Each year Barry gets just three weeks to turn a winter First XV pitch into a summer one for the First XI. It is an intense period of work. In the five previous years he has been at the school; his routine for transferring from rugby to cricket outfield has been re-seed, top dress, spray with iron, and apply lots of fertiliser. It works to a certain extent, but it is immensely time consuming for a solo professional.

The pitch is a showpiece for the independent co-educational school dating back to the 15th century, being directly adjacent to its main building. It is very much a focal point.

On the advice of the head groundsman at Durham University, where Barry had previously worked, he called in Sherriff Amenity's Mark Robertson to conduct soil testing and check nutrient levels to see what course of action would take the pitch to a higher level of excellence. Evolution5 25.5.8 fine granule spring fertiliser is specifically for early growing season application to fine turf mown above 6mm, and therefore ideal for cricket outfields, especially where sward thickening following winter sports use is required. Urea coating ensures four-to- five month effectiveness, nitrogen gives strong, dense growth, and magnesium means a pleasing season-long grass colour.


Durham's pitch after treatment

"Getting the pitch checked like this and then doing a single application of Evolution5 worked out less expensive than the routines I'd been following," said Barry. "More importantly, it took up a lot less of my time and the outfield sward is so much better than I'd previously been able to achieve."