Pitchcare steps in to help flood-stricken cricket club

You may recall seeing some incredible photos of Oughtibridge Cricket Club on the 'Floods' posting on the message board earlier this month. If not, here's the link: http://www.pitchcare.com/message/message/13447

The images of the demolished machinery shed, a gaping hole in the car park and tonnes of rubble strewn across the grounds were posted by Andy Matthews, a groundsman who used to work there and friend of current groundsman Roger Fairhurst.

Pitchcare's staff made contact with the club within days of the images being posted and have been working with them, the ECB and generous companies within our industry over the last four weeks to help out. We're delighted to announce that with the assistance of Alan Kettleborough, the ECB's pitches advisor for South Yorkshire and a number of contractors and suppliers, Pitchcare has organised the renovation of all the pitches at the club in an attempt to get them back in tip-top condition for next season. All this work will be carried out at no cost to them and will be featured in a number of special articles for the Pitchcare Magazine.

Pitchcare's managing director Dave Saltman visited Oughtibridge recently to meet the club's groundsman Roger Fairhurst and Chairman Chris Lingard and to see the damage for himself: "We have all been watching the havoc caused by the recent flooding on the television, this was brought home to me when I went to meet the lads at Oughtibridge cricket club. To get to the ground I drove through a deserted cul-de-sac where homes had been abandoned and the householders' worldly possessions were ruined and piled into skips outside. The road that led to the cricket club had been washed away and was impassable by car. The devastating flood water and the trees and debris that it carries had laid bare areas and left huge amounts of stone, grit and silt everywhere. The community there has galvanised to clear up the mess and it's fantastically warming to know that with a few phone calls, so many of our industry people are willing to donate their time, equipment and products to help."