Information on the Ground and Pitch

Avebury Sports Field

The Avebury sports field is owned by the National Trust and is gifted to the village for sporting and recreational activities. We do not own the field and do not have any permanent rights over the ground, although we have been using it uninterrupted for over fifteen years. We inform the Parish Council at the start of every year as to the dates we wish to use the ground, and pay a daily rate to them for the privilege.

The Outfield

After a few teething problems several years ago, we have agreed with the Parish council as to the days of the week and the frequency with which the outfield is cut. This has been remarkably successful, and we can generally look forward to playing every weekend on freshly cut grass. The surface of the outfield is remarkably good considering that half of the field is used for football throughout the winter, and we are lucky not to have problems with litter or with tourists straying onto the pitch. The boundary is marked out before the start of each game using a white lime-based paint, and staked out with boundary flags all the way round the ground. We tend to move the boundary every time we move the strip, as we have only limited space on one side of the ground (the village side) but much more on the side where football is played.

The Square

A consequence of not owning the ground outright has meant that we have historically under-invested in the square. Whilst it has been cut and rolled for the last 17 years, and has had significant amounts of loam topsoil added, the fact remains that the underlying base is still not the solid base that a quality cricket square requires. The result is that the square is fairly 'lifeless' by modern standards, with the ball rarely getting above stump height as it passes the batsman. However, the upside of this relative lack of bounce is that it is completely safe, and bounce is pretty consistent. In the past three seasons of league cricket we have generally received positive comments from visiting sides regarding the quality of the pitch.

As the quality of cricket and opposition continues to improve, we have been discussing internally the possibility of substantial improvements to the square, which is probably in need of an upgrade in order to keep pace with the improved standard of cricket. We have no plans to do anything at present, however, and anything we might propose would have to be discussed with the Avebury Sportsfield Association, The National Trust and the Parish Council.

The Groundsman

For around 10 years the ground was attended by Brian Mason, a Trowbridge-based groundsman who used to tend the County ground at Trowbridge. However, Brian retired two years ago and has been replaced by Dave Callaway, another full-time groundsman who tends a number of local pitches including Nationwide House in Swindon. Whilst we have been pleased with Dave's ability to take over the reigns from Brian, we are currently considering whether we should be paying him more money in order for the square to receive more regular attention than the weekly cut that he is limited to during the season.