Sunday 26th July

Although it has been a while since I last published a 'blog' but this does not mean that things have been quiet at the Rec. 

The second team had a game last Saturday winning by 3 runs in a game that saw 400 runs scored on pitch 2. As the game went on the pitch became slower and lower which was a reflection that the pitch had become too dry. So on Tuesday the pitch was watered for several hours to give it a good soaking. John was able to give it a good roll and by yesterday the pitch was hard again but not too dry.

We use a sprinkler which only covers half of the pitch so every hour it needs to be moved to the other half of the pitch. This is a real bind if I am not working at the Rec, so I have ordered a sprinkler hose which should just about cover the length of the pitch.

The first team had a good game yesterday with almost 300 runs being hit. The pitch played well justifying the decision to water it. It should have been a relatively straight-forward win, but once again we very nearly managed to conjure up a loss. Thanks to some level-headed batting at the end the team won by 3 wickets. There was a short interval for rain which meant that both covers came on for a while.

I noticed last week that some worm casts were starting to appear so it was time to spray the square with a chemical to discourage the worms from appearing. This was done last Tuesday whilst watering pitch 2. Hopefully it will be well washed in later today.

For years I have been using a wheel barrow with a cracked plastic wheel and a patched-up body, so it was time for a new one. After much searching and some issues with my order getting lost, the new barrow arrived on Wednesday. 

With the weather forecast predicting rain by lunch, it was an early start this morning.

First job was to sweep the pitch after yesterday's game. It was encouraging to see that the repairs that I had done during the week had held up well. If I get the mix right and it dries properly, it really does set hard as the picture shows.

Then it was time to get some fertilizer on the square so that it will be washed in this afternoon.

The first team will play on pitch 4 next week so the next job this morning was to start preparing it. After cutting the grass down as low as I could it was time to do the really hard work of using the SISIS Combirake. This really does lift the matted grass up, but it takes a lot of effort. 

After raking and cutting 3 times along the length of the pitch and raking once across the pitch, it is now ready for rolling. To get it to this stage took almost 2 hours. There is more work to do on it during the week, in addition to rolling, but thankfully the hardest and most important part has been done. The weather forecast for the next two days it not good so it was important that this work was done this morning.

The new barrow was full of the grass that I had removed, most of it after the raking. It was nice to have to make only one trip to the area where we scatter the grass.

We have come across a company who will apply for grants on your behalf on a 'no grant, no fee' basis. I have spent a couple of hours filling in their initial form which they will use to assess whether we are likely to be successful with a grant application. If they think we are they will do the rest and charge us 10% of any grant they get for us. We have 2 projects in mind: mobile covers and an extension to the scorebox. We keep our fingers crossed that they will progress this for us.  

Tuesday 14th July

One happy Roy!

Saturday's heavy defeat to the top team in the division who were playing in division 2 last year whilst we were in division 4, has caused much discussion on the WhatsApp community. 

Much has been said about the practice facilities and the need for something better. As a club we mustn't forget where we have come from with our facilities in such a short time whilst still looking to the future. A few years ago we did not have a practice strip. This was created by extending the square into the outfield, digging out the turf as best we could and then replacing the soil with loam. Like the square it will never be as good as a pitch that has been properly laid, but it is better than nothing if members understand its limitations.

Who would have imagined when Copmanthorpe was is division 3 of the Vale League that one day we would be playing in division 3 (north) of the York Senior League and that 300-400 runs were regularly being scored on our pitches each week? In those days 50 was a good score at Copmanthorpe and the ball rarely got above knee height. Today fast bowlers get real bounce if they try hard enough and few balls skid along the ground.

Those of us who work on the ground are putting in an increasing number of hours each week to try and improve what we already have. Slowly we are managing to buy more and better equipment. We no longer have to buy equipment that is many years old. 

We hope that when Rec Centre 2 is built we will have proper practice facilities costing £20,000 for two nets, but that is a few years away as the money will come from the '106' money when 300 new houses are built in Copmanthorpe.

Until then we must make do with what we have or hire facilities elsewhere. If our practice strip is no longer needed it will make my life easier.

Monday 13th July - part 2

The new mower arrived at 2pm. It was too wet to give the grass a cut but we had an hour's instruction on how to use it.

Monday 13th July

Friday saw the usual preparations for the game on Saturday.

All of our efforts to keep the water off during the week paid dividends and by Saturday afternoon the pitch was quite hard and looking good.

The pitch played well with the occasional one keeping low. Sadly the first team came up against a strong opposition who rattled through our batting and so the game did not go the full 90 overs. At least that means less wear on the pitch and little to repair during the week.

The new outfield mower arrives this afternoon. Look out for pictures later today!

Wednesday 8th July

Whilst the downpours have been good for the outfield which was so dry that the drainage channels were showing, the rain have played havoc with the preparation of pitch 2 which will be used on Saturday.

The cover went on Tuesday morning and by the afternoon it was covered in water.

This was the first chance to try our new petrol water pump which I had bought to help get the water off the covers (the end of the hose on the cover is being held down by the watering can!)

Joel and I spent some time trying different end attachments that I had made to cope with the small depth of water on the covers. Overall it was a great success.

In the evening a team took the cover off, rolled the pitch and put the cover back on as some rain was forecast for Wednesday.

The rain was forecast for early Wednesday afternoon and on this occasion the forecast was right. The rain was not heavy but sufficient for the covers to be in place. There was the possibility of some rain Wednesday evening, but not the heavy rain that came down around 7pm and lasted on and off for a couple of hours.

By Thursday morning the cover was covered in water.

Thankfully Joel was able to  remove the water, cover and roll the pitch in the morning. He tried a number of different hose nozzles on the pump and found the one that I first made to be the best, weighted down again by the watering can. In 20 minutes the water had been removed without the effort needed to use the BowDry.

This evening we are going to look at some wheeled covers that we have been offered at a very good price, so my next blog will give news on this and then on Monday there will be some pictures of our new bit of kit which is arriving Monday afternoon!

Wednesday 1st July

Can't wait! Not much groundwork will be done during the series.

Sunday 28th June

It is always satisfying when your labour brings its rewards.

On the allotment the first vegetables of the season are now cropping.

On the cricket field pitch number 5 has had over 1000 runs scored on it, with nearly 400 runs in the game yesterday, but it still came in for criticism from some of the opposition.

We left the covers on overnight Friday, more by luck than planning as we tried twice to take them off on Friday but had second thoughts. It was just as well as there was some heavy rain on Friday evening despite a forecast which said there would be no rain.

The cover once again did its job and the pitch was hard once the cover was removed Saturday morning. Having had three games on that pitch it is time to repair it and leave it until next season.

The pitch was badly worn through foot holes at both ends.

An hour later the ends were as good as new.

The Carnival game is planned for Thursday evening. This is going on pitch number 8. We haven't used 7 & 8 for a number of years now as they are the closest to the railway line, but each end of season we treat them as if we had, so it is time to start using both of them. 

Preparing the pitch has given me a chance to get rid of all the thatch which has built up over the years, which is another reason for playing games on them. We are hiring the ground out in August and that game will go on number 7.

Updated Monday 29th:

Managed to cut the square, and pitches 5,7 and the practice pitch this afternoon - all looking good in the sun!

Sunday 21st June

Managing a cricket square and looking after an allotment can be a challenge at times, but the allotment doesn't look too bad at this stage although I have been chasing my tail at times. The butternut squash and a few more more leeks are still to go in but the first early potatoes are about to be lifted and the early carrots are almost there.

My request for help with getting some sawdust fell on deaf ears so I ordered some off the internet. A bale of sawdust arrived swiftly which was just as well as it was needed yesterday.

After the successful trial of the water pump last week, the club is now the proud owner of a 1" petrol water pump, which should do the job a lot quicker.

The rain before and during the home game yesterday left the pitch and square in a bit of a mess, but thankfully it was all superficial.

After a brush-up and cut this afternoon it looks a lot better.

The square is also beginning to look a little tired so with some rain forecast I also put on an application of some fertilizer to boost the growth and make it look a little more green.

Umpiring yesterday was an interesting experience. I always thought that the two umpires would work as a team, quietly talking to one another out of hearing of the players, helping one another make the right decisions. Yesterday, I was shouted at by my 'colleague' whilst still at square leg, telling me in no uncertain terms that I could not allow a run as the batsman had not played a shot. I am always happy to take advice when umpiring but when it is given in an appropriate way. It was a pity that he did not take my advice when I was trying to quietly attract his attention that a delivery was above the waist!

The next 3 weeks will see my attention turn away from being a groundsman to volunteering at the York Community production of In Fog and falling Snow at the NRM.

As George Hudson sets forth on his journey to build the great East Coast rail network at any cost, the people who build it, along with investors and passengers are caught up in the reckless extravagance of his great adventure.  The cost is high for all involved.  As they place their bets on the future and the wheel of fortune rolls from the station towards the dark night, only the driver’s daughter sees the danger ahead.

Told by a cast of over 200, audiences will move through the National Railway Museum’s collections and end up in a new purpose built theatre.

This is something that will be unique and probably never repeated. It is on for 14 nights, with 500 tickets per night and they are almost sold out. Do consider coming and watching it. You will not be disappointed.

Monday 15th June

Why is it that some batsmen need to make a 'mark' that is almost as long as a broom handle?

It clearly didn't do this batsman any good as few of the opposition on Saturday made any runs.

The foot hole caused by one of our bowlers was not too bad and was soon repaired this morning.

With the rain yesterday and the soaking the ground got on Friday night, it was a good time to repair pitch 3 and the SISIS Rotorake was the bit of kit to use.

It soon put some deep slits into the surface and with a light sprinkling of grass seed and a top dressing of loam, the job was soon done.

This evening Roy has cut the outfield and I have cut the square, tidied up the pitch from Saturday and cut the practice strip ready for tomorrow.

The Cubs were playing outside, a tennis match was going on and lots of people were turning up for a blood donation session in the Sports Hall.

With the evening sun it was a lovely place to be.

Sunday 14th June

Last Friday I left John and Roy to put the covers on and spent the day at Harlow Carr learning to weave with willow.

The result was quite pleasing:

The forecast for the weekend was poor with what appeared to be little chance of play on Saturday. I went through the motions of preparing the square and pitch on Thursday thinking that there was no chance of any play.

Overnight rain on Friday left a lot of water on the cover, but the rest of the square took it well with hardly any surface water.

At 9 o'clock, with rain still in the air, John and I set about removing the water from the covers. Having had the petrol generator repaired this was the first time to properly test out the water pump. After changing the suction hose, it worked and we were able to remove much of the water without using the BowDry.

The half inch hose is a little too small to remove the water rapidly but now I know that this method of water removal works, I will buy a 1" water pump.

The rain stopped mid morning and by 1.30pm the outfield was dry and having given the pitch a quick cut and roll all was set for a game of cricket.

As the afternoon went on the weather improved with the sun coming out around 4pm.

The pitch received good comments with something in it for batsmen and bowlers if they found the right spot.

There was not much damage to the pitch  as not that many overs were bowled so there is little repair work to be done. However, pitch number 3 was finished with last weekend so tomorrow that will need repairing and 'putting to bed' for the rest of the season. Thanks to one of our players with large feet there is a big foot hole to repair! The batsmen have done a pretty good job making their 'mark' in a variety of methods so it will take a while to repair.