrounds and the big bank)


John Deere 4010 compact tractor William is clearly a groundsman of the future


Taylor has helped Howard rolling the wickets and maintaining outfields for several seasons, dedicating four mornings a week to the task when able to.


"Even without the hours the volunteers put in, we spent 80-plus hours a week maintaining The Mote in the playing season. Maidstone Rugby club, who are also onsite, maintain their own pitches and surrounds.” “The challenge is keeping everything ticking over to the same standard, that of a 2nd XI county cricket venue, but I would like to prepare wickets for first class cricket if the opportunity arose.”


The grounds have changed from days passed though, when the lower square sloped down to the river Medway. “The first terrace was created around 1900,” Howard relates. “The Army levelled the second ground and rugby pitches in the 1950s.” “During the season, I strive to make the surrounds as attractive as I can. The site


includes many stately oak trees, some 250 years old, populated by a variety of wildlife, including bats and owls.” “Ducks, swans, partridges and pheasants have been visitors to the ground, whilst our many resident crows peck at the hosepipes in dry weather to reach water.” Qualified arborists come in to prune the trees when needed; Howard chipping in with stump grinding and hedge work. Under the spring maintenance, Howard applies ferrous sulphate to treat moss and green up the squares. “I don’t fertilise the outfields, just weed-spray,” adding that he has gained his knapsack and boom spray certificates. “I didn’t spray at all last year because of the swelteringly hot weather.” Monthly applications of spring/summer fertiliser follow until July, with verticutting and mowing the squares and outfield to 13mm height of cut Autumn/winter fertiliser is applied once,


Scag 48” zero turn walkbehind petrol mower (surrounds and steep banking) Stihl knapsack sprayers


after spiking in early December. Blowers are busy at this time as the leaf fall takes hold. His life devoted to cricket, Howard can claim the best of both worlds, having played the game at such an attractive setting, whilst keeping his favourite ground to the quality required of a venue attracting so many fixtures.


But dramatic change has come to the game of his youth, he reflects: “One of the sad aspects of cricket in schools is that there seems to be little enthusiasm for it now in the state sector or in grammar schools. It has become a private school pursuit, far more than it was even twenty years ago.” One reason why


community engagement is critical in cricket’s survival at grassroots level.


Renovations in progress 88 PC June/July 2019


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  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164