CRICKET
T E C H N I C A L U P D AT E
WET WICKETS
After deluges of rain earlier this year, which saw cricket grounds disappear under water, how do you make up for lost time on squares that may be weeks behind where they should be? These cut-out-and-keep guidelines will help…
W By Alex Vickers Independent consultant
eeks lost through wet weather cannot be made up for in a few hot, sunny days. The outfields still need to dry and be cut properly. The square needs to be cut, rolled and sprayed, and all the moss that grew in the wet, cold period needs to be removed. The risk is that we try to do all these things at once, attempting to make up for lost time in a frenzy of activity. Please don’t do this – at best you will be wasting fuel and time; at worst you may damage the square. So, how can we catch up and are there any shortcuts? There are a few things that can be done to save time and bring on a square without doing damage. While pitches may be ‘slow and low’
for the first few games, the good news is that they do quickly improve. Start with rolling. Despite the publication of the Cranfield rolling research*, I remain convinced that many grounds staff continue to roll their squares too much. Here’s where you can save some time. Consider the following: If the square has been mowed with a decent cylinder mower, the rolling process will
“You can save time by just rolling in the direction of play”
*P Shipton and I James (2009). Guidelines for Rolling in Cricket. ECB and Cranfield University. www.cag.org.uk/docs/guidelines_for_rolling_in_cricket.pdf
30 THE GROUNDSMAN June 2018