<p>Osterley Cricket Club.</p><p>Date of visit; 3rd October 2010</p><p>Pitch Advisor attending; Tony Reely. FdSc</p><p>Reason for visit; Facilities report for Middlesex Cricket Board.</p><p>This visit was requested by Phil Knappett of the M.C.B. to assist the clubs committee in their continued quest to improve the playing surfaces of the cricket club. On meeting the clubs representatives at the ground on the day of the visit they expressed their desire to improve the surface of the square quickly, they described a surface that played reasonably well when the was some moisture in the pitch but explained when the surface was much drier the ball had a tendency to ‘go through the top’ of the surface and also to turn ‘dusty’ early on in a match.</p><p>Condition of the square(main),</p><p>The square was very damp on the day of the visit, although considering the amount of rain that had fallen in the area in the preceding days I was not surprised. There are 12 cricket pitches to the main cricket square, there were slight ‘saddles’* to the ends of the square, although at this stage they are not high enough to hinder preparation or play I would recommend keeping an eye on them in the future.</p><p>*Saddles are a term used to describe the build of the cricket pitch ends in and around the crease area, these are usually caused by years of foot hole and general crease area repairs after one match and before the same pitch is used again. This can affect the watering and playability of pitches if the saddles are allowed to become excessive.</p><p>There was visible worm activity all across the square; the activity was recorded to be covering 30% of the squares surface. The visible weed infestation was also a cause for alarm, 15% was recorded across the square, the weeds present at the time of the visit included</p><p> Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)</p><p> Daisies (Bellis perrennis)</p><p> Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)</p><p> Clover (Trifolium repens)</p><p>Also on visually assessing the square there was evidence of Red thread, which is considered a turf disease and also spores of moss were seen with in the sward, 5% was recorded for the moss found. The square was also showing obvious signs of being well used during the season with several worn crease areas that were distinctly bare in nature. There was average vegetation coverage to be seen which consisted of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perrene) and Annual meadow grass (Poa annua).</p><p>Worms are not recommended on a cricket square as the casts when rolled in will leave an uneven surface that will usually deaden ball bounce in the summer if a cricket pitches on a rolled in worm cast. Weeds will also leave an uneven surface if not eradicated during the closed season, this is primarily because of their growing nature and the fact that their wide leaves kill any grasses underneath.</p><p>1 Second Square,</p><p>On inspecting the second square that is mainly used for third/ fourth eleven games and also colts cricket matches I found a surface resembling that of the main square. As noted earlier there were worms (20%), weeds (35%), red thread (5%) and Annual meadow grass (15%). There are 6-7 pitches on this square, but the surface felt a lot softer under foot.</p><p>When I removed a soil core from this square there certainly wasn’t the same consolidation that was found with the main square, suggesting that this square wasn’t receiving the same amount of rolling as the main square, this isn’t uncommon unfortunately when clubs have two or more cricket squares to maintain. It was mentioned that this square is newer than the main square and is thought to be a ‘pop up’ square, by this I suggest that originally the area was cut scarified and dressed to play on annually, rather than being excavated and laid the proper specifications.</p><p>Assessment of the soil profile extracted,(main square)</p><p>On the extraction of a sample from the square to the depth of 200mm (8 inches) the was a depth of thatch and organic matter found in the top 19mm (¾ inch), there was also a sign of a structural break in the soil at 38mm ( 1¼ inches) and at 63mm (1½ inches). These breaks did however show signs of knitting together with new, white roots, which were visible throughout the sample and recorded down to a maximum depth of 150mm (6 inches).</p><p>I removed another soil core sample 3 days following this visit and removed it from site to allow the core time to naturally dry out, considering how damp the profile was at the time of this initial visit due to the rainfall. This core dried out and showed no evidence of anything more that has been already identified above, although there was a consolidation concern during the time of the visit, this proved to be of no concern when then the core was allowed to dry naturally. The Entire Outfield,</p><p>The outfield at the time of the visit was generally in good health, although there were some high spots that showed signs of ‘scalping’. There was also evidence of worms (15%) and weeds (30%) recorded over the entire outfield. Considering the recent rainfall the outfield was still firm and dry, although if a long warm wet winter was had the worm and weed infestation may cause the outfield to turn quite muddy and wet. </p><p>Machinery,</p><p>I had a look in the machinery shed at the ground to gain an idea of the machinery that the club had at their disposal, although the list below isn’t an extensive list I believe it quantifies the machinery that is used to carry out the bulk of the maintenance on the ground.</p><p> Benford road roller.</p><p> Pattison spiker.</p><p> Beaver outfield mower. (recently broke down)</p><p> Protea pitch mower.</p><p> John Deere ride-on rotary mower.</p><p> Various hand tools.</p><p>Loam and seed used,</p><p>2 There were some bags of Surrey loams GSTD 125 found in the shed and it is assumed that this is what the club use to annually dress their squares with; there were also ½ a bag of DLF Trifolium Promix 36 cricket grass seed in the store (100% ryegrass mix).</p><p>Recommendations</p><p>Main Square;</p><p>After discussing the operations that will remove the surface thatch found on the square it was discussed there is only really two possible ways to remove the undesired thatch level quickly. </p><p>Firstly would be too harshly scarify the surface in three or four directions with a machine such as a Sisis 600 or a Graden machine, although this would start to reduce the level of thatch it is likely to take the club three to four years to return the surface to one that is suitable to the standard of cricket surface that they would like.</p><p>The other alternative that we discussed was that of the Koro Top field maker, this type of machine is able to remove all of the thatch in one visit and will instantly return the surface to that of a good quality cricket surface, that said there needs to be a very good after care regime undertaken by the club during the following months to enable them to continue playing cricket the following season. It is important to realise that the square cannot be left for the winter and all will be playable the next year, this aftercare will be explained to the clubs officials should this route of renovation be chosen. </p><p>I have attached two quotes to cover the two options mentioned above, this company is a reputable sports turf contractor.</p><p>If neither of these projects should be undertaken this winter then the squares would still need to have the following works carried out to at least keep them at their present standard.</p><p> Eradicate weeds pests and diseases using appropriate chemicals, which can only be carried out by either a spraying contractor or a person holding a PA1 + PA6a spraying certificate.</p><p> Harsh scarification in a least three passes.</p><p> Re-seed surfaces at 35g/m2, the seed currently used is a good quality mix.</p><p> Top dress the squares using approx.7-8 bags per pitch.</p><p> Fertilise the squares using a good quality fertiliser with an analysis as recommended by your chosen supplier.</p><p>Beyond these rejuvenation tasks which would return the squares back to a good surface there needs to be a better understanding of what is required in maintaining a good quality cricket surface, to this end I believe the clubs needs to be prepared to attend organised ECB maintenance courses to realise the basic principles of Groundsmanship. </p><p>Outfield;</p><p>3 The outfields would also benefit from the same management techniques as mentioned above mentioned pests and weeds; this would leave a more presentable, pleasing outfield that would drain better.</p><p>Machinery;</p><p>The outfield showed wear but this was mainly from the scalping effect given by the clubs current outfield mower. I would strongly recommend that the club look to the possibility of repairing their current triple mower, or look to investing in a good quality ‘triple mower’ to mow the outfield.</p><p>There was also no scarifier seen in the shed, although this machine is only really needed for renovations, a machine like the Sisis auto-rotorake can also verti-cut, brush and sweep pitches to aid during in-season pitch preparation/ repair maintenance regimes.</p><p>Should you require any more information please do not hesitate to contact me.</p><p>Tony Reely FdSc</p><p>4</p>