21 Mar 2010 by Flem
Hi folks,
After 20 years of playing cricket I have just taken over as grounsdman in my club in Dublin.
I have no experience but am willing to slave away to make a difference to the place I love! We had a joke for a groundsman over the last 2 years and there was no end of season work done .... so I have a lot to catch up on!
I am attending a 'spring preparation' course with Alan Lewis next week ... but may be popping up on here asking, what may seem inane, questions of you guys with more experience ... please bear with me(or tell me to eff off!)
Have got about ten hours light rolling done, so far, by hand and a bit of re-seeding in damaged areas from last season that were never repaired.
Any suggestions of a list of MUST DOs over the coming weeks?
Thanks
'In Sod We Trust'
Have a read of the cricket diaries on this site plenty of information to gain, also search the site for relative info, such as rolling, end of season renovations and such like. I wish you well
Laurence
Flem,
Welcome, you have all the qualities needed, you love the place and are willing to work, also you are a cricketer.
Qualifications are great, and I am not knocking them - wish I had some - but enthusiasm is better. Get out there do what you think needs doing and talk to others around you. Groundsmen are a good bunch who stick together and support one another, there may be a reason for your last groundsman.
Don't be alarmed, if you think something needs doing and have a reason to do it, then go for it. There are lots of basics to fall back on on this site and good luck to you.
Vic.
21 Mar 2010 by DPC
PM sent
No one better than Alan Lewis. I have been on 2 courses taken by him, and he has also talked at our groundsman's association meetings.
21 Mar 2010 by paul.
Flem
Just writing out my plan for the ground,and
things to be thinking about/getting on with, in next few weeks.
So here goes
Do you have worm casts on square -spray for worms.
Weeds in outfield and square-spray them too!
Do you have leather jackets-Spray again
(Bad news eat all your grass roots.
Put down square of carpet overnight ,if you have them you will find them!Do crows shuffle on square and peck at them.)
Carry on your rolling building up your ballast in union jack formation !
Would Square and outfield benefit from light scarification ,ie blades set on the surface not in it,if so go for it union jack again,make room for when the sward takes off and thickens up in few weeks time(if warm enough)
Is square yellow ?if so would it benefit from a feed of fertilizer!
Mark out your square 3/4/5 was Pythagoras a pig!
Make game plan which wicket you start with and where you go from there!
Make sure machinery is ready to rock!sharpen/ service etc
Long term take core samples,get local pitch inspector in and plan how you are going forward with your basic structure of the square!
Finally, use this website,all the free advise and know how you could want with plenty of people willing to share it !Hopefully they will be telling me what iv`e mist off my list!
Good Luck, as Vic says with effort and motivation, Knowledge is just around the corner !
Paul,
Mist!!!!!!! of my list. What have you been on today mate, Whatever it was, must have beeeeeen good.
As most have said above Flem. I will totally agree with EDDIE G though, Keep all your questions for Allan Lewis, not only is he one of the best, make him earn his money.
Take it all in and enjoy.
The STRI publish a book called 'Cricket Grounds, the evolution, maintainance.......' by Evans. Get it, read it, re-read it and go back to it each winter - if you do that then it's unlikely that you'll go far wrong. It covers all of the basics in an approachable way.
People will tell you that this book is out of date (partially true), that there are far better books on soils, fertilisers, drainage etc (also true), but when I started out as a groundsman in charge of my own place it was my bible, and this book won't overwhelm you like some others might. I recently bought eight copies for all the guys working under me.
If there are any gaps in the info you need in the first year or two then I would be suprised if you couldn't plug them through pitchcare.
Alan is a clever man and has been a successful groundsman so pay attention and take notes!
Good luck
Good luck Flem
As Vic says, you have all the right attributes and you couldnt have come to a better place for advice but as Bath says, hit that ECB man with plenty of questions!
Hope you have enough machinery
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
22 Mar 2010 by Flem
Thanks guys.
I have a list of queries for Mr Lewis .... as he was in charge of of 'relaying' our square 18/20 months ago! We had the top 6inches taken off the top and replaced. We've struggled to get good root growth and drainage has been poor since, due to that.
Just had our first bit of heavy rain for a month or so so am on my way down now to see if their is any improvement 
following some work I have done.
I will post some feedback from next Saturdays course with him .... on the odd chance there is some useful info for you guys
'In Sod We Trust'
If you haven't already, you should soon make contact with 'Collie' on here.
Welcome aboard...
GOGGA
Flem, what maintenance work has been carried out after the relaying of the square?
Poor root growth and poor drainage are both possible symptoms of lack of aeration.
What resources do you have at your disposal?
22 Mar 2010 by Flem
Q - what maintenance work has been carried out after the relaying of the square?
A - Little or nothing ... apart from some hand aerating done myself when the heavy frost had lifted a month or so ago
Q - What resources do you have at your disposal?
A- Apart from our mowing equipment - very little. Going to be hard for me to get more as we are looking to do a major redevelopment on the clubhouse so funds are tied up in that project. We do not have a source like ECB funding either.
Any suggestions for hand tools that I could use? I am a bit worried about sticking a fork in it after the expense of relaying ... so I manufactured a device with 3 rows of 4" nails and plodded up and down for a few hours - trying to get air in without 'breaking' the surface
Shoestring budget this year but should be able to get some investment over the winter ....I hope
'In Sod We Trust'
There is no better aerator that a fork. Get one of the longer ones - 8 inch forks - and sharpen them to a point (I use a grinder for this). It is very hard work with a fork (hence why most of us use powered aerators) but you have complete control over how the prongs enter and leave the surface.
The 4" nails will work as well - but they won't give as big a hole obviously.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
It is surprising how often 'relayed' squares seem to end up with problems and then it turns out that either a poor job was done by the contractor or there has been little or no follow up maintainance done subsequently !
We have all read on here about some poor quality jobs done but expecting it to bed down and become a good surface without follow up work is just as much a failing. As I said on here a while ago, Clubs have to sort out the priority in finances, a lovely clubhouse or a quality ground to play on. I know it is a balancing act but if it is a Cricket Club proper then that balance must be maintained (no pun intended.)
Proud to serve grassroots cricket
23 Mar 2010 by Flem
Philmort
I agree completely ... but unfortunately our previous groundsman was more interested in completing an assigned, minimum, number of hours than actually trying to make a difference to the place. Don't think it was the contractor in our case.
I'm really looking forward to supping a pint or two in June/July looking out at the difference I will have made ... and hopefully overhearing some positive comments from players and visitors - rather than the usual grumbling.
Ambitious but attainable!
'In Sod We Trust'
maybe their lies your problem Flem,
"but unfortunately our previous groundsman was more interested in completing an assigned, minimum, number of hours than actually trying to make a difference to the place"
was he full time?
if he wasnt, why not "up" his hrs to allow him to make a difference?
was he ever spoken to regarding his work output?
what sort of kit did he have?
Many clubs moan about their grounds, yet invest very little money into it but then whine about how poor the ground is, improvements can be made with little money, but that improvement comes with a cost = a good Groundsman usually.
Neil,
Flem tells us he had a mower and not much else - but I guess you'd probably seen that. You are absolutely right of course - it's very easy to moan about the quality but if the groundsman has no access to the tools he will always struggle.
Balance.
The ciderman rolls
Neil,
Flem tells us he had a mower and not much else - but I guess you'd probably seen that. You are absolutely right of course - it's very easy to moan about the quality but if the groundsman has no access to the tools he will always struggle.
Balance.
The ciderman rolls
Groundsman ( volunteer or paid) have to communicate with the committees / chairman etc, if you dont have acces to kit, explain the limitations of what you can achieve with what you have but also give them the benefits of what they can achieve with investment, you dont have to buy kit, hire it, it is worth the money in the long run.
If you don't have access to the kit that you want/need then groundsmen need to be proactive in getting access. That could mean looking into sources of funding, hiring etc etc and will definitely mean that you need to have a full understanding of the finances of the club.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
Hi Flem,
We've just set up a groundsman association here in Dublin. You are more than welcome to join (it's free). You can contact me at cpmbyrne@gmail.com or ring on 0866045151. We will help in any way we can, don't be afraid to ask any questions on this forum. The help and advice you'll receive on this site will prove invaluable.
Regards
Colm Byrne, Chairman LCGA
24 Mar 2010 by Flem
Collie ... I've joined!! Missed the meeting last week as I was in Scotland for a few days
'In Sod We Trust'
Groundsman in Dublin , probably the best job in the world !!!ask Rob Ellis . Anyone who wants me to look after their site in Dublin please pm me.!
30 Mar 2010 by DPC
Anyone else have the book Mackay was talking about:
STRI
Cricket Grounds: The Evolution, Maintenance & Construction of Natural Turf Cricket Tables & Outfields
30 Mar 2010 by trubs
Yes, I have it. Excellent Book.
30 Mar 2010 by DPC Last edited 30 Mar 2010
How come nobody has brought out a book since or even an updated version of the Evans book?
Because it is pretty damned good regardless of its age.
What goes around, comes around
1 Apr 2010 by DPC
Ok but there are some things in the book outdated.
What other resources, books etc. would people recommend reading in addition to the Evans book.
Cranfield, Pitch Performance & Properties and the TS4 on ECB website are some.
Any others?
Back to Top - Go to Next Unread Message
This Message is closed, you may not post a reply at this time
