As an ex-professional and an enthusiast for all things cricket, Paul Hatton has been involved in groundsmanship since he played for Farnworth Cricket Club in the ‘60s, when he was encouraged to ‘give grounds care a go’. Today, 40 years on, he’s a full-time groundsman and an ECB Pitch Advisor.Siobhan Harper reports.
As head groundsman at Haydock CC and Leigh CC, Paul Hatton has got the clubs’ pitch maintenance schedule off to a fine art: Haydock CC is a purpose-built sports facility, built in 1996, and includes a bowling green, cricket pitches and rounders pitch; Leigh CC includes 6 floodlit synthetic tennis courts, a bowling green and an 18 cricket pitch square.
“Prior to me joining Haydock CC, the juniors had always played on a synthetic pitch at the end of the square,” recalls Paul“I was staggered - they had never played on grass - so we started to prepare pitches for them and we’ve now got a healthy junior section.
“Nowadays I split my time equally between the clubs at Leigh and Haydock, which includes some weekends. However, I don’t attend match days as I am also an umpire.Umpiring enables me to keep involved in the playing side of the game - it’s a poor substitute for playing, and I miss the banter of the changing rooms, but there comes a time when you’re past your sell by date, so I bowed out gracefully.”
The first major job undertaken at Leigh was to Koro off the square which Total Turf Solutions undertook four years ago. “We suffer from a little settlement here, probably because it is an old mining ground.When we Koro’d the surface it was like a billiard table but at one end, by the junior pitches, it’s just starting to dip again.I’ll build it up gradually during my renovations.It’s not a major problem but if we have a deluge of rain then that is where it will sit.I tend to mark the depressions when it has been raining otherwise they can be difficult to see.”
Paul also upgraded a lot of the machinery at the club and is looking forward to a new electronic scoreboard in the next few weeks as well as new nets.The machinery purchases, including a Paladin and a Sisis Triple, have been helped by grants from the ECB and funds from part-exchanging old machinery.The pavillion, built 10 years ago, houses showers and changing rooms, toilets and a kitchen as well as a function room which can be used for meetings and social events to generate income for the club.
An average day for Paul is to get to the grounds and see what he’s dealing with, which depends on the weather. “I’ve started leaving a bit more grass on the pitches now.I don’t measure the height of cut, but I know by instinct where I am with the height.I also verti-cut with a tungsten tip verti-cut reel, just to flick the grasses, usually once every two weeks on the square.I know not everyone believes in it but I think if you’re experienced and know what you’re doing then there are real benefits to be had from it.
“As a result, by the time I come to my autumn renovations there is very little thatch left, it also reduces disease, keeps the top fresh and stands the grasses up before cutting.I’m a real fan but I wouldn’t recommend that someone less experienced does it as you could easily end up with grooves in the loam and that would be a nightmare.
“I cut the square three times a week with my Triple, which also collects the cuttings, so from a time perspective it is ideal.The downside is that we miss out on a steel roller which compacts the surface nicely pre-season.”
Paul explains that the cycle of preparing pitches is endless.At Leigh there are two U9 teams, two U11s, U13s, U15s, U17s, four senior teams and there’s talk of starting a ladies team.They also host 20:20 matches, district and Lancs County matches, so play is relentless- which makes recovery difficult. “If some of the ends are bare, then they’re bare! But as long as they are flat, that’s the main thing.I repair my ends religiously after matches.I know some people leave them ‘til the end of the season but I reckon that’s a big no-no.”
Haydock has less teams and less fixtures, so the pitches experience less damage:“The square also holds the moisture a little, so repairs are easier.Budgets are tight to the point where we may need to miss dressing the square this year, but we’ll wait until the end of the season to see. Missing one season in five shouldn’t spoil it.”
Paul also maintains the bowling green at Haydock but it’s not as he’d like it.“Again, budgets are tight, but that’s not really an excuse for its condition.It’s a new build and it’s not in an ideal position because it’s shaded by surrounding buildings.It’s starved of sunlight and good air flow so it suffers from the same affects as a stadia football pitch.It’s looked after though - I put on a couple of feeds, cut three times a week and verti-cut to thin any poor grasses.It’s never been renovated until this autumn, but it’s good enough to play on.”
As an ECB Pitch Advisor, he assesses grounds and machinery, advises on grant funding schemes and has been also been involved in the ECB’s fine turf project.Looking ahead, the focus will be on facilities and pavilions, ensuring clubs are accessible and providing appropriate facilities for youth and disabled. “Much of the ECB role is completed in the autumn when our workload is less demanding.”
