The Pitch

[Spoonz Red E]

Plus, referring to the thread topic, the new one will be able to show footage of our superb pitch.

 

[SEA Grecian]

That's true but I understand the current scoreboard also has a design flaw in that you can't rewind it or start it late.
i.e. if it's not started when the ref blows the whistle to start the game then you can't play catch up and start it at '1' after 1 minute.

That wouldn't be a problem with a new scoreboard.

Also - we can now score that 10th goal if we want to

I think Scott Palfrey said the other issue is that you have no idea whether the clock has started properly until the clock shows one minute.

 

[DawlishBouy]

For anyone interested in the creation of a football pitch checkout the Sutton live stream. They have been doing the drainage slits today.

 

[Hants_red]

Latest update from Chas

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1413196653352390659

 

[Grecian2K]

What a joy it is to see and listen to someone with such passion - nay LOVE - for his chosen profession.

And fascinating to get such an insight into the preparation and maintenance of something we generally take for granted.

Of all of the "jewels" in the ECFC crown Chas must be the hidden gem.

Trying to remember the name of the (almost) legendary SJP groundsman of yore (Sonny Clarke???). Wonder what he'd make of all this?

PS: Of course, only the rigours of winter will tell but have to admit that the greensward is currently booking magnificent! 10/10

 

[Rosencrantz]

What a joy it is to see and listen to someone with such passion - nay LOVE - for his chosen profession.

And fascinating to get such an insight into the preparation and maintenance of something we generally take for granted.

Of all of the "jewels" in the ECFC crown Chas must be the hidden gem.

Trying to remember the name of the (almost) legendary SJP groundsman of yore (Sonny Clarke???). Wonder what he'd make of all this?

PS: Of course, only the rigours of winter will tell but have to admit that the greensward is currently booking magnificent! 10/10

I think Sonny would have been as fascinated and curious as an engineer who worked on a Spitfire would be looking at the way a Typhoon is designed and worked on now .

 

[SaintJames]

I think Sonny would have been as fascinated and curious as an engineer who worked on a Spitfire would be looking at the way a Typhoon is designed and worked on now .

Sonny was very old school and worked in an era of course when the club had no money. Chas does remind me in many ways of Sonny but he would have had a wry smile about all the new fangled equipment I worked under Sonny as his apprentice in the 1980's and the club equipment back then literally consisted of a mower, a rake, two forks and a spade I had to smile when watching the clip of the new machine which punches holes into the pitch. Back in Sonny's day when rain was due we used to fork the whole pitch by hand starting on Thursday lunchtime and finishing tea time Friday. The number of games called off in Sonny's era (thirty years) were few and far between.

 

[Spoonz Red E]

Sonny was very old school and worked in an era of course when the club had no money. Chas does remind me in many ways of Sonny but he would have had a wry smile about all the new fangled equipment I worked under Sonny as his apprentice in the 1980's and the club equipment back then literally consisted of a mower, a rake, two forks and a spade I had to smile when watching the clip of the new machine which punches holes into the pitch. Back in Sonny's day when rain was due we used to fork the whole pitch by hand starting on Thursday lunchtime and finishing tea time Friday. The number of games called off in Sonny's era (thirty years) were few and far between.

When we took over in 2003 the 'automated' pitch watering system was basically a hose fed rotor arm contraption driven by water pressure with the rotor arm connected to wheels by a cog system. The contraption would slowly move along the pitch dribbling out measures of water and guided by a pegged length of string.

If left alone for more than 20 minutes it would usually snag on the string and stop moving - leaving a puddle of water where it stalled.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

Going back to Sonny’s era,the SJP pitch back then also hosted the reserves who played in the Western League so SJP was used week in & out for 44 weeks of the season.
I don’t expect the SJP pitch gets as much match time nowadays as back then.

 

[Rosencrantz]

I just think that those people who take great pride in their work will always take an interest in improving what they are into with new technology or techniques. Sonny was a bit before my time (or at least just coming to the end) but he always sounded to me someone who would want the pitch to be the best it could. He would be moving the earth as much as Chas to get it in top nick I'm sure and using everything he could get his hands on.