Marshalling his troops - Pitchcare

David Goodjohn of
Green Infrastructure
explains
“Whatever is going on
below the surface almost
always dictates what goes
on at surface level”
It’s September, and the end of
another long hard cricket season is
drawing near. The last pitch has
been prepared and rolling can
become a distant memory until next
spring. It’s been such a long demanding
year and now we are all dreading the ‘R’
word ...
What has been bugging the country all
through 2010, what single thing is
foremost in all cricket groundsmen’s
minds as they near the end of another
season of hard slog? The ‘R’ word, that’s
what ...
What are we talking about? Recession?
No, we mean Renovation!
Looking after a cricket square is a
many splendoured occupation for the
‘recreational’ groundsman. Yes, it’s okay
for the ‘big boys’ to open their sheds to
reveal a vast range of gleaming
machinery, all ready to do the many tasks
required to keep their squares in tip top
shape, but what about the after work and
spare time brigade working on a wing
and a prayer with equipment kept
together by a rubber band and various
cable ties?
There is a tried and tested menu of
essentials for end of season club cricket
renovations - scarification, overseeding,
topdressing and fertilising.
However, do these narrow parameters
address all of the issues satisfactorily?
They are many and can be classified in
the following categories:
• Poor levels
• Bare areas
• Thatch
• Compaction
• Weeds
• Worms
• Saddles/ raised ends
• Poor fertility
• Layering
Quite a daunting variety, I’m sure you’ll
agree. With financial pressure and
restraints coming from all quarters, what
are the consequences of ‘ignoring’ end of
season renovations?
As with all good campaigns, we need to
set out with an accurate ‘roadmap’ in
order to plot our path to addressing all
of the issues. So, how can we define our
starting point?
Each and every cricket square is
different, so an audit needs to be made
by every individual club and groundsman
around the country. If it is not possible
for the club in question to make a
David Goodjohn, Green Infrastructure
sufficiently detailed assessment, then
help is always at hand in the form of the
various County Boards. The County Pitch
Inspector can be commissioned to
complete a PQS (Performance Quality
Standards) test at the club and produce a
detailed report on what is necessary to
address the issues from which that
particular club suffers.
The ECB and the IOG have combined
to implement this form of testing across
the Premier Leagues in the country, and
their findings and benefits are already
being enjoyed in several counties.
However, not every club is in the
position to be able to invest in the cost of
PQS testing, so how can the grounds
manager carry out his or her own
assessment?
Let’s look at the areas we need to
assess:
Herbage
This is broken down into length of
herbage, bare areas (total area and
diameter of any individual bare area),
total ground cover, grass species, both
desirable and non-desirable, weeds
(whether large or small leaved), moss
algae and lichen.
Quite a list then, but all quantifiable by
the keen amateur, given enough time.
Pests and Diseases
Fairly self explanatory, covering diseases,
earthworms and pests. Again, achievable
for the keen amateur with a keen eye and
access to internet search engines.
Profile
If you have a core sampler, then use it to
take cores and assess how your profile is
made up. If you don’t have one, then get
one immediately - it is the most essential
part of the cricket ground manager’s
arsenal outside of his regular preparation
equipment.
We need to assess root depth, depth of
thatch (if there is any present), depth of
appropriate medium in the rootzone (i.e.
how much genuine clay loam you have),
rootzone particles/ clay content and soil
strength.
Again, the majority of these are visual.
Clearly, an assessment of clay content
and soil strength is only achievable
accurately via a laboratory test, but the
method of Motty testing can be done in
house and give you a very strong idea of
the quality, or otherwise, of your
medium.
So, now we have all of the relevant
information to hand, what is the next
step?