The Paddock comes good

As you may have read recently my green-keeping activities took a turn for the better along with possibly discovering a half decent compound of clay and compost to make a good repair mix. That combined with the use of the mesh netting to facilitate a good rolling system, the wicket at the minute looks exceptionally good. We've had fairly damp air of late so that the drying of the wicket is relatively slow which might help with the reduction in the way that the inevitable cracks might form? Tonight I mowed the wicket from end to end, but then dropped the blades to their lowest setting to mow the area in which the ball falls. The mower at this setting is set so low that there's guide blade the precedes the cutting blades and this guide blade scrapes off any uneveness in the surface.. At only one point was there any evidence of scraping and it was minimal. The result of the cutting and it wasn't done 100% is that the wicket in the area in which we'd be bowling is beautifully flat, flat beyone anything I could have imagined back in February when it was looking like a swamp!

Jim - you need to drop by again for another session!

Then it gets better................



I'd just gone over at 7 for an hour or two and had bowled just 5 or so balls when I noticed an Asian looking bloke coming up the road and he'd obviously spotted me bowling and as he approached you could see that he was absolutely gagging to say something at least if not get involved, so I went to the fence and asked 'Do you play cricket'? Being an Indian (which I soon discovered) that was like asking is the Pope catholic? Within a few minutes I'd gone back to the garage and was back at the wicket padded up facing some balls off this bloke Dhaneesh. Half way through we swapped over and we spent probably almost an hour. It turns out that he's working at Fords, considering becoming a teacher and lives nearby alone for 3 or 4 days in the week and then goes back to Birmingham to see his family at the weekend. It looks like he's more than up for joining me Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights for net sessions. His bowling was fine, probably inclined to hold back because he doesn't know me yet, but he took my wicket several times even at the slow pace he was bowling at! With the net put up and a couple of days in the nets he'll get back in the groove and start slinging them down with some vehemence, meaning I'll get some much needed practice! How good is that!!!! I can't wait!