By Samuel Peters
Fixing a cricket pitch is no easy feat! It requires in some cases finances to get someone to fix it on your behalf if you are team that can afford it; or if you can’t afford it, then, selected members of a team will do the bull work which often involves weeding the unwanted grass on the wicket, watering the pitch and rolling several rollers a mixture of heavy and light and when all is over cover the wicket so that it is ready for play on the next day.
Well, if you are a team like the Jennings Cricket Club also known as Jennings Tigers, after doing the bull work pre-match as they were hosting their rivals, Bolans Blasters, at the Jennings Primary School Grounds, you would have been left extremely frustrated on your arrival to the ground you had prepared several hours earlier.
Members of the team arrived at the ground early on Saturday morning to assess the pitch due to overnight rains, only to be greeted by the covers in a state in which they did not leave them. As a result, most parts of the pitch were extremely wet, and one of the covers was even pulled away from the wicket. The game was eventually relocated to the McPond Playing Field in All Saints.
In addition, when they removed the covers from the pitch, they discovered that whoever it was that were responsible for the covers, likely dumped the contents of a garbage bin onto the wicket. So, they literally covered the pitch up with garbage, which contained broken glass bottles, pieces of paper, plastic juice and water bottles etc.
The coach of the Jennings Tigers, Elijah Peters, was livid about the vandalism, but remained calm while addressing the situation.
“When we got to the ground after six, we realised that the covers were taken off, were not in the same position we left [them]. As a result the pitch got wet, and after pulling the covers off we discovered glass bottles and other garbage on the pitch.”
He added, “The night before there were some youngsters from the village playing football and they informed them that the goal post will have to be removed since the Tigers were playing the next day. They were not happy and started cursing and left. It was really disheartening that water came to my eyes for the amount of hard work we put into the pitch.”
Since the cricket team’s re-entry to the ABCA Tournaments over a decade ago, they have utilised the ground with no issues like what they experienced on Saturday morning.
The coach stated “that it was the first time they had to deal with such a situation”. It was alleged that the act was done by some young men in the community around the ages of 15 and 16 years. The police were contacted but not muchcould have been done regarding the situation other than a warning being given.
Jennings are in second place in the ABCA Two Day Competition behind leaders Pigotts Crushers, but are tied with defending Champions, Liberta Blackhawks, on 70 points.
They will meet Crushers for a top of the table clash this weekend to confirm who they will encounter in the semifinals the following week.