All start at Bradford and Bingley Cricket Club

By Paul Markham

Spring work has begun on the cricket pitch.

The first job I do is to decide where all the individual wickets are. A long time ago I 'squared' off the square using Pythagoras theorem and inserted little, bright, plastic, yellow mushroom pegs ten feet apart on each stump line. This enables me to know where each wicket is year after year without having to do it from scratch every spring.

With this in mind it is now easy to establish which are my main first team wickets and which are second team and junior wickets.

Cutting the outfield and giving it the striping effect which is pleasing to the eye and a professional finish is very rewarding.

I achieve this by going back to the square and the mushroom pegs. This year I have cut across the line of play to begin with. I will go the other way later to give a chessboard effect.

I set the first marker - a stump - four feet outside the peg. I do the same at the other end of the square. I then line up the two stumps at either end of the field to give an imaginary straight line. Once this is achieved it is plain sailing.

Mark out 8m apart width ways and line up as before. Follow this method until you get to the end of the field using the Ransomes Mastiff, going in line with each stump until a straight line is achieved and then the same the other way. This creates the stripe, cutting this way, then the other way. Pride is at stake to make sure the lines of the stripe are straight.

At the moment the frequency of the cut will be once a week. However, when we get underway, cutting twice a week will be the norm.