Message Board - Cricket: Vandalised cricket square
22 Jan 2010 by Stephen Pryor
I have had the pleasure of some numb nuts driving their car over the cricket square I look after and would appreciate any advice on how I might go about repairing the damage.
The worst part is shown in the photo where the front wheels have dug in the soft turf and left a deep gouge. Fortunately I do have 11 strips and they have only managed to drive on half of them (maybe they will be back next week to do the others).
I currently have two thoughts on how to repair the damage which are;
1) Wait till March/April when the ground temperature has risen and then repair the same way I would for bowler’s foot holes.
2) Use a fork down to 6-8 inches to lift the gouged area then fill the fork holes with loam and roll flat and then wait until the end of season to re-seed bare patches.
I am inclined to go with option 1 unless anyone else has any other ideas, as this will be less labour intensive and with 10-12 weeks of good growth should be fully repaired. Option 2 would allow the use of the wicket earlier in the season, but would take quite a while implement.
Steve
22 Jan 2010 by Stephen Pryor
This a close up of the worst part of the damage.
22 Jan 2010 by Aintgottaclue!!
Stephen I have previously had this problem from and ambulance and what I would do is lift anything that is rutted with a fork the thinner the tines the better now, which isnt much different to giving a final aeration. Seed any bare areas, i realise there is supposed to cold weather coming but do it anyway wont hurt. A lot of it looks superficial and may well recover naturally if the 'gouge is in the crease area fill it like a foot hole, if its on a pitch then lift it at an angle and pack the best you can. if its all done now it shouldnt affect pre season preparation. Where are you based mate? also try and rope off the square if poss, means they may damage their car if they ry it again
I may cut grass, but i'm not green !!
22 Jan 2010 by jlawrence
I'd do as 'the original aintgottaclue!' says. Get a fork into it, raise it a bit (add loam underneath if necessary) and get some seed on it. The seed might not take, but then it might.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
22 Jan 2010 by Stephen Pryor
The square was roped off, they decided to take some of the rope and fencing pins with them!
I'm based just north west of Cambridge.
Thanks for the advice at least it should be easy to get a fork in it at the moment.
Steve
22 Jan 2010 by mario
If they're caught - no trial, no judge, no jury, just execute!
I know no boundaries.
22 Jan 2010 by jlawrence
Make sure it's not too wet when you do the forking. You're wanting to lift the areas a little - not just put smeared holes into the surface.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
22 Jan 2010 by vid
I've had this as well and agree with the above, I would just add that the best way I found of dealing with this is to use your foot!! Push the ridges down using a forward motion to push the raised edge back towards the middle of the gouge - the softer the better, long winded but effective. The tyre mark is seldom much more than superficial and causes little compaction, there should be no need for topping up levels unless soil has physically been removed. Any depressed areas lifted by fork will settle back down flat and even under normal preseason rolling. Unless there has been stationary wheel spin or the turf has 'cut' due to lateral movement of the car I wouldn't worry too much - by summer it will have disappeared.
22 Jan 2010 by tonybolton
I had a similar problem on one of my rugby pitches, two youths on trial bikes. On my approach one fell off and couldn't lift up or restart his bike I chased after him only for him to jump on the back of the other lad's bike and make off. I shouted after him collect your bike from the local Police Station. The Police arrived as play had started on a pretty wet adjacent pitch, I was told that the damage was not too bad and that unless the ground was totally secure the youths had every right to be on it. When I showed them the bike one officer cautioned me and told me I was being investigated for theft. After falling over laughing at his stupity he became quite aggressive and told me that if I wanted to persue the damage to the pitch then he would also have to investigate the damage being caused to the adjacent pitch by the thirty players and the referee. He told me that the bike must be returned to the youth needless to say it accidently caught fire when a stray spark from a passing steam locomotive ignited the petrol tank, totally destroying the machine. The charred embers are now chained to a fence near the entrance to the field as a reminder to up and coming trials riders.
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother
22 Jan 2010 by mario
With the "damage" they can cause, no wonder there are very few steam trains about!!
I know no boundaries.
22 Jan 2010 by Barry Pace
Don't you just love the irony of tony's post and wonder how the muppets they seem to sometimes employ in uniforms now dont seem to realise how much they give decent coppers and the police force as a whole such a bad name and why the public has lost faith in the law in this bankrupt hell hole that used to be Great.
(GOGGA moment over)
Plastic.... it's The End I tell you... THE END!!!!
23 Jan 2010 by vid
Perfect GOGGA, Barry, perfect.......its making me weep
23 Jan 2010 by mark pembroke
we had the same problem, so replaced pins with putlocks. the thought of one of them coming through windscreen seems to have done the job.
24 Jan 2010 by Andy Matthews
I think this comes back to threads we have had before about protecting your square, the more times I see multi use grounds, with football, be it junior or otherwise now being played on many outfields, the more I think the square should be totally fenced off with the Fensa type panels or something similar, yes it does take a bit more effort, but I have a 13 strip square and with half a dozen bodies and a trailer it only takes 2 hours to put up and take down, there will be a purchase cost also, but if you can possibley afford it it's got to be better than the nightmare Stephen is now left with.
Back to Top - Go to Next Unread Message
This Message is closed, you may not post a reply at this time
