A green oasis in the city centre at Bath Cricket Club

Bath Cricket Club's ground sits in the heart of the historic city, just a short walk from its centre. In this article, Gordon Gill, the club's Head Groundsman for close on twenty years, charts his career to date and talks about practices that will be familiar to many cricket groundsmen the length and breadth of the UK.

What a last couple of years, never known anything quite like it, but that's in the past now, we hope. Onwards and upwards.

I started as a part time volunteer at my local recreational cricket club in the autumn of 1980. Old boy groundsman finished after many years leaving no one to do the job. Someone had to do it, so I had a go. End of season renovations were almost unheard of at my club in those days, so I had a look around, threw a little seed and some soil I found hanging around into the ends, found a bag of what I thought was selective weedkiller, threw that around where the weeds were and went home. A few days later, I had another look and some of the grass was yellowing; strange I thought. A week later and lots of the grass was obviously dying, leaving straggly ribbons of green grass all across the square. I had applied a total weedkiller!

So my introduction into turf care was rather a disappointing one for both me and the club. I think we played the whole of the next season on about five pitches before there was an attempt made in the following autumn to correct things.

About three years later, the council actually bought the ground from the MOD and great plans were put into place to totally redevelop the ground and build a new sports hall to include changing rooms for outdoor sports and a bar area, great.

The downside was that the council took over the maintenance of the ground, including the newly laid and repositioned cricket square. This was when my hunger to learn more drove me on.

I attended whatever IOG courses I could, all funded by myself, learnt what I could off the council boys and offered to help them. Within a couple of years, I was managing the show and the council would introduce new workers to me. It actually worked out well for many years.

During this time, I was employed as a class one lorry driver with Tesco; best job I ever had, that was until February 1999 when the depot closed and I was made redundant. In 1998, with redundancy in mind, I attended day release and completed my NVQ2 at Hartpury College, much to the surprise of the young boys. It was at this time that I first met the now legendary Matt Gresty of Limagrain. This time also coincided with the council putting many services out to tender. As I was intending to set myself up as a sports ground contractor, I applied to tender to manage my own sportsfield and got the job. One or two other clubs had heard what I was about and another couple of jobs came along and I was up and running.

It was during the late summer of 2002 that I was made aware of a vacancy for a full-time groundsman at Bath Cricket Club. I got the job, at the third time of trying mind. I first applied in 1994 when redundancy was first mooted; I was unsuccessful. The second time was in 2001, and I never even got an interview, so I was a little surprised that I was successful in 2002. I did learn later that Phil Frost (former Head Groundsman at the County Ground, Taunton) had been offered the post before me but that he eventually turned it down.

Going back to the year 2000, I was offered the opportunity to become a pitch advisor for the Wiltshire Cricket Board. The week-long course was to be held in Kent during October 2000. I couldn't get there fast enough. My cricket experience took off.

I met many very influential first-class groundsmen and turf professionals on that course and many are still friends and associates today. People like the ECB's Chris Wood, Len Smith at Glamorgan, Roy McLaren from Worcester, Durham's Tom Flintoft, now sadly deceased, Simon Tremlin at Wormsley, Jonathan Smith at JMS, David Bates from total play, Alan Lewis (top man), Peter Drury, now deceased, and Professor Bill Adams. Apologies to those I have missed out/forgotten, but it was one of the most informative weeks of my life.

Enough of the name dropping, apart from one man, Martin Townsend. I was first introduced to Martin in the early 90s. At this time, he was a sales rep for Avoncrop Amenity and he alone gave me the confidence to get on with it and do my thing. I could ring him whenever I liked and he was always there to support me with advice, which was invaluable, priceless. Thank you Martin.

So, back to 2002, and I was in a full-time job looking after a top recreational cricket ground. Not too many jobs like that around here. Anybody who knows the Bath ground will know that it is all but within the city centre, a green oasis with trains high up passing one side, the open deck tour buses high up passing along another side. The car park is where many park up and jump out of their cars with camera in hand to photograph the magnificent St John's Church spire against the blue sky, I think visitors to the city think it's the abbey. The ground sits in a bowl with the world looking down on it, so presentation is everything. Lovely dark and light shades with sharp crisp straight lines.

Bath Cricket Club was formed in 1859 and plays at North Parade. In about 1999, a lease was signed to also play cricket at the Brownsword ground, owned by the greeting cards guru Andrew Brownsword. This is next door to the landmark known as Beckford's Tower, high up on the outskirts of the city. A mile along the road is the famous Bath Racecourse, the highest jumps racecourse in the country.

This second ground is approximately 238m higher than the ground at North Parade and has evolved over time. The square consists of ten pitches with approximately 40mm of Boughton County loam on top of the indigenous soil. Two are used for junior pitches with all adult cricket played on the other eight. So there are two totally different ground characteristics to manage.

Between 2006 and 2009 the square was completely relaid at North Parade providing sixteen pitches. The middle pitches now have approximately 125mm of Boughton County loam, with the outer ones varying to between 50mm to 100mm of Boughton County. The middle eleven pitches are used for senior cricket with the outer ones being a mixture of youth and practice pitches. We also have two grass net blocks in the outfield consisting of twelve 6ft practice pitches.

The cricket outfields have very little spent on them other than mowing, we really don't have a problem with the outfield at the Brownsword ground, affectionally known as the theatre of dreams, other than it is quite thatchy and grows a lot of moss during the winter. So, for the first time ever, we have hired the outfield to a local youth football team, to be used up to the age of twelve. This is certainly reducing the thatch level and, on the actual pitches, there is very little sign of any moss. The revenue raised will pay for a little overseeding to be done, along with a little fertilising. This has never been done before, and should also cover the cost of servicing the machinery dedicated to that ground, so win win.

The outfield at North Parade is a different animal; very nice in the summer but becomes very difficult during the winter. It lies quite wet with a soil profile of roughly 45% sand, 45% silt and 10% clay over a heavy clay. This is compounded by worm activity and their casts!!! I am sure our outfield is a worm factory. We used to spray with carbendazim until its use was banned.

During the winter months, we try to brush the casts when the ground and weather conditions allow, but this operation still smears badly and we do lose some grass cover because of it.

During the middle of February, for the first time ever, we applied a particular soil conditioner to the outfield - expensive, but it had to be done. The next day it looked like the Somme but, at the time of writing this in early March, we have the outfield back under control and only yesterday was complimented twice on how nice the ground looks again. Result.

During the heatwave of 2018 (remember it?) our outfield, like many others, was destroyed. It also highlighted the levels of thatch we had, so something had to be done. We scarified hard with both an Amazone Profihopper, which took the surface right away in places, and a Graden. We could have gone on for ever but we filled a roll on roll off skip and some. The chairman was not happy with the £1k bill for disposal.

We then applied about ten or twelve bags of seed via a hired in disc seeder and fertilised. Now, each autumn, we will run the Graden through the outfield in one direction and my team have to shovel the arisings onto the club truck and dispose of the arisings at our second ground. They are not impressed, it took two to three weeks, albeit carrying out other tasks at the same time. I will have to discuss this with my line manager during this summer.

During the autumn, and again sometime in March, I will hollow core the outfield with our tractor mounted Groundsman fitted with half inch hollow tines. This allows air in, takes a little thatch out and provides free topdressing that we dragmat and dragbrush in.

During the summer months, when we have a window of opportunity, we will hollow core to about an inch which, again, lets air in, reduces the thatch and keeps the surface open, allowing summer rainfall into the profile as opposed to sitting on top. Each summer, the grass sward appears to thicken up again without general overseeding although the odd handful does go down in any localised problem areas.

The outfield is more akin to a golf fairway with its own slopes and undulations, allowing water to hold in some of the hollows. Over the last three winters we have taken it upon ourselves, in-house, to lay drains from these hollows and link them into the ring drain that we have around the square. As each year goes by, we find less and less ponding in the outfield, perhaps a couple more next year, we will have to wait and see.

During the summer, the outfield at North Parade will be mown at least five times a week, whereas the outfield at the Brownsword will be mown three times a week.

Bath Cricket Club is an extremely busy club, the main ground will regularly play 90 to 100 games or days of cricket, while the second ground will stage around 90 days.

North Parade will stage youth games every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings between April and July. Thursday will be senior men's training night, when two outfield practice pitches and one centre wicket pitch will be required, and Friday night is ladies training night.

Whilst games are being played other training takes place on our three artificial pitches located on the side of the ground. The University 1st XI will usually play half a dozen mid-week games between April and June. Often the youth teams walk out to start their games as the university teams walk off having finished theirs. We barely have time to take the stumps from one pitch and place youth stumps in the other.

The Brownsword ground is almost as busy, with youth games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as a handful of University 2nd XI games, leaving Thursday and Friday free for any home youth cup games.

I am informed that we have eleven youth sides - under 11s to under 15s to include girls youth, four senior men's weekend teams and two ladies elevens. Our head youth coach is also very active in the community and he has two community coaches at his disposal. This can create more games so we have created a partnership with a local private school, King Edward's, where we can play overspill games.

Along the way we have also provided pre-season grass practice facilities for Gloucestershire CCC during March. Most seasons we stage County 2nd XI games, both T20 and three day stuff, as well as County youth three day games. We have had international ladies training days - South Africa and New Zealand - and were very proud to host both Pakistan and the West Indies for T20 World Cup training in 2019.

My proudest moment has to be when we hosted England Ladies for two T20 matches against New Zealand in 2007 and again in 2008 when we hosted England Ladies against India in a 50 over one day international. Great moments for me and the club.

The playing season is full on pitch prep - watering, rolling, verti cutting, combi raking/brushing etc. I start pitch prep ten to twelve twelve days out; probably a verticut and watering. Watering might happen two or three days on the trot depending on the weather; if it has rained enough, possibly no watering at all. Depending on how I feel, the finished height of cut will usually be between 4mm and 6mm, with half an hour's rolling probably every other day - which is possibly still too much - with a light raking or verticutting on alternate days.

I always look to mark the pitches out on a Thursday and usually mow the square three times a week at between 12mm and 15mm. Once the pitch is finished with it will be flooded down, once the excess moisture has soaked in, might be same day might be next day, we will either overseed using the Vari Seeder or the Groundsman with cluster heads. We have a break at about 20mm, so we then solid tine spike using 9mm tines in the Groundsman before applying two to three bags of loam and dragmatting in. In time, I am hoping this will pin the break together. Early signs are that we are having some success. This pitch will sometimes be covered with a flat sheet and we normally see good germination within four to five days, sometimes three if we have pre-germinated the seed first. This pitch will often be used again within about six to eight weeks.

Then we get to September. During this time, we will carry out a lot of verticutting on the square prior to mowing to about 4mm to 5mm when a local contractor is called in (myself!). I/we will scarify hard in three directions with a Graden, hoping to achieve at least 8mm with the final pass, hopefully more. The arisings will be swept up using a Sisis Litamina. Four bags of Limagrain MM50 grass seed will be applied.

On average, six bags of loam per pitch will be applied through a tractor drawn hydraulically operated drop topdresser. This will be dragmatted in. Once dragmatted we will then put a long straight edge - an aluminium ladder - across the ends to level them. This will take any loam off high areas leaving us to add any more to any remaining low areas. This will sometimes put the number of loam bags used up to seven per pitch. Finally, we apply two 20kg bags of pre seed fertiliser. During the next two weeks this may be watered if required, with mowing often taking place again after two and a half to three weeks.

Machinery is always a sore subject, though compared to most I do quite well, but never well enough. Replacing old machines can be difficult because we keep them well maintained, meaning a mower that might be twenty-five years old, still does a job and only looks five years old. Adding machinery is always difficult; the extra cost always brings the question ' what do you want it for?

You've managed up to now.' However, with concentrated discussion over a period of time, sometimes a year or two, we occasionally succeed. I am not one for buying just for the sake of it, but it is/would be nice to stay up to date.

With cost in mind, I have started introducing some basic servicing in house. Ever since I started at Bath, I have used the excellent service of Dave Philips for everything servicing and repair, but I feel, to justify full time employment status, my staff should undertake the very basic servicing of machines and minor repairs, just as we take on more DIY jobs around the club - save money and create a culture of 'how would we manage without you?'

Prior to being a lorry driver, I was a lorry mechanic so I am teaching my staff the basics of minor repairs and servicing, whilst unmanageable jobs and regrinds etc. will still go to Dave Philips.

During the writing of this article I have, on occasions, referred to my team. This comprises myself, Darren Ball and Alex Woodward. I'm now old hat and my time is reluctantly coming towards its end; sad I know. Darren is my number two, 49, and a family man living in Bath and, in the past, was the Head Groundsman at the Bath Rugby Club, where he would also assist Phil Frost when Somerset County Cricket Club staged their annual festival at The Rec. So, he has some knowledge of cricket. Alex is 44, also a family man with absolutely no knowledge of cricket ground maintenance but is an enthusiastic member of a local pub team, in fact I think he nearly runs it, and, guess what, they use our second cricket ground to play their Sunday fixtures, so he is under the microscope as that is the ground where he spends most of his time - no pressure then.

I have to say that I could not wish for two more conscientious lads; their work ethics and timekeeping are exemplary. My job now is to train both of them to a level where they both understand the club's needs and have the ability to prepare pitches and maintain the grounds to the standards that I have set and that the club now expects.

Darren started part time around his furlough, when I was left single-handed the minute we were allowed to start playing cricket again. He maintained the ground so well in the little time he had that the club decided to offer him a full-time job before the end of that summer. He had experience using machinery, got by with the cricket and everybody was over the moon.

Alex started last April. I had never met him but Darren recommended him, so the club interviewed him and took him on immediately. He knew nothing but I have never known anybody so willing to learn and he has come on leaps and bounds; well done Alex. The club is investing in their future and paying for both of them to do their NVQ 2. I really hope they do well.

Our summer schedule is full on. I have to rota the boys for evenings; the slightest chance of rain and some pitches will need to be covered up. This season, I will cover Saturday first team and Sunday national knockout games. Darren will do Saturday second team games and will alternate Sunday cover with Alex. As you can tell, much overtime is done, though whoever is covering the evening does not start until 10.00am. Days off are difficult to fit in but we rally round as best we can. August suddenly feels like the season has come to an end as the evening cricket has finished, so we allow ourselves the luxury of each having a week off, which means the two left behind are still just as busy as ever, and so we roll on. I guess to cricket groundsmen it all sounds rather familiar.

What's in the shed?

North Parade
Baroness triple
John Deere 2036 tractor
Shibauru S320 tractor
Tractor mounted brush
Tractor mounted fertiliser spinner
Tractor mounted Groundsman 8120
Tractor mounted
Sisis Vari Seeder
Fleming tractor mounted fertiliser spinner
1977 Auto-Roller
Dennis Premier 36inch mower + trailing seat
Dennis FT510
Sisis mk5 Auto Rotorake
Ransomes Super Certes
Stihl backpack blowers x 2
Stihl strimmer
Stihl hedgetrimmer
Karcher K45 power washer
2 x wheelbarrows + various hand tools
Sisis Lawnman

Brownsword ground
John Deere 2653b triple with grass boxes
Ransomes Super Bowl
Poweroll 12
Sisis Combi Rake
Wheelbarrow + hand tools
Wheel to wheel line marker

The club also owns a truck, a Mitsubishi Canter with a beavertail bed, to commute between the two grounds. Hence machinery is often shared.

Each ground has a set of roll on roll off covers with North Parade also having several flat sheets, along with 4 x Bowdrys.