CRICKET
20:5:8+Mg0+Ca once a year. The square normally gets a feed in spring and autumn with a 4:0:8 at 70g/m2
, but this year we have
also used Evolution Micro 14:4:8 from Agrovista Amenity. Phil and I have been impressed with the results. To give it a boost through the season, we will use some liquid products from Yara which are cheap and cheerful.”
One slight advantage Mark has is the
club’s chairman works for Complete Weed Control, so every so often he will spray the outfields with a selective weedkiller and will also apply some liquid iron.
“The bowling greens in autumn will get a dose of 4:0:8 and, in winter, they will also be sprayed with a winter package to harden the turf. In the summer, once a month we will apply a wetting agent, and two weeks later we will go on with a feed of chelated iron, maintain and nitrogen. The tennis courts will get one application of 20:5:8 per season, and that’s it.”
Where possible, most of the renovations on the grass surfaces are carried out in- house. “The square will be scarified four ways with the Huxley TV36 scarifier at 5mm depth, then we will go over with the brush to clear out all of the grooves we have got. We will then go over with the spiker fitted with 3/8” solid tines at a depth of half an inch. We will brush in as much seed as we can and then put down ten bags of Ongar loam on
each of the twelve main wickets - the rest will get seven bags a wicket. It is dragmatted in and a feed applied. The outfields will be scarified as much as we can at the back end of the season.”
“Bowling greens are cut down to 4mm and then scarified two to three ways depending on how the surface holds together. Then we will spike, overseed and apply topdressing if the budget can stretch that far. We have a large Sisis Trulute, which is six metres wide, to help disburse the dressing and get the levels back.” Since Mark has been at the club, they have purchased a new Allett C20 cylinder mower outright, plus a second-hand spiker, but this had to go through the executive committee which includes the cricket, tennis, and bowls sections of the club. “If they agree, each section has to pay towards the purchase of the machine. The club runs hand to mouth and, with the pandemic, this has only worsened our situation. So, if we needed to replace the tractor or the triple, which are our biggest expenses, we would have to look at grants. We do have someone looking for grant money all the time and, if they are successful, that’s when we will get a new piece of kit.” As much as is possible, Mark and Phil will carry out servicing and maintenance of the machines to keep the costs down. “We do the oil, air filter, fuel filter changes, replace
bottom blades, backlapping and will fix what we can ourselves. Anything we cannot fix, along with the cylinder regrinds, we send to F G Adamson & Son who are our local machinery dealer.”
Phil has spent over forty years working at the club and has seen many changes over the years. I asked him what he thought the future of clubs like Driffield were when funds are so hard to come by? “Tennis is a dwindling sector, and they are taking up a lot of land. And bowls is hardly thriving, unlike cricket. There is always talk of clubs having to sell off land to keep some revenue coming in, which is something that has been mentioned here in the past. Clubs may have to look at ways of diversifying that may include accommodating other sports such as football. This would help drive people towards the bar facilities in winter when cricket isn’t being played. Or investing in artificial surfaces which can be used day and night, if floodlit, to provide that much needed extra income.”
What’s in the shed?
John Deere 2653a triple mower Iseki TXG 23 tractor Auto-Roller
Allett c20 cylinder mowers x 2 Honda rotary mowers x 2
Supaturf EvenSprey Club pedestrian sprayer
Huxley TV36 Scarifier SISIS Rake SISIS Trulute
PC August/September 2020 95
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