With cricket at the height of its playing season, just a reminder that is it is only eight weeks until it all ends, so it will be important to start thinking about your end of season renovations and what needs to be done.
It is generally essential to plan ahead, while at the same time assess how the square has performed and decide which issues you need to address for the following year. The scope of work required can vary depending on the condition and state of the square.
The key priority is to undertake a thorough end of season renovation of the square. This usually sees the square being mown short, brushed and cleaned up before, scarifying in several directions to remove unwanted thatch and surface debris - then fertilised, oversown and topdressed.
The amount of topdressing will be dictated by the condition and levels of the square, generally only applying as much as you need without smothering it. Therefore you will need to order your loam, seed and fertiliser in advance to ensure you have it on site. Don’t leave it too late to order your materials from your supplier as you may not get what you want.
There are lots of other tasks during the winter closedown to be carried out for the ground to be ready and at its best for the start of the new season. Machinery maintenance, sight screens, covers, boundary ropes and of course, the square and outfield all have to be looked after during the course of the winter.
Some areas that should be considered:
- Sight screens stored away ready for painting. Wheels removed, if practicable, and stored in a safe from prevailing winds.
- Covers stored in a safe place & remove all hoses, plastic sheeting and spray wheels with lubricant to stop rusting and covered with tarpaulins to protect from weather.
- Flat sheeting and covers stored in a dry place (under the covers perhaps?).
- Boundary rope stored in a dry place (score box perhaps) and where possible covered over.
- Garage or work shop cleaned and tidied for storing machinery for service and other artefacts.
- Benches / chairs, if not used stored in a dry place ready for painting in the spring.
- Score box / mobile score boards & numbers cleaned, boxed up & stored.
- Irrigation equipment systems closed down, mobile sprinkler and hoses wound & stored on trolleys, so pipes don't crack.
- Marking frame / paint pots -brushes cleaned and put away.
- Machinery: Clean and wash down all machines. Set aside those organised for collection that require servicing.
- Managing and maintenance of the square & outfield: aeration, fertilising, mowing, divoting, harrowing and drag brushing. Erecting and removal of ropes and fencing around the square.
- Investigating financial support such as grants, sponsorships or corporate hospitality.
It would be far better to try and get some of the major tasks completed before the end of October / mid-November as the weather could turn when the clocks revert back to winter time.
When it comes to machine maintenance and servicing though, it is always sensible to get a qualified mechanic to do your service and repairs for you. Too many times volunteer groundsmen start jobs and find it is either too complex or they haven't got the spare parts to fit, or the time to complete the job; so end up having to spend more money having their machines repaired by professionals all because they are trying to save themselves a few pounds.
Green Feet
In other news, just a reminder about the Green Feet campaign being organised by the Amenity Forum week commencing 20th September. It’s a real opportunity for us all to get involved to promote our wonderful industry while at the same time raising funds for good causes. It could be thought of as our very own event in the spirit of Red Nose Day and Children In Need. Please make the effort to support this new endeavour that we hope to become an annual event in the coming years.
While on the subject of the Amenity Forum their annual conference has been announced. It returns to the Pirelli Stadium, the home of Burton Albion FC, on Thursday 21st October. There are some excellent speakers and the conference theme of ‘Facing the Future’ is very apt given the times we are facing.
The conference will commence with policy updates from a senior UK government representative, the chemicals Regulation Department of HSE and from the Environment Agency. This will be followed by presentations drawn from different aspects of amenity addressing the issue of integrated approaches and how they are applying them in their day-to-day amenity management approaches. Following these will be presentations on the very important area of education and training, talking about opportunities for continuous professional development and how new advances in digital technology can help.
The penultimate section of the programme will comprise two presentations. The first will focus on managing parks safely and sustainably and the second, an expert view on assessing the full life cycle implications of different methods of amenity management, including taking into account effectiveness, economics and carbon foot printing. The conference will conclude with a presentation by the head groundsman at Lord’s Cricket Ground providing his take on the challenges ahead.
The programme of events can be read here.