LONDON: The excellent drainage system at Lord’s not only saved a washout of the second day of the first Test match against India, but also helped English cricket save an estimated 1.2 million pound in ticket refunds.
Friday’s rain was the heaviest Mick Hunt, the MCC’s head groundsman, had experienced in his 38 years at Lord’s, but a filtration rate of two inches per hour, gave hope that the match would resume soon after rains stopped.
Eventually, play was possible within two hours, thanks to the remarkable draining properties of an outfield that was completely re-laid in 2002.
The old London clay-based soil was dug out to a depth of 80 cm and replaced with sand. The MCC’s investment of £1.25 million was hefty, but it paid dividends as it ensured that the authorities did not have to dip into the Pluvius insurance fund from which ticket refunds are paid on blank days.
‘’I have never seen it rain as hard as that,’’ Hunt was quoted as saying by ‘The Telegraph’. ‘’But even when I saw the water pouring down the slope off the covers towards the Tavern Stand side I wasn’t that concerned because our filtration rate is two inches per hour, so I knew all that water would go away.
That outfield out there is the biggest golf green in the world. I have to say that in the event it drained a lot quicker than I expected. It was unbelievable,’’ said the head groundsman, Hunt, 55, and his 13-man team deserve much credit for the play to resume on Friday.
It is doubtful whether any other ground in the country would have recovered so quickly from such a deluge, which can only help the MCC’s case for retaining a second Test Match each season.
Though Lord’s remains the Mecca of cricket, and remains the ground where most overseas players want to play, it is facing increased competition from newer Test venues such as Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
MCC plan to spend a further £100 million but it is doubtful whether any of their future projects will prove quite as significant as their playing area investment.
Some 20,000 tonnes of soil and clay were removed five years ago and replaced with the same weight of various materials, ranging from a coarse gravel foundation to a fine sandy mix below the new surface that came from a Midlands turf farm.
