Artificial Wickets

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Slass

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Artificial Wickets

What are peoples thoughts on artificial wickets?

I play at quite a traditional and picturesque ground with a grass square of around 10 strips. As the club is beggining to become bigger and better, and increasing number of juniors there is the possibilty of adding a plastic wicket on the end of the square.

I am rather split on this. I can see positives from both sides. It alows a lot more games to be played, especially junior games, and will give a better surface for youngsters to play on. However I don't like the idea of it spoiling what is a lovely looking ground. Also some artificials don't play aswell and you just never know untill its been put in.

Be interesting to hear your toughts.

(PS am I just being a bit of a cricket pitch snob!)
 
Re: Artificial Wickets

My club doesn’t have one, I’ve played a few junior games on them and I find them to bouncy and far from the really thing, it also as you said ruins the pitch.
Another disadvantage is that someone also may have to field on the artificial wicket which becomes a hassle if you’re not allowed spikes on the wicket. On rainy days it is the most annoying as you’re not meant to use spikes on them, so it becomes dangerous as you end up sliding around, although they can be useful, Personally I don’t like them myself as it ruins the ground.
 
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There are pros and there are cons, just like with turf wickets.

I'm not a great fan of them, mostly because a lot of clubs get very precious over them and instigate the no spike rule, even to the point of excluding rubbers. They can also make it difficult in the field, not least as it gives a different surface for the ball to jump up from.

Then there is the problem in that it can give exaggerated bounce, which may be totally different to what the actual 'turf' conditions are.

On the other hand, they are useful for practice as they save a strip being used up, normally mean that games can go ahead when conditions are not as ideal as liked. If your club has a large youth section, they can also be handy for that, as it at least gives the kids a surface with a true bounce to learn the game on (until it gets worn and old that is).
 
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The articficial at my club is fairly old and bounces really really low all the time. It can be pretty dodgey to field on if you're wearing spikes for a game played on one of the turf wickets but, for example last night when it rained the whole time, it can allow games to go ahead when they would've been called off otherwise. The artificial we used to have at school was a good one with a fairly good bounce height but I guess you never know until they're put in.
 
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almost all cricket played in the US is on artificial wickets. Most of the wickets are clay based with a jute/coir matting, some are cement based, and some are grass based with a flicx pitch over it. I've never played on a real turf wicket, so I can't really compare!

My university club plays on a completely artificial turf field (like the ones used for soccer made of fake grass). We don't lay a mat or anything over it and just play directly on it. It plays pretty slow and the ball tends to keep low from time to time, so obviously not an ideal surface for cricket!
 
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At our club only the 14's and C grade play on matting so they have been based at the school oval down the road. I played one game on the matting and think its much easier than turf and boring. Turf is way better
 
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Thats interesting to hear about how you play in the US unccricket.

I remember when I was coaching in Australia a few grounds had a concrete strip with two mats pegged down over the top. However they left a small gap in the middle of the wicket which when a cricket ball hit it would shoot up and almost kill the batsman! Then in winter the concrete is covered and Aussie rules played over the top. Could only happen in Aus due to its climate.

Also the kids I coached had never played on a turf wicket. They were Yr7's so did not have many cricketing years, but when they got the chance to play on turf they were so excited. Although a lot found it hard to transfer from artificial to turf.
 
Re: Artificial Wickets

Slass;27296 said:
I remember when I was coaching in Australia a few grounds had a concrete strip with two mats pegged down over the top. However they left a small gap in the middle of the wicket which when a cricket ball hit it would shoot up and almost kill the batsman! Then in winter the concrete is covered and Aussie rules played over the top. Could only happen in Aus due to its climate.

Also the kids I coached had never played on a turf wicket. They were Yr7's so did not have many cricketing years, but when they got the chance to play on turf they were so excited. Although a lot found it hard to transfer from artificial to turf.
Click to expand...

Lol yep thats pretty true with the bit about bowling in the middle of the pitch:D
our club had artificial pitch last in the 06/07 season but ripped up the concrete and put on a turf pitch so we can play in the turf competetion
 
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We played on a concrete pitch once. Like there was no covering at all, it was just concrete. Then our coach abused their coach. That was fun.

I tell you what I hate, people laying artificial wickets the wrong way, so the ball bounces REALLY high.

Also at one place we played at they had just got a new pitch hours before we played on it in a match, and the pitch had a massive air bubble in it just to the the left of were you stand on the crease, so we had a go at them.
 
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We play on prepared wickets that is where the actual cricketing practice is important...
Secondly; the turf wicket is not used in most parts of india.
The last time i played was in college days in mid 90's and that too rats had made their presence felt by biting off some of the pieces.
 
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We only play midweek on our artificial, all weekend games are on turf.

There must be something funny going on with artificials and how they are laid cos when I went with my school team to this other school there were artificial nets, if you know what I mean, next to the pitch and one of them was normal and the one next to it was stupidly bouncy!! We always made the good batsmen go in the bouncy net and made them jump around, twas good fun :p
 
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Im 14 and from australia, all our junior cricket is played on artificial pitches, apart from rep cricket. Our ground has the old artificial wicket which is low bouncy but there is a new type which is super bouncy that they put on so they dont have to cover it in the football season.
 
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We had a centre wicket practice on one of the new artificial wickets. Was stupidily bouncy and players were getting hit everywhere. Nothing like turf and a poor step ladder for juniors to use and then go onto slow and low turf after they have finished. But i guess not everyone can play on turf all the time.
 
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A lot of grounds in Australia are now switching to these springy all weather pitches, which is a layer of astroturf, with a layer of rubber underneath. This provides for extremely high, loping bounce, which makes it very hard to adjust to most turf pitches, which will cause problems for young cricketers such as me trying to rise through the ranks.
 
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I find artificial absolutely crap. The bounce is steepling, it almost shoots off the pitch.

The old ones are a bit better but they skid on.

Is there any comps in Melbourne, and just park/club level that use Turf pitches?

From what I've seen it's all artificial.
 
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Only ever played on one once and I wasn't a fan. The only good bit was that as the stumps were in sand it was easy to knock someone's stump out of the ground if you bowled them :)
 
Re: Artificial Wickets

breeno;298617 said:
I find artificial absolutely crap. The bounce is steepling, it almost shoots off the pitch.

The old ones are a bit better but they skid on.

Is there any comps in Melbourne, and just park/club level that use Turf pitches?

From what I've seen it's all artificial.
Click to expand...

huh?

Are you serious?

There is plenty.
 
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The comps around me DVCA, HDCA, and JIKA(NMCA) are all synthetic Im pretty sure. Can you name one?
 
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