Message Board - Cricket: They seek minor county cricket
2 Sep 2008 by Martyn Snell
where i work , im the sole groundsman , and the cricket club are seeking to have minor county team play here in 5 years , but they cant see that having rugby played on the outfield ,having no aeration equipment , and there currently being thinking over if we can have a scarifier on hire nad 90 bags of loam this year for the last 8 weeks because of the cost , how do they expect minor county cricket?
What can i do to convince then having rugby played around the square all year isnt any good, any not having the correct equipment for the square and outfield isnt helping , ?
But when it comes to plasma screens in the bar no expense is spared , this is a bit of moan as its been getting me down all summer, how do i make them realise please someone help?
2 Sep 2008 by Trolly Dolly
it all starts with the pitch. no pitch, no club, the amount of people that cannot grasp this small fact is amazing. i am a contractor and see it every where i go i blame the egotistical commitees that cant see any further than the bar. i totaly simpathise with you.
4 wheels are better than none
2 Sep 2008 by Andy Matthews Last edited 2 Sep 2008
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Martyn, I took over at a club this year that expects very high standards, the scarifier they had was a domestic one and broken beyond repair, i was told when I started that they hadn't got pots of money, contuary to popular belief in the league, I also had to use a 36 inch Mastiff to cut the outfield, now it isn't the biggest ground and it was taking me 2 and a half hours to cut it, twice a week thats 5 hours riding round the outfield. I had a few gentle conversations with the treasurer about needing a triple and recommended we got a sisis rotorake with scarifier, brush and verticut reels, I managed to get a triple delivered to the ground on demo and showed it could cut the outfield in 55 minutes therefor saving 3 hours a week that could be put into the square, there was also a big play off game Sunday and as i finished the pitch I was asked if the dew could be brushed off the outfield, I tied the drag brush to the triple and did it in 40 mins just in time for the start off the game and the outfield was virtually dry. The ECB pitch advisor is a regular visitor to the ground and on his visit last week also brought details of a rotorake that was for sale, so I presume that the committee members had consulted him about it, the upshot of all this is that I was told yesterday that they were going to buy me both machines. I am convinced that by making sensible suggestions and the back up from the ECB pitch advisor showed that they were ligitimate requests and not just new toys. So I would get your ECB pitch advisor on site and ask him to put in writing what you need machinery wise to fulfill the clubs ambitions, I would also get some kit on demo, most suppliers will do this and show them what can be acheived, if they then don't get you the kit then you have done your best. By the way heres my new (second hand) triple, Cor she's a little beauty.
2 Sep 2008 by Neil Dixon Last edited 2 Sep 2008
Martyn, It is possible but the club need to invest not only in the sports surfaces to ensure the correct thing is done at the right time but also machinery, ( use contractors if you cant / dont want to purchase) and Sports equipment, - Covers, Sight Screens, flat sheets, water hog, + additional staff will all be needed.
A 5 yr plan of annual maintenance requirements will help and one also for capital expenditure , along with a business plan relating to the county cricket - i.e is it being looked upon as a major revenue source, in which case the club will need to invest now to ensure the facilities are up to scratch, which may involve sponsorship / bank loans etc, or is it more to raise the profile of the club?
do some research by asking Groundsman who host higher level cricket what facilities / machinery they have and compare them to you own is always a good starting point, it will give you an indication of where you currently are in comparison.
to start you off we hosted 2 county 2nd team fixtures this summer and i had / have;
12 Pitch square - you will need to keep pitches unused for higher level fixtures, so a biggish square is paramount.
Set of roll on Covers
1 flat sheet - we borrowed another
water hog
a large staff to call on when it rained
A demo triple mower for the outfield
Our fixtures seemed to be a success, the Pitches played well ( i think!) faciities were Ok, not 100% perfect but this was more to the lack of catering for spectators and their facilities - loos, etc.
Good luck.
3 Sep 2008 by jontaylor
Martyn,
You have my full support and sympathy. As you know, I hear many of your cricket committee's ambitions and moans at junior nets on Friday nights and am also painfully aware how little perception many of them have of what would be involved.
My own take on the club is that your biggest problem is that it is factional - the rugby club (which probably brings in most of the dosh?) and the cricket club (which has people with high ambitions and energy but perhaps limited understanding of what's needed?). Even within the cricket club you appear to have two factions - the seniors and the academy. Almost all of the willing volunteers work within the academy and their priority is to develop junior cricket, not to get a senior county game at the ground.
Some very good advice has been given above. I would endorse getting Martin Deans (CPA) involved and suggest you and he prepare a 5 year plan and present it, initially to the cricket committee. This could be based, perhaps, on an audit of current facilities and equipment, ranking their quality, expected service life and remediation costs. There are some good people on that committee and I think that a well prepared document laying out in black and white what work is needed and what equipment improvements you might need will have infinately more impact than any number of one on one conversations.
To put a context onto Martyn's issues this is my appraisal of his club's needs (I can't get sacked for saying this, he could?); Funded annual maintenance plan for cricket square, new ro-ro covers (or MAJOR repairs), new sight-screens (not repairs), significant repairs to score-box, koro and re-surface entire square (depth of works unknown, but the current surface needs completely stripping off to have any chance of minor county cricket), new mowers for outfield and general square (wicket mower fine), verticutter (currently none), funded annual renovation plan for outfield to repair rugby damage, proper solution to issue of rugby floodlight base in cricket outfield (significant trip hazard), possible drainage improvements to outfield. I would hire/borrow deep scarrifier and airator. The club-house and changing rooms are good.
In addition to these significant improvements, there are several other senior clubs in the district with minor county ambitions (not mine - junior county games will do for us!). Even if all of the required improvements are made, there is no guarantee that the county will come to Martyn's club.
The ciderman rolls
3 Sep 2008 by dave r-b
But Andy it is just big toys for the boys, come on admit it... mind you we need something to enjoy, with the weather as it is at the mo.
who would be a groundsman?????????
im now an ex groundsman but hey old habits die hard
3 Sep 2008 by Andy Matthews
Now now Dave we don't all have the luxury of being able to take all day to cut the outfield between boubts of Sky sports and the odd Guiness when you flush the pipes 
. You have been to the ground and it shouldn't take 2 and a half hours, it does though prove a point, that if you make a valid case and back it up you might just get somewhere.
4 Sep 2008 by dave r-b
good point, do you reckon i could argue the point for satanta and guinness extra cold.hmmmmmmmmmmm
im now an ex groundsman but hey old habits die hard
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