Blackrod Cricket Club achieve practice nets goal

After three years of efforts to obtain funding Blackrod Cricket Club, nr Bolton , were finally able to practice in synthetic turf nets. Once funding was approved the club had to clear away a mound of earth that had been deposited on the site over the years and install a root barrier due to close proximity of adjacent trees. At the beginning of May they were ready to have the practice facility installed and under normal circumstances these were expected to be up and running within three weeks. But the weather had other ideas and although the site could be accessed the heavy rainfall led to water from adjacent fields shedding into the proposed site causing flooding and bringing works to a halt. The trench forming the root barrier was hurriedly turned into a drain to funnel the water around the sides of the new facility. Despite the set backs and continued rain the works were completed in early June and the club now have a triple bay with two "Test Match" and one "Premier" batting ends all surfaced with Superverde, wilton woven surface. The site had a cross fall of more than 150mm and this coupled with the damaged due to the works led to the bowlers run ups being re–turfed over a distance of five metres with artificial grass.