ECB pitch advisor Geoff Calcott, in the Netherlands at the weekend to talk with local groundsmen about the problems they face, saw all too clearly what they are up against: after heavy rain, the planned demonstration at Westvliet on Sunday had to be abandoned because of standing water on the square (photograph courtesy of Richard Cox).

Talking at Schiphol shortly before his departure, however, Calcott emphasised that it had been a valuable experience, and that he believed the groundwork had been done for future co-operation.

‘I’m very impressed by the overall level of the facilities here,’ he said, ‘and by the commitment and positive attitude of all those involved.

‘There’s a common feeling after the experiences of this summer that something has to change, and that the clubs with turf pitches and their ground staff need to work together to improve the quality of the playing surfaces.’

As well as meeting groundsmen at VRA Amsterdam, Kampong Utrecht, Voorburg and Excelsior ’20 Schiedam, Calcott took core samples from those squares and VOC Rotterdam’s at Hazelaarweg, and will use them in preparing his report for the KNCB.

‘I’ll be looking at soil ph., thatch levels, and root depth and density,’ he explained. ‘It’s all basic stuff, but it’s essential to an understanding of where we are and how we can go forward.’

Although a newcomer to the Netherlands, Calcott is well aware of how tricky pitch preparation can be in this country, with its generally high water table.

‘It’s important to be able to adapt to changes in the climatic conditions,’ he adds. ‘Some of the problems last season obviously came from a spell of unusually hot, dry weather, followed by a period of heavy rain. But that’s the way the northern European climate is evolving, so we have to be able to deal with it.’

He also notes how small Dutch squares are by comparison with those he is used to in England. ‘With only five or eight strips to play with,’ he says, ‘as is the case almost everywhere in this country, you have to wonder whether too much isn’t being asked of the blocks.

‘And that was clearly made worse this year with such a busy international season: ICC deciding to play six ODIs in ten days would be tough anywhere, but to try to do it on a new square in its first year of use [as at Voorburg’s Westvliet ground] was taking a huge risk.’

Calcott is convinced that despite most clubs’ reliance on part-time volunteers for the preparation of their pitches, the basis exists for the improvements which are necessary for both the international and domestic programmes.

‘By pooling their knowledge and experience and sharing their problems,’ he insists, ‘the ground staff can extend the knowledge base, and by pooling resources and equipment they can achieve the levels needed to satisfy ICC standards.

‘And that will be essential if Dutch cricket is to continue to develop.’

Despite the weather it was a busy weekend, with CEO Richard Cox and Floris Jansen (the Kampong chairman who is to take a leading role in the new Groundcare Association) present at all the visits. Building on previous visits by ECB and ICC advisors, Cox and Jansen are determined to follow this up with an infrastructure to help the clubs move forward.

In the next few weeks a first round-table meeting will be held to discuss Calcott’s feedback, build on former VRA groundsman Andrew Clarke’s report – Turf Pitch Development in the Netherlands – from 2008, and feed in the information that Mel Pooley provided when he helped VCC lay their square, while also taking into account the feedback from the World Cricket League and the CB 40 competition.

All groundcare personnel from the turf clubs will be invited to participate in the new organisation, and the intention is to extend it to all clubs once this initial assessment phase is completed. Cox and Jansen are keen for the project to gain some momentum with meetings, courses, seminars and equipment-sharing, and for it to prove a significant boost to clubs working together for the betterment of Dutch cricket.