Head Groundsman Neil Godrich continues to work hard preparing pitches and maintaining the outfield at The Incora County Ground to ensure the club is ready to host cricket as soon as it is safe to do so.
Godrich, who is now in his 27th season with the club, has focused on repairing an outfield which was often flooded throughout the winter, while keeping pitch-preparation at the forefront of his mind, despite reduced staffing.
Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, he said: “It’s unbelievable really when you look around. We had a really wet winter and now the sun is perfect for cricket – these would be ideal conditions.
“It’s flattering to deceive, we had such a wet winter that this period has allowed us to catch-up a bit and get the grass stronger. We’ve got no cricket until at least 1 July, but we don’t know when the players will return to training, so we have to keep on top of it and keep the grass as short as possible.”
Cricket remains postponed while the ECB closely follow government guidance, but Derbyshire’s Head Groundsman believes his team can get pitches ready within two weeks, should cricket return later this summer.
“The key is to try and get some cricket on this year,” added Godrich. “Not just the financial impact, but the players and supporters want cricket back – everybody wants something to do now.
“We’ll be bang on ready, whenever we get that call it takes two weeks to get pitches and practice pitches ready, so whenever that comes we’ll get staff back in and get ready.”
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