The Bowling Green.

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The Members are now responsible for the maintenance of the bowling green. This page will be a diary of the maintenance carried out on the green and surrounds throughout the year. Any comments will be welcome since the views of members are important and valued.

A group of volunteers has come forward and these have been divided into four sub-groups. As the season gets under way these sub-groups will be responsible for green maintenance for a week in rotation so that on average a sub-group will be on call for one week in each calendar month. It is anticipated that the duties will be mainly grass cutting and green watering as the season progresses.

The sub-groups are as follows.

The co-ordinator, in the absence of a volunteer, is David Slater so any queries or suggestions should be channelled through him. It is hoped a permanent co-ordinator will soon come forward.

Diary of Work.

2012  

16th February.   Green deep-slitted using sisis machine loaned by Littleton B.C. (Brian Holt, Dave Slater).

18th February.  Green deep-slitted across and back. (Greg Deakin, Wally Underwood, Dave Slater).    

2011

17th February.   Green scarified lightly diagonally. Grass cut lightly. (Phil Reader, David Slater). Retaining blocks inserted. (Brian Holt, Denis Kirkland).

18th February.   Retaining blocks inserted. Rear ditchboards re-aligned and screwed into concrete. (Brian Holt, Denis Kirkland).

22nd February.  Final retaining blocks inserted. (Brian Holt, Denis Kirkland, Greg Deakin, Wal Underwood).

23rd February.  Fertilizer spread over green using Cricket Club's spreader. This application helps to kill off moss and kick starts the growth process
                     of the grass and is a 5 - 0 - 8 mixture.                   

7th March.       There has been surprisingly little rain so there are still some granules on the surface but the chemicals have done their job.
                               Weather permitting the green will be scarified and cut this week.

8th March.       Green scarified lightly from pavilion and back, cut lightly across and back. (Phil Reader, Dave Slater).
                     The next application will be a 16 - 4 - 8 mixture called superstart which will be applied in early April.
                     In May/June a summer mixture 15 - 4 - 8 will be applied.

10th March.     Corner of green at entrance gate returfed. (Greg Deakin).

13th March.     Some rain at last to wash the last of the granules in. Tried, rather unsuccessfully, to get rid of the moss using domestic scarifiers.

15th March.     Using a watering can, Caste-off applied to green especially round the edges where worm casts are most prevalent. (Dave Slater).
                    Work carried out on concrete walkway around the green. (Brian Holt). Retaining blocks painted. (Denis Kirkland).

17th March.    Gaps between concrete slabs on walkway round green filled with cement mixture and made safe. (Brian Holt, Denis Kirkland).
                    Floor area and frontage of pavilion painted using Ronseal Red Cedar. (Wal Underwood, Greg Deakin).

21st March     Grass cut diagonally. (Phil Reader).

26th March    Grass cut diagonally in opposite direction. (Phil Reader, Greg Deakin, Dave Slater).

30th March    Blade setting reduced to 6mm and grass cut. (Phil Reader, Greg Deakin, Denis Kirkland).

2nd April       Grass cut. (Brian Holt, Denis Kirkland, Phil Reader).

4th April       Grass cut diagonally. (Greg Deakin, Brian Holt, Dave Slater). Second batch of fertilizer ordered for Thursday.

8th April       Grass cut. (Greg Deakin, Wally Underwood, Denis Kirkland, Brian Holt).

12th April     Dragbrushed and grass cut diagonally at 6mm blade height which is low enough at present. (Wally Underwood,
                  Goff Hawkins, Dave Slater).

16th April     Dragbrushed and grass cut up and down. (Dave Slater).

19th April     Green cut. (Phil Reader, Alan Westwood).

22nd April    Green watered thoroughly due to lack of rain. (Phil Reader, Dave Slater, Greg Deakin).

23rd April     Dragbrushed and grass cut. (Phil Reader, Dave Slater).   

30th April    Still no rain and no prospect of rain. Grass cutting has been reduced and we shall have to water after the weekend hockey.               

2nd May      Green watered. (Brian Holt, Greg Deakin, Dave Slater).

3rd May        Grass cut diagonally, gate corner to marigold corner. (Brian Holt, Denis Kirkland).

6th May        Green watered. (Brian Holt, Dennis Kirkland, Greg Deakin).

7th May        Rain at last which means we may be able to apply the fertiliser this week, fingers crossed.

9th May       Grass cut diagonally from bench corner to car park corner. (David Slater).

14th May     Dragbrushed and grass cut across in front of pavilion. Fertilizer applied. (Wal Underwood, Dave Slater).

17th May    Grass cut diagonally from gate to marigold corner. (Phil Reader).

19th May    Grass cut up and down to pavilion. (Phil Reader).

22nd May   Grass cut diagonally from bench corner to car park corner. (Dave Slater). Any rain up there ??

23rd May   Green watered and then some much needed rain.

25th May    Dragbrushed and grass cut across in front of pavilion. (Greg Deakin, Dave Slater).

28th May    Applied phostrogen feed to stressed areas using watering can. (David Slater).

29th May    Grass cut from gate corner to marigold corner. (Brian Holt, Greg Deakin, Denis Kirkland).

31st May    Dragbrushed and grass cut up and down from pavilion. (David Slater).

2nd June   Dragbrushed and grass cut across and back in front of pavilion. (David Slater).

4th June   Green cut up and down from pavilion. (David Slater).

6th June   Green cut across and back. (Phil Reader).

7th June    Green cut from pavilion end and back. (Phil Reader)

9th June    Green cut from gate to marigold corner. (Phil Reader).

11th June   Green cut from bench to car park corner. (Phil Reader).

14th June    Green cut from pavilion end and back. (Denis Kirkland and Wally Underwood).

16th June    Dragbrushed and grass cut across and back in front of pavilion. Blade lowered. (Wally Underwood, Dave Slater)

17th June    Green spiked using garden forks and the Holt machine. (Alan Westwood, Brian Holt and Mary Camp).

19th June   Dragbrushed and cut from bench corner to car park corner. (Greg Deakin, Brian Holt).

21st June   Green cut. (Brian Holt, Greg Deakin).

23rd June  Green cut diagonally. (Greg Deakin, Brian Holt).

26th June  Green scarified up and down from pavilion and cut across and back. (Dave Slater)

28th June  Green cut up and down from pavilion. (Dave Slater).

30th June  Green cut across and back. (Dave Slater).

4th July     Green cut up and down from pavilion. (Phil Reader).

6th July     Grass cut. (Phil Reader).

9th July    Green cut across and back. (Phil Reader)

10th July   Wetting agent applied to stressed areas. (Dave Slater).

11th July   Grass cut diagonally. (Denis Kirkland, Wally Underwood).

14th July   Grass cut. (Greg Deakin, Wally Underwood).

16th July   Grass cut up and down from pavilion. (Brian Holt, Denis Kirkland, Dave Slater).

19th July   Grass cut diagonally. (Brian Holt, Greg Deakin).

23rd July   Green scarified from pavilion up and down. Carbendazin applied to eradicate worm casts along in front of pavilion and along start side
                of green. Wetting agent applied to the worst stress areas to stimulate growth. (Dave Slater)

26th July   Green cut across and back. Very little grass growth due to dry spell. (Dave Slater).

27th July   Green watered. (Brian Holt, Dave Slater).

29th July   Grass cut up and down from pavilion. (Dave Slater).  

1st Aug.    Green watered thoroughly. (Dave Slater). Outside water tap fitted. (Brian Holt, Wally Underwood).

2nd Aug   Grass cut. (Phil Reader).  

4th Aug.   Grass cut diagonally. (Phil Reader).

6th Aug.   Green scarified and grass cut up and down from pavilion. (Dave Slater). 

10th Aug.  Green spiked using garden forks and the Holt machines

11th Aug  Green spiked using spike cassette on mower. (Phil Reader, Brian Holt). 

14th Aug  Green cut. (Greg Deakin, Brian Holt).

15th Aug   Green watered thoroughly. (Dave Slater).

16th Aug   Verti-cut cassette used up and down followed by normal cut across and back. Weed killer applied to clover. (Phil Reader, Greg Deakin,
                Dave Slater).     

19th Aug. Grass cut up and down. (Greg Deakin, Wally Underwood).

21st Aug  Attempted to water green but unable to do so because water was turned off.

22nd Aug   Green watered. (Greg Deakin, Wally Underwood, Phil Reader, Dave Slater).

24th Aug.  Green cut using verti-cutter (eleven bin loads of grass) then rain prevented normal cutting. (Phil Reader).

25th Aug   Meeting of volunteers held. Grass cut when green dried out after good rainfall. (Dave Slater)

26th Aug   Arranged visit by David Bates next Thursday at 9.30 a.m.. Green spiked using sorrel roller (Phil Reader).

3rd Sept   Caste-off applied to perimeter of green to prevent worm casts.

5th Sept   Green cut across and back. (Denis Kirkland, Wally Underwood).

    Sept.   Stressed areas treated with top soil and grass seed.  (Phil Reader, Greg Deakin).

1st Oct.   Green hollow tined for the first time ever. Plugs removed as much as possible. (Large group of volunteers).
              Later in the day green watered for two hours and more plugs removed. (Alan Westwood, Dave Slater).

2nd Oct.  Green hollow tined again after watering yesterday, more plugs removed. (Large group again).

3rd Oct   Green watered again and plugs removed. (Alan Westwood, Dave Slater).

4th Oct.  Took delivery of 160 bags of top dressing and placed at intervals round the green. Received also 3 * 25 kg. bags of winter granular
              fertiliser. (Dave Slater, Brian Holt, Alan Westwood and Neville Harrison pitched in !).

8th Oct.  Winter feed applied to green (5-3-20+1% Iron mix, £27 per 25 Kg Bag). More hollow tining carried out using the Chalenor tool. (Greg
             Deakin, Dave Slater).  

12th Oct Four tonnes of top dressing applied (160 bags). (Large group of volunteers).    

20th Oct  Top dressing applied round edges of green. (Dave Slater). 

21st Oct  Remainder of top dressing applied. Grass cut with raised blade. (Phil Reader, Dave Slater). 

2nd Nov  Grass cut across and back. (Phil Reader).

23rd Nov  Dragbrushed green up and down from pavilion. (Dave Slater).

24th Nov  Dragbrushed green across and back, grass cut up and down. (Dave Slater).

25th Nov  Green deep slitted using machine borrowed from Littleton B. C. (Brian Holt, Greg Deakin, Wal Underwood, Dave Slater).