Chch. Club Will Practise On Artificial Strip

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30845, 2 September 1965, Page 17

Chch. Club Will Practise On Artificial Strip

The East Christ-church-Shirley Cricket Club will this season become the first club in Christchurch to use artificial practice strips.

Concerned with the practice conditions it has had, the club during the winter looked for something better and came across an idea in J. R. Reid’s book, “Sword of Willow.” This provided for the bowling creases to be changed every night if the need arose. The East-Shirley club’s pitch, which is already in its initial stages, will have a 4in. concrete base. There will

then be a one-sixteenth of an inch Latez priming, and the actual playing surface is a rubberised substance commercially known as Fleximer. This will be a quarter of an inch deep and may be painted any colour—in this case, it will be painted green. The practice strip is in two parts—catering for two nets—is 33ft long and ranging in width from 6ft (at the batsman’s end) to 14ft.

Although East-Shirley will be the first club in Christchurch to use such an artificial pitch, similar or identical strips have been used in the North Island, and the Malvern sub-association last season used two Fleximer surfaces for match pitches and found them very satisfactory. Fleximer produces a fast true pitch, with an even bounce, and is receptive to true spin: in effect, it has almost all the qualities of a first-class grass pitch. Because of the trapezial shape of the pitches, the bowling creases can be changed regularly without creating a different angle of flight. This has obvious advantages in that no one place will be heavily worn by bowlers’ footmarks.

The pitches will be situated

at Burwood Park, on the New Brighton road side of the club's new pavilion, and will receive their first extensive use at the club's opening day, when the pavilion will be officially opened.