Green with envy: Elstead dig for victory with borehole boost

A boring project at a Surrey cricket club has left visiting teams green with envy.

While the South becomes increasingly parched and arid after weeks without rain, Elstead Cricket Club is enjoying the green, green grass of home.

The club had the foresight at the turn of the decade to install a borehole to irrigate their Thursday Road pitch.

And the decision is now paying dividends as the club is having a great season on and off the pitch.

“About ten years ago we had significant pressure on the pitch because of the amount of football and cricket being played here,” said groundsman, Pat Murphy.

“It’s reclaimed heathland so the pitch is just sand with a little bit of poor topsoil on the top. We just thought we had to do something to keep it in good nick.

“In order to keep the square going we used to rely on mains water but it’s expensive and doesn’t make sense using treated water to irrigate the pitch.”

Buoyed by a £15,000 Your Surrey grant, the club got digging with a further £17,000 being spent on perimeter irrigation. The water comes from an aquifer about 50 metres underground and is perfect for the soil because of its high iron content.

And because the water is coming from a private source rather than mains, the club can use sprinkles and hosepipes, keeping the pitch verdant in one of the driest summers on record. Other clubs may follow their lead.

“In normal years we would use it about 20 days a year, but this year it’s already going on 40,” added Pat.

“We get a lot of teams come here that are green with envy – it’s a bit of an oasis,” said ‘sprinkleman’ Marc Bird,” adding: “The benefit is that all the community uses it.”