New guidelines on rolling pitches

10 March 2009

New guidelines launched today by Cranfield University and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could save over 700,000 hours of cricket pitch preparation time across the UK through more effective use of rollers.

The guidelines are the result of four years of research by Cranfield’s Centre for Sports Surface Technology, commissioned by the ECB, which aimed to develop a scientific understanding of the rolling of cricket pitches in order to optimise pitch preparation.

The research marks a significant shift from current practice and understanding in cricket.

Chris Wood, ECB pitches consultant, said: “This is research that I’m pleased to say will go a long way to dispel the myths and legends and instil sound and economical rolling practices for the production of quality pitches across all levels of cricket.”

Working with ECB and the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), over 100 groundstaff across England and Wales were consulted throughout the research process to identify the scope for improvement.

Results demonstrated that in first-class cricket, the number of roller passes over the pitch ranges from 5 to 280, allowing plenty of scope for optimisation.

Dr Iain James, senior Lecturer and head of the centre for Sports Surface Technology at Cranfield, said: “This research will lead to better pitches and more efficient pitch preparation.

"We calculated that if all clubs in England and Wales were to target their rolling using these guidelines, the reduction in rolling time with save a total of over 700,000 hours of rolling per year and reduce the carbon footprint of cricket by an equivalent of a small housing estate. In addition, there will be cost savings in terms of fuel.”

The guidelines, aimed at both professional and volunteer groundstaff, are available to download here on the ECB website and the Cranfield website