TurfTrax Weather System Trials in Ashes Cricket
The Brit Oval has become the first cricket ground in the world to install a state-of-the-art TurfTrax Weather System.
In an Ashes series which has been highly influenced by adverse weather conditions, the TurfTrax Weather System promises to provide The Brit Oval ground staff, television & radio commentary teams, media and fans with up-to-date and accurate data affecting the ground's playing surface and environment.
The TurfTrax Weather System will allow for better informed decisions to be made regarding the condition of The Brit Oval's wicket and outfield.
Clive Stephens, Operations and Development Director at The Brit Oval said, "The TurfTrax Weather System will provide us with the opportunity to precisely monitor the weather and playing conditions during what will be a vital Ashes Test. In essence we now have our very own, highly sophisticated meteorological device giving us climate information specific to The Brit Oval".
This exciting addition to The Brit Oval will see the TurfTrax Weather System become an essential component for effective and high quality turf management within cricket.
The TurfTrax Weather System will provide ground staff at The Brit Oval with a comprehensive log of historic and live atmospheric and ground conditions including:
· Rainfall (mm)
· Air Temperature
· Soil Moisture
· Soil Temperature
· Relative Humidity
· Wind Speed
· Gust Speed
· Wind Direction
· Solar Radiation
The TurfTrax Weather System is extremely user friendly requiring negligible knowledge of meteorology to operate the technology and interpret the resulting data. Information can be accessed either through a password protected website or handheld device. SMS messages can also be sent out to warn ground staff of any adverse or unusual weather conditions affecting The Brit Oval's playing surface.
Mike Maher, Director of TurfTrax said, "We are thrilled to be trialling one of our Weather Systems at such a prestigious international sporting venue and look forward to interpreting the data from the ground over the coming weeks. Cricket is just one of a host of sports which we believe will benefit from the technology that the TurfTrax Weather System has to offer."
To date, the TurfTrax Weather System has been used on all the UK's leading racecourses, including Newmarket, Cheltenham and Ascot. Sporting clubs and venues like Arsenal FC, Twickenham RFU and currently, Chelsea FC, have also used the TurfTrax Weather System to monitor ground and climatic conditions in and around their stadiums.
TurfTrax was formed in 2000 by a group including soil physics/sports turf lecturers to build on the expertise at Cranfield University and provide solutions to ground management services such as improved drainage design and ground scanning.