Marshalling his troops - Pitchcare

“When the £60,000 installation cost and
maintenance overheads are accounted for,
grass works out no more expensive to run, so I
don’t really see the logic in doing it”
greater winter use. Yet, when the £60,000
installation cost and maintenance
overheads are accounted for, grass works
out no more expensive to run, so I don’t
really see the logic in doing it,” he adds.
“The life of a tarmacadam or artificial
grass court is usually around ten years,
depending on use and maintenance,
something which people often overlook
when replacing grass with other surfaces.
In many instances, it might be better to
stay put and make the most of what is
fast becoming a rarity across multi-use
sports sites.”
Preparing the bowls green is another
aspect of his job that has thrown up its
fair share of challenges for Vic. He had
never had experience of tending a
surface renowned for being hugely
labour intensive so, for him, the
challenge has been in balancing how he
allocates his time.
“The sand construction of crown bowls
greens was something I’d never dealt
with before, so it’s been the most
technically challenging side of the job for
me. I’ve been lucky to have contact with
As supplied
to Uxbridge CC
The total-play non-turf pitch system is
an ECB approved design, as used by
Harrow School and ex-England cricketer
Darren Gough. Its unique and modern
design offers cricket players a balanced
game between bat and ball and is
designed to encourage and improve
player performance at all levels.
Mark Hammond, a man very
experienced in preparing these surfaces,
who I contacted through the Pitchcare
website. Although he is based in
Lincolnshire, I speak with him almost
daily by email and he’s helped me
tremendously. It proves to me the value
of sharing ideas within our industry.”
As a result of their brainstorming
sessions, Vic has greatly reduced the
volume of rolling on the bowls green,
which is showing signs of success. “Since
I’ve become more aware of the crown
green reforms, it’s really changed my
thinking on the value of rolling - we
restrict heavy rolling far more now.”
Whilst mostly working alone, Vic has,
over the years, established valuable
contacts, who have helped him improve
his skills and also balance his busy
summer workload. Stuart Kerrison, Head
Groundsman at Essex CCC in
Chelmsford, who chaired the
groundsmen’s meeting earlier this year,
has been an important sounding board
for Vic.
But, two assistants in particular have
made a huge impact, he notes. The first
is twenty-two year-old New Zealander,
Simon Hardy, who Vic praises
unstintingly as “the most knowledgeable
groundsman I’ve ever come across,”
adding, “his first visit to the UK, in 2008
- he was only here for a year - was an
invaluable source of help and
information to me, and was keen to get
involved in first-class pitches. We keep in
regular contact now and share ideas.”
Over the longer term, Vic’s biggest
influence has been Ramesh Patel, who he
met by chance in 1986 while attending a
cricket training course at Lilleshall
Abbey.
Despite spending a week together, the
two didn’t remember one another until
years later. The 55-year old Patel is now
in his second season at the club and he
and Vic have struck up a great
partnership. “Without those
two, I would not be here
right now,” says Vic.
“They’ve been a tower of
strength in the face of many
problems we’ve faced.”
The 'total-play' system offers a low
maintenance, high performance solution
suitable for match and practice pitches.
A range of one to six-bay systems is available
as standard, while we can also develop a
bespoke or refurbishment solution to meet
your specific requirements.
total-play Ltd has become
the first non-turf pitch
supplier to be awarded
the status of England &
Wales Cricket Board
(ECB) Non-Turf Pitch
(NTP) Code of Practice.
As an ECB approved pitch
design, total-play systems
are applicable for ECB
and Lord’s Taverner’s
funding.
Telephone: 01604 750 555 l Email: info@total-play.co.uk l Website: www.total-play.co.uk
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