Ian's Ground Diary

April 18th 2015

Ian has a new personalised 'by invitation only' bench to relax on. ©Nigel Stockley

Spring work at ACC has involved extensive work in the dressing rooms and shower/toilet areas. Lowering the ceilings, securing with plasterboards then  plastering, painting walls and floors has been completed.

 The work was led by Jimmy Hayhurst  with big inputs from Johnny Hayhurst and Andy Greenwood [electrics]; Ray Alden [plastering]; Phil Rose [painting] and, of course, Rod and Alven’s all round presence and daily contribution to various jobs.

Also Colin Berry’s insatiable appetite for work produced  great jobs around the ground and brought in lots of new sponsorship. .. hope he doesn’t suffer from burn-out!
P.S.  Colin, you are a volunteer and can enjoy relaxing a little!!

On the subject of volunteers, let me ask a question?

Who are the most important members of a cricket club? ...The players? ....The members?... The committee? ... The supporters?..... The groundstaff? ....The tea ladies or the bar staff ?

I would suggest all are as important as each other. However volunteer workers take the biscuit for me.

As regards the  ground Malc the mechanic is now on board at ACC looking after our old machinery and also using his mower and strimmer  to maintain the perimeter grass areas.

What a great addition having a mechanic on board, as is Alan Grime, a talented engineer.

The pre-season “Nat West Day” in early April, where the players, supporters and members etc.  Were invited tp “spring-clean”  the ground was a bit of a wash out due to the  heavy rain on that day.

A skip was hired and filled. Unfortunately none of the holes in the road were filled, although materials were purchased for the job. Lancs County Council are re surfacing parts of Ribblesdale Ave.

I wonder if they would lose some of the surplus material on our holes?

As regards playing surface of the outfield, football has done little damage over winter on the Higham and  Huncoat sides of the ground.

I have fertilised and re-seeded both pitches. The square has been mown several times, fertilised, scarified, hand weeded, re-measured and re-marked, and received over ten hours of pre season rolling,
and looks good.  The artificial surfaces have been stiff brushed, weed killed, rolled and  marked out. The nets on the two stationary frames have been put up.

The two big work-ons at ACC are the failing seating - tired cracking plastic and rusting metalwork – caused  by age and  permanent exposure to the elements.

The other is the outfield, especially at the Coppice End which is riddled with moss.  Moss is dominant at the moment. During the summer grass growth will improve and become more  prominent.

However the moss won’t go away. It needs  killing off, scarifying out, liming to correct the acidity of the soil, fertilising and over-seeding. Then an improved cultural control by scarifying and aerating  should be done to ensure that the moss does not return.

Hopefully ACC will spend some of the money from benefactors in repairing the Sisis multi-task spiker/scarifyer and brush. A new 14 HP engine is needed plus a new clutch. We have a top class  mechanic and engineer in house , therefore, with funding, getting the Sisis back in action would help reduce the moss problem on the outfield.

Prioritising jobs?  Prioritising where money is spent?   Prioritising is the key to succeeding.  However survival is another word on league cricket clubs’ minds. That means there are difficult decisions to make. Opinions will differ as to where money , if any, is spent.   

Have Lowerhouse CC got the blueprint for success?   Who Knows ?  It’s all opinions.

 
However, after everything being said,  "Let’s enjoy our cricket this summer."

 Ian McCrae

P.S.  Work is underway in repainting the outside of the pavilion again spearheaded by Rod, Ray, Alven ,Phil and Colin.