Re: Ballarat Cricket Association
Steggles,
There are currently a number of Ballarat's better grounds that are not satisfactory for cricket of any type let alone 1st XI cricket, however due to the drought there is not much that can be done. We are in fact fortunate to still have turf cricket being played, without the installation of tanks and carting water you guys would all be playing on hard wickets in Ballarat, with the exception being Naps which I think uses bore water.
At the moment the Eastern is probably the only turf ground in town that has full grass cover, and it is very poor condition compared to previous years. The City, Western, Wendouree etc. outfields are dreadful and bordering on being sand pits or dust bowls. This cannot be avoided, unless you know how to make it rain? All Ballarat turf wicket grounds under normal or should I say historical rain falls are not an issue and are well and truly suited to 1st XI cricket.
When or if the drought ever breaks the grounds will return to being of the standard that everyone expects. However until then I would suggest that you need to remember that we are in the middle of a 10 year drought. The answer to the dilemma is either pray for rain - if you are that way inclined, or to develop a plan to improve all grounds surfaces. By using such means as planting drought resistant grass, getting water tanks and using recycled water. All this requires serious dosh, so start filling in grant applications now. A quick reshuffle of who plays where will not solve the issue.
In my humble opinion the standard of cricket will not suffer due to the condition of the surfaces that are played on. If that in fact was the case then no cricketer of note would ever appear out of the Subcontinent where they grow up playing in dustbowls on substandard surfaces, and yes you could argue no cricketer of note has ever come out of the subcontinent...
My two bobs worth.
Steggles;208173 said:The point i was bringing up when i first raised the 'ground' issue was that certain grounds, and we all know which ones, are simply not suitable for first grade cricket in ballarat. FOR THE BETTERMENT of first grade cricket in ballarat i felt it was important, for the reasons i stated, to have all first grade matches take precedence over other grade matches on the best grounds available. I asked for all club loyalties to be put aside for a moment to think of the benefits of having first grade cricket played on the BEST grounds in ballarat. All we have now is a group chest thumping about their own clubs facilities and how great it is that THEIR club has them..... Look beyond the crap and give me a response to the BETTERMENT of first grade cricket in ballarat. Its very apparent that grounds such as east high are unsuitable for first grade cricket.... What are the other options to ensure the highest standard of cricket in the town is represented as such by being played at the best possible locations....
Steggles,
There are currently a number of Ballarat's better grounds that are not satisfactory for cricket of any type let alone 1st XI cricket, however due to the drought there is not much that can be done. We are in fact fortunate to still have turf cricket being played, without the installation of tanks and carting water you guys would all be playing on hard wickets in Ballarat, with the exception being Naps which I think uses bore water.
At the moment the Eastern is probably the only turf ground in town that has full grass cover, and it is very poor condition compared to previous years. The City, Western, Wendouree etc. outfields are dreadful and bordering on being sand pits or dust bowls. This cannot be avoided, unless you know how to make it rain? All Ballarat turf wicket grounds under normal or should I say historical rain falls are not an issue and are well and truly suited to 1st XI cricket.
When or if the drought ever breaks the grounds will return to being of the standard that everyone expects. However until then I would suggest that you need to remember that we are in the middle of a 10 year drought. The answer to the dilemma is either pray for rain - if you are that way inclined, or to develop a plan to improve all grounds surfaces. By using such means as planting drought resistant grass, getting water tanks and using recycled water. All this requires serious dosh, so start filling in grant applications now. A quick reshuffle of who plays where will not solve the issue.
In my humble opinion the standard of cricket will not suffer due to the condition of the surfaces that are played on. If that in fact was the case then no cricketer of note would ever appear out of the Subcontinent where they grow up playing in dustbowls on substandard surfaces, and yes you could argue no cricketer of note has ever come out of the subcontinent...
My two bobs worth.