Rare Sight

Monday I was up at Pudsey Congs repairing some warn out pitches. I took my Groundsman spiker with the cluster tines fit and gave four pitches a good session picking 1/4" hole to about 5/16" deep to create a seed bed. I then seeded and gave them a light top dressing the ends had already been brought up level so that was a job I didn't have. They just need to be kept damp now for the next seven days or so.

I forgot my camera so no pictures I am afraid. Talking of my camera I still have not replaced the broken lens and have now dropped it -my camera that is- for a second time and have broken my distance lens, it still works to some extent. I am coming round to thinking that I will have to buy two new lenses and a new compact camera just for this blog.

Monday when I got back from Congs I raked out and cut a new pitch -yes I know its late- for the first team this weekend.

 Above are some views of the repairs I completed two weeks ago as you can see I am getting some grass cover back now and if you view from the boundary it looks green.

Tuesday I got the square and the outfield cut did some tidying up jobs and put the water on! Yes put the water on!

 A rare sight this summer.

Because the weather has been so wet and the practice net area is on the lowest part of the field there have been long periods of time when I just couldn't get on to mow or do any other work the result is that I had a Tuesday when the sun was out and no grass pitch to practice on, so I made and exception and refaced the pitch that the seconds had played on at the weekend and allowed the guys to use that. I got a couple of thanks so it was appreciated, at least in some quarters.

{Sorry all, I never know when it should be Practise or Practice.}

 Now how do we put these things up?

 Not there yet.

On a fine sunny evening they get there at last. Don't forget to sweep it when your done! Ho and mind you don't let the spikes in the bottom of the posts rip chunks out of the square, or I will be cross!

Hodgy

Back to the Grind and Rain

After my few days away in the Lakes I got back Thursday afternoon and headed off down to the ground to find that nothing changes.

I asked if some one could cut the practise area as I had been unable to do it cause of the bad weather before I went but it never happened it was as I left it but twice as long so I had to cut it with the rotary mower.

As I said nothing changes, score board and bowlers markers left out from Junior game either Sunday or Monday, as I said the last time I posted this I only wish the Juniors and managers would take possession of their club an treat it like they would their own.

Although I put the decoy hawk out it make no difference to the pigeons in Leeds.

You may recall that I did some repairs before I went away but as there were two matches to be played Sunday and Monday I didn't put the germination sheets on which meant the pigeons have had a feast while I have been away. The only seed that appears to have germinated is that that fell down the holes.

I managed to cut the square and brush and cut the outfield which smartened things up a little.

You may recall the "Seed Trials" I was doing before they got vandalised, well I started some more at home this time and below are a couple of photos.

These photos do not do the colour justice the greenest is "Accent" the next is "Top Gun" followed by "Colosseum" -which is a cold season cultivar- Accent is more compact and maybe a slightly broader leaf.

These trials were sown on the 6th July just 2 weeks before I took the photos.

Its just stopped raining so early lunch then down to ground to get some more done. Seconds at home tomorrow and or T20 side playing in play off semi on Sunday and with a bit of luck in the final.

Hodgy

Few Days Away

I have a gap in my fixture list so have sneaked off to Grasmere in the Lake District for a few days -Sunday till Thursday. I have the second team at home on Saturday for the second week in a row and they will use the same pitch they had last weekend so my work load is on the light side apart from repairs which will have to wait.

Grasmere taken on a previous visit, a beautiful part of the world.

Just a thought on Cricketing matters on Thursday the 16th of August I will be staging the IOG/ECB Foundation Cricket Groundsman's Course at Kirkstall any of you who want to attend can register direct with the IOG or via Ian Powell Cricket Development Manager details are on the YCB or IOG web site.

These are very good instructional and hands on courses and are suitable for club groundsmen and officials. Members of IOG or YCBGA  will qualify for discounts. 

Remember next seasons pitch preparation starts as soon as the season ends.

Prayers Not Yet Answered -Still Raining.

Well last post I said that I had started some pitch repair work on Monday when it rained me off, well the same happened today so I will have to go down to ground tomorrow morning and finish off marking out three pitches for the next few couple of days #nolieinbedtomorrow.

Below are a few pictures of the pitch repairs I have done this week.

The first thing I did was to cut them down to nearly playing height I then spiked them as deep as the 3/8" tines would go, seeding next with top quality dwarf perennial rye grass I specially selected to suit my requirements.

Seed  in the spreader, this way give an even distribution.

I then changed the tines to the cluster heads set then to a depth of around 1/4"-5/16" [6-8mm for you young ones]. And went over the pitches -three of them- numerous time to create pockets for the seed to fall in.

It was shortly after completing this task that I got rained off, so the seed was left on the surface. No wonder then, that this is what I came back to on Wednesday when I returned to try and complete the job.

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Bloody Pigeons! and Sea Gulls apparently the gulls are in malt and like to be in an open area so they can look out for predators.

Thank you Mr Singleton for this gem, I have always wondered why they come at this time each year and settle on the square, now I know.

The pigeons are of course there to fill the crop with my very expensive grass seed, I think Nick Gladstone from Harrell's Seeds has sent them.

Mr Foggerty has plenty of seed at Headingley birds!  please feel free to go have a look.

Thursday was a half decent day so I put a little more seed down bushed it in put a light top dressing on and did some levelling of the ends, well as much as the 10 bags of loam allowed.

I also brushed the whole square and cut it along with the outfield these are the only photos I took.

Thursday night I went along to watch our guys play in the T20 game at the Old Yorkshire Post ground against Headingley and we suffered or first defeat of the competition but we have qualified for the semi finals  I think finishing second in the league section.

  Friday I delivered a "Magic Sponge" to Ben Rhydding C. C. and went to have a look at a used Pickup Truck I am thinking of buying.

I also delivered a brush to suit a Sisis Lawnman that I had made for them, if any of you out their need one Sisis have stopped making them but I can supply them.

Brush attachment to suit Sisis Lawnman.

Hodgy

No More Rain Please

Well a week since my last entry this is not how I thought the blog would be but nor is the "Summer".

Last week I was busy building "Magic Sponge's" and fabricating the spare foams ["Magic Sponge"the water mopping machines I designed and started manufacturing about13 or 14 years ago]

Here is the one I built for Sheriff Hutton Bridge C C they now have two machines so must be please that they do the job, they are the least expensive machine of its type on the market and as I don't advertise them any more I an constantly surprised by the number I keep selling -maybe I shouldn't be this summer.

This was the ground Wednesday morning after the Juniors had played on Tuesday night score board and bowlers markers left out,  I just wish they would take possession of their club and look after it as though it was their own.

The rest of the week is just pictures of lakes on the field although we did get a T20 match started on Thursday night only for it to be rained off after about 10 overs.

Friday saw the ground under water but I had sheeted so there was an option of two possibly three pitches to play on on Saturday. I was away at a family wedding so could not help however the lads re mowed and marked to get a game on.
I am sure you have see lots of photos like this on Facebook and Twitter this season where you can follow me on Twitter @hodgyleeds

Yesterday Tuesday I went with Anne my wife, daughter Louise  and grand daughter Annabelle to the

"Great Yorkshire Show" it was wet under foot but not too bad and when it poured down for a good half hour we were just about to pass the "Black Sheep" tent so every thing worked out well for a change and I was able to sample some of their fine ales [well not as good as Wensleydale of course] but much better to get wet in side than out.

Next post which should be soon will show some pitch renovation that I started on Monday this week but this happened before I could finish.

Hodgy

Low in Spirit

Here we are half way through the season and I feel its not got going yet. Last Saturday I managed to get everything at least looking good by dodging heavy showers and sheeting my pitch from Tuesday till Saturday only to have torrential rain during the match which after being on and off eventually stopped play for the day.

Photos taken on Friday during preparation for the first team game on Saturday and the junior game on Friday night. The pitch isn't that white its the sheet, although the sun is out there were big black clouds on the way and as I mostly work on my own I didn't want to get caught out at this late stage as I had kept the pitch dry sheeting since Tuesday. I also stayed at the ground till 9-00pm after the juniors had finished to make sure the sheet was on properly.

At around 4-00pm Friday before the juniors arrived  I had a break and walked round the ground taking the above photos.

[I still have the dirt on the camera lens or mirror and cant get ride of it despite taking the the lens off and giving it a good clean]

I cut the outfield in checkers which of course means double cutting cause you have to go at right angles using the Mastiff and when the sun was out the presentation looked worth the effort.

Saturday Morning and I got to work at about 7-30 taking the sheet off, giving the pitch its final cut, roll and marking out. I then mowed part of the outfield again concentrating on the parts that the juniors had scuffed up the night before -just to give it that un-played on look, I also cut the square again. 

Things where looking fine the match started, I always watch for ball bounce deviation etc and was disappointed that the bounce was lower that normal and indeed what I expected. I then of course try to work out what went wrong, well as I had had the pitch covered since Tuesday only taking it off for maybe 14 to 16 hours during that time there was still moisture in it and it felt cold to the touch, cricket pitches need sun on them and this one had defiantly been short of that for the whole week.

The whole summer so far has been very disappointing and is not set to improve in a hurry.

Hodgy

PS This has been a very quick post as I am very busy building "Magic Sponges" water removal machines that I designed and market sorry for any errors I have not read it through.