I O G FEATURE GRASSROOTS GRASSROOTS

LASHINGS WORLD XI Founded in 1984 by David Folb “as an unremarkable local club team that grew into the world’s greatest cricket club”, the Lashings World XI team has attracted a number of international cricketers and other celebrities to its ranks, including Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Aravinda De Silva, Tatenda Taibu, Chris Cairns, Gordon Greenidge, Jimmy Adams, Henry Olonga, Javagal Srinath, Courtney Walsh, Allan Donald, and Sir Viv Richards. Sachin Tendulkar, Brendan Taylor, Inzamam Ul Lashings of Haq, Wasim Akram, Rashid Latif and Ajit Agarkar are its more recent high-profile players. Currently managed by former Sussex, Surrey and England success at cricketer David Smith, the team travels the UK playing against schools and club Eversholt teams to promote the game.

Volunteer groundsman Ian Stockdale outlines how his MAIN PHOTO Eversholt’s village ground will host its sixth Lashings World XI pitch preparation consistently attracts famous cricketers event, for which volunteer groundsmen THE LANDFILL Ian Stockdale (below right) and Bevis COMMUNITIES FUND to Eversholt CC’s small but high-quality ground Rotherham will be well-prepared The Landfill Communities Fund is a tax credit scheme enabling operators of landfill sites in England, Northern t is undoubtedly a feather in any village cricket they always seek to achieve on a ground that is based “I’ve always adopted the ECB Ireland and Wales to contribute club’s cap to host a Lashings World XI game on Bedfordshire blue clay, as Ian explains: “I’ve always money to organisations (that starring a team of renowned cricketers so, adopted the ECB guidelines for preparation, guidelines for wicket preparation” are enrolled with Entrust) as the fact that next month Eversholt CC will be whether for five-, six-, seven- or ten-day preparations. Environmental Bodies (EBs). I EBs carry out projects that staging its sixth such event (in the past 12 years) says much about the quality of the club’s facilities, PREPARATION IS KEY CC, I was soon spending a number of hours has dipped deep we have also successfully comply with the objectives its players and its pitch. Based at one of the most “For the Lashings event, I usually identify which two/three days a week on the ground, gained some funding from Sport England set out in The Landfill Tax By Colin Hoskins Regulations 1996 (Regulations). Features editor picturesque grounds in the country and bounded track we’ll be using during the winter planning,” he quickly increasing to five/six days a week.” (for a Groundsman 345HD aerator) and on one side by the Woburn Estate in Bedfordshire, continues, “and 14 days before, preparations begin the Landfill Communities Fund/Biffa (for The government introduced the Eversholt CC square accommodates 16 ‘tracks’. with a cut down to 8/9mm, then pedestrian scarify, DYNAMIC DUO a new roller). We are also currently hoping tax on landfill waste in 1996 These are used by the club’s two teams that water, roll and brush. I usually scarify again, until I While his job as a lecturer in engineering at to secure Sport England funding for a new to reduce the amount of compete in the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket am happy with the density – tending to leave a little Bedford College has made it easier to devote Dennis G860 mower with cassettes.” land-filled waste and promote League, its two teams in the Bedfordshire County more grass on than I used to, to use the sward as a time to the Eversholt pitch, nowadays with Ian is hoping that funding will eventually more sustainable methods Cricket League and a thriving Academy at all junior ‘lubricant’ between ball and surface – before taking it two young children, 46-year-old Ian is more also be secured in order to tackle the of waste management. The age levels from the ages of six through to 16. down to 5mm three days before the game.” conscious of the hours he spends at the drainage issues encountered on one side of LCF allows Landfill Operators In addition, the pitch will again this year host the It is a process, he says, that he has employed ground. “But Bevis is a great number two. He the pitch. “The ground is sited on what used (LOs) to contribute a portion Lashings World XI team and the game – for the first ever since he joined the club six years ago, initially concentrates on the junior , allowing to be land occupying Linden House owned by of their landfill tax liability to time for Eversholt a T20 rather than a 35-overs event (and still today) as a player but also as a volunteer me to focus on the senior pitches and the Duke of Bedfordshire, and the drainage community and environmental and as usual a fundraiser for the club and a nominated on pitch maintenance, a role he took up as soon as technical issues like chemical applications.” issues we have are in an area that was once organisations to ‘offset’ some of charity – is scheduled to feature prominent players the club members and committee discovered his Time may be one issue, but Ian given over to fish ponds. If we can get that the negative impacts of living such as Tino Best, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, groundsmanship ‘heritage’, which started to take also emphasises that having suitable sorted, it will mean a big improvement to in the vicinity of a landfill site. Tim Paine, and . shape when, as a schoolboy, Ian was selected to play equipment is also important. He says: that part of the ground.” There are two ways of The thought of hosting some of the world’s most for Derbyshire U15/18s and Academy at county level. “When I arrived at Eversholt, we only had receiving funding through revered cricketers does not, however, faze volunteer “Since then, I’ve always taken an interest in pitch an Allett C20 with 10-blade cutter and a LCF – from an EB or a landfill groundsmen Ian Stockdale and Bevis Rotherham, preparation,” Ian says, “but my involvement in pitch grooming comb to cut the squares, and a i Visit www.ecb.co.uk for details of the operator. Find details of both at Ian’s number two. They will continue to prepare the care became more focused when I was playing at heavy roller. I made it clear that we needed England and Wales Cricket Board cricket www.entrust.org.uk first-class wickets to the highest standards that Flitwick Cricket Club. And when I moved to Eversholt additional equipment, and while the club pitch maintenance guidelines

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