Heaton Mersey Cricket Club

End of Season work - September 2009

Written by Nick James

Saturday, 24 October 2009

Well another rainy summer comes to an end; as soon as we stop playing cricket we get 2/3 weeks of dry weather when all I need is some decent showers to germinate the seed.

Pictures of work undertaken on the square

Once again then we have had some very fat pigeons eating some very expensive bird seed; but finally the rain came & the grass really started to recover and we had some decent germination. I did have to use germination sheets for about 3 weeks to help the more worn areas to germinate.

There are still some thin areas but these can be addressed in the spring.

The regime for the winter will include regular mowing, brushing & aeration. Weather permitting I will be able to spike about once a month starting in November. This allows air into the soil to encourage root growth & improve drainage. A light application of fertiliser about twice over the winter will help the grass plant to keep healthy. Minor fungal infestations always occur in these mild damp conditions but a few hard frosts & plenty of TLC usually takes care of them. Rye grass swards such as cricket squares are very susceptible to this in the autumn.

The entire outfield has recently been vertidrained with a double dose on the new area where the water still holds a little; I hope this will improve matters even more for next season.

I have had some comments about the slowness of the pitches this season. There are number of reasons for this. Firstly if you were about 100 years old & had been treated harshly all your life then you too would be low & slow!! Secondly few periods of dry weather (by that I mean at least 2 weeks without rain) makes obtaining dry pitches to a depth of more than about 10mm very difficult. A dry crust forms but the remainder of the profile is pretty moist so lack of pace & bounce is inevitable. Thirdly the make up of the profile means that it is unlikely you will get a hard fast pitch. Indeed they are as rare as hen’s teeth anywhere not least in Manchester!!

To those of you who keep hitting the ball in the air I suggest you examine your technique rather than blame the pitch too often!!

Nevertheless we can only work with what we have & have to make the best of it.
The only real solution is to re-build the square to 40-50mm of new loam which could be done in 2 stages but would cost the best part of £40k so even with a 75% grant it may be a way off in the future.

But that may be another long term project for your hard working committee!!

The nets appear to be functioning properly now but do need a little player input with regard to regular rolling etc.

My thanks to David Berry & the exec for their continued financial support & to Nicola & all the committee for their organisation & commitment to the cause.

As always the playing surfaces are for you all to use and I will do my best to ensure you get maximum benefit from the facilities.

I hope you all winter well & return refreshed for new cricket challenges in 2010

Nick James
October 2009

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James Emmerson said:

...
Nick I have to say that the pitches at Mersey are an absolute credit to you. All this hard work when no-one is watching, and likely not caring, is so important and speaks of the gratitude you are owed by all those who play on the square.

I saw a fair few games last season at many different grounds and I did not see one single strip that was superior to Mersey. And I saw a considerable number that were markedly inferior!
If I was in a mood for controversiality I would name names!