3rd October 2015
| Mallory Gray
This is the sort of scene not often witnessed by the "Flannelled Fools" as they store away their cricket gear and move on to their winter activities. This picture, and the ones below, were taken at The Geufron, home of Aberystwyth Cricket Club on October 2nd. Once the last ball has been sent down, the real work continues for the groundsmen and the team of stalwarts who undertake square renovation on behalf of Welsh cricket clubs.
The North Wales Groundmen's Association, operated by Cricket Wales Board member Richard Penney of Hawarden Park CC and his intrepid colleagues from other North Wales clubs tour the northern part of Wales undertaking the necessary work to ensure that next season's club matches are played on good surfaces.
The advantage of making use of a service like this is the availability of specialist equipment that individual clubs would find difficulty in funding. In four hours or so, Richard's team scarify the cricket square, removing any thatch build-up, aerate, spike, seed, spread loam and fertiliser in a well-drilled operation.
Once this work was completed on Friday morning, the team packed up and went off to Newtown Cricket Club, an hour to the east of Aberystwyth, to start the process all over again.
The Finished Product