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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 10, 2023 9:45:57 GMT
Pitch inspection at 11am.
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Admin
Administrator 
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Post by Admin on Apr 10, 2023 9:48:39 GMT
See here
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Post by borobob on Apr 10, 2023 9:53:06 GMT
Precautionary, surely? Three dry days before, and some overnight rain, but nothing torrential!! Fingers crossed!!
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Admin
Administrator
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Post by Admin on Apr 10, 2023 10:26:04 GMT
GAME OFF
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Post by borobob on Apr 10, 2023 10:28:48 GMT
As Mr Blackadder would say 'CLUCKING BELL' !!!
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Post by rob1966 on Apr 10, 2023 11:11:53 GMT
It'll be great to get an artificial pitch, may put and end to all these games being cancelled and save valuable resource trying to get the pitch ready.
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Post by Tom Bowen on Apr 10, 2023 11:14:46 GMT
Well I can see why the game is off.
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Post by borobob on Apr 10, 2023 11:35:30 GMT
Well, that answers a few questions!! Where the hell did all that come from after three pretty good, and dry, days??
Must have hammered down last night!
Drainage to be sorted in the summer? or is it time for the dreaded plastic pitch??
Needs a huge whip round to pay for that!!
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Post by rob1966 on Apr 10, 2023 12:36:42 GMT
I would imagine the drainage would cost a fair bit as well Bob. The volunteer ground staff are doing a great job with the pitch but to move this club on we need to be playing games.
Personally whether I like artificial or not we have always suffered with games being cancelled and it may be the only option.
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Post by borobob on Apr 10, 2023 13:32:46 GMT
I'm not decrying the fantastic work our ground staff do week in week out, I just feel that investing in decent drainage would be a fraction of the cost of an artificial pitch. There's for and against in both arguments.
It would seem that the biggest area concerns currently is the front edge of the pitch by the home stand.
The footings for the new stand extension were huge, and quite deep if I recall, as one of the team that helped to hand dig them!!, and fill them with premix from lorries!, so maybe that has had some influence on the water egress from the pitch?
For a possible answer could I suggest a suitable drainage ditch could be dug along the barrier for instance, from players tunnel to the corner flag area, I then wonder if herring bone pipes could be placed outwards at 45 degrees from appointed links, to run in to the drainage trench, which could then run in to the surface drains that already exist.
I'm no drainage engineer, but it seems possible to my mind?
I seem to recall one such drain in the players tunnel area and one somewhere around the tea bar terrace.
Hope they haven't been concreted over through the years?
John Cracknell was one of the project leaders of the stand construction around then so maybe a chat with him might answer a few questions!
Those were the days when the whole project was run, and financed to a great extent, by volunteer labour from the supporters, who did the heavy work apart from the steel gantry work, which were assembled by professionals of course.
Who can remember the lifting of the reinforced concrete beams for the seats on to the steelwork?
Eight men for each beam, four each side, with strong ropes over shoulders. God they were heavy!!
Lift and carry to the steelwork, and place in position.
Three beams to each run of seats, per side, and then fill in between the gaps with concrete when finalised.
Next time you go in that stand look under your feet and count them. I think it was over fifty of these three meter long beams!!
I gave Garbo some pictures of it a while back. They would make an interesting framed picture.
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Admin
Administrator
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Post by Admin on Apr 10, 2023 20:29:32 GMT
During the Hollis era, Pete, the groundsman, used a Squeegee mower-type thing that soaked up surface water that was then put down the drains. He was very successful in getting the pitch into playable condition when there was heavy rain.
Perhaps the Club may want to find out about the gear he was using?
Losing prime-time day home fixtures costs the Club a lot of money - I have no idea how much the equipment he used costs these days, but surely it's worth a look?
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Post by boromike on Apr 10, 2023 20:43:34 GMT
During the Hollis era, Pete, the groundsman, used a Squeegee mower-type thing that soaked up surface water that was then put down the drains. He was very successful in getting the pitch into playable condition when there was heavy rain. Perhaps the Club may want to find out about the gear he was using? Losing prime-time day home fixtures costs the Club a lot of money - I have no idea how much the equipment he used costs these days, but surely it's worth a look? Something like this perhaps? |
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Admin
Administrator
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Post by Admin on Apr 10, 2023 21:16:50 GMT
That's the one!
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Post by borobob on Apr 10, 2023 21:19:19 GMT
I'm sure we have one!
I've seen the boys pushing it up and down, but I don't think even that would have removed the amount of water on the pitch today.
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Admin
Administrator
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Post by Admin on Apr 10, 2023 21:31:38 GMT
I saw Pete deal with a lot worse.
Just saying.
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