Council deliver late cut in pitch battles

From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Monday 27th Jun 2005.

Spin-offs are

continuing to emerge from April's annual meeting of the Bradford Area Cricket Council at Undercliffe Cricket Club.

It was attended by Steve Warner, Bradford Council's head of sport and leisure, and Councillor Simon Cooke, Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, who is also chairman of Bradford Central League club Allerton.

They were probed on two main matters - the state of council pitches and ways in which clubs can get funding.

Since then there has been a

follow-up discussion in the office of David Talbot, head of Bradford Council's parks and landscape services, which was also attended by Graham Atkins, the council's parks and landscapes area manager.

They met Tom Priestley and Brian Lymbery, secretary and chairman of Bradford Area Cricket Council respectively, in what Talbot described as a "very positive meeting".

He said: "We discussed a

number of issues and concerns that came out of the Area Cricket Council's last meeting, which were given a great profile in the Telegraph & Argus.

"And one thing that is going to happen is that all council

wickets will now be cut on a Friday instead of a Thursday."

This will please Priestley in particular as it was a point he brought up at the annual

meeting two months ago.

Talbot added: "Another thing we are acting upon is that our groundsmen are going on a course run by Rod Heyhoe (a Bradford League management committee member who has formed a West Yorkshire/Leeds branch of the Institute of Groundsmanship).

"Mind you, some of our groundsmen have already been on courses at Headingley and at the Sports Turf Research Institute at Bingley St Ives."

Talbot also revealed that there will be more heavy rolling across the board on council-owned pitches.

It is all too easy sometimes to criticise Bradford Council for their efforts, but Priestley was quick to point out that clubs don't always help themselves.

He said: "There is one club in the Bradford Central League, and we understand that a letter has been sent to their league secretary, who don't play on the wicket the council have prepared for them. They then prepare and mark out their own!"

Priestley added that there were other things Bradford Council could do nothing about, such as when the National Front marched on Horsfall Playing Fields.

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