ECB Grant helps Keighley C.C

ECB Grant helps Keighley C.C. improve square

By David Markham

Keighley Cricket Club have benefited under the ECB upgrade scheme.

The square at their Lawkholme Lane ground has been re-laid at a cost of about £7,000 with the Bradford League club receiving an 80 per cent grant towards the cost of the work. Their application was looked upon favourably because their ground is in an Urban Priority Area of Keighley.

The ECB pitches inspector for Yorkshire Jonathan Smith, who supervised the work, said: "Keighley applied for the pitch upgrade and initially their application was considered by the Yorkshire Cricket Board Development Committee.

It was looked upon favourably by them and it was then sent to the ECB. They approved it and Premier Pitches were the main contractors for the work.

We used a new Dutch machine, Koro Topmaker to remove the saddled wicket ends and the fibrous surface. The top was scraped off the wicket and wicket ends to leave the square flat.

We scarified the square with a Graden machine and the whole square was spiked. We then applied Boughton loam and top dressed the area before watering.

The purpose of the work was to remove old meadow grass and the fibrous surface and give the square a new lease of life.

We hope the wickets will perform better and good wickets are easier to maintain than bad wickets."