CRICKET
Getting Personal
Sam Dutton - always trust your gut feeling!
Who are you? Sam Dutton - head groundsman at
Blackpool Cricket Club.
Family status. Girlfriend and dog.
Who’s your hero and why? My dad, Simon Dutton. He’s an absolute legend of the Cumbria CCC and I’m hoping to beat all his records. Also, Ben Stokes; unbelievable talent and an inspiration to all us cricketers and he’s Cumbrian.
What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Producing the pitches for Lancashire CCC.
What job would you love, other than your own? A professional cricketer or working at a professional ground.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? Getting out fi rst ball of the one day fi nal at Wormsley.
What is your favourite fi lm? Never Back Down or Warrior.
What would your autobiography be called… and who would play you in the fi lm? The Life of Sam, played by Alan from The Hangover.
What is your favourite sport? Cricket.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To be head groundsman of a professional cricket ground.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Conor McGregor, Tyson Fury and Tom Hardy.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Always stick to your gut feeling (it’s always right).
Which three albums would you take to a desert island? Picture This (by the same band), Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (Lewis Capaldi) and Lighting Matches (Tom Grennan).
What’s your favourite piece of kit? The Dennis FT510 or the Lloyds Paladin.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Passionate, hardworking and fun.
What would be the most useful thing to tell a 16 year old groundsman? Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get stuck in.
70 PC April/May 2021
some serious material. It did make a diff erence, especially on the far side.” In 2020, Sam and Tom decided that the work they had carried out was never going to be enough to help solve their problems with fl ooding. So, they approached the club and asked them to look at carrying out the project that was fi rst mooted in 2018. “To our surprise, they agreed and were happy for us to put the work out to tender. Once all the quotes came back, we chose J Mallinson (Ormskirk) Ltd to carry out the work.” Work started in September 2020, and the job should have been completed by the end of October but, with the harsh weather conditions bringing heavy rain and frost, they are now due to fi nish at the end of March 2021. “I think, in some ways, it has been a blessing in disguise,” comments Sam. “I have seen other grounds that have been overseeded in October that looked alright, but they are a bit patchy. Also, with COVID, I had been furloughed and was not able to spend much time at the ground. So, at the same time the project is completed, I will be back full-time to get everything ready for the start of the season … fi ngers crossed.” Tom, a keen cricketer with a love for turf, had gained a lot of knowledge over the years working on various other cricket grounds and volunteered to manage the project for Sam whilst keeping him informed of developments. He explained what work has been carried out. “Mallinsons started by koroing off the surface, to a depth of 20mm, to remove as much of the thatch as possible. After the fi rst pass, we realised this was not deep enough, so we took core samples from twelve points around the outfi eld and found the thatch’s average depth was around 27mm. So, a second pass was carried out to remove most of the remaining thatch layer. After koroing, we found that, at the south end, the levels were not quite right, which meant we would have ended up with a signifi cant
rise on to the square. Instead of having a three-metre cut off point at the end of the square, which we have at the North end, it is now one and a half metres to help blend those levels in, so we do not end up with a gully below the end of the square. We are aware that, for the fi rst year, this could be potentially problematic for fast bowlers because the take-off point will be inside the new outfi eld, but we are hopeful that it will be the best outcome in the next two to three years.” “Once the koroing was completed, we moved on to the installation of the drains. The plan was to drain the whole site, essentially to the ring drain using all longitudinal drains, but that changed because of the levels they found once the outfi eld was koroed off . So, instead, they decided to go with longitudinal and lateral drains, which is probably much better in the long run.”
“The next steps involved cultivating the site to relieve compaction and to break-up any of the thatch that remained. Then we applied six hundred tonnes of rootzone from Everton’s training ground, which was then incorporated into the existing profi le to improve the levels, mainly on the south side of the ground. Once they were happy with the levels, it was rolled fl at and sand banded.” The project was moving on nicely until the rain started to fall, delaying work for four months. In that time, Sam was able to see the diff erence the drains had already begun to make. “I have lived in Blackpool for three years now, and I have never seen Stanley Park, in which the ground sits, so waterlogged, but our outfi eld was dry.”
Sam is now back in charge of the project and talked me through the fi nal stages. “Once all the sand has gone down, Mallinsons are going to verti-drain to help relieve any compaction that has occurred whilst the work was carried out. In the fi nal stage, they will tiller out the surface and roll ready for
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