Rovers ready to roll out their undercover project

THE grass square at Port Soif has the potential to be better than the KGV. That is according to the man who is responsible for both wickets.

Alan Hamilton has become a popular figure among championship cricketers for the work he has done at the KGV, nurturing it into a fine track.

Now, he is charged with doing the same thing at Rovers' ground on the west coast, which will see action for the first time next weekend.

'I expect it to play well,' Hamilton said.

'It will probably not be as bouncy as it will eventually be. It probably takes three or four years before it is nice and firm and established, but I would expect it to be a bit quicker and bouncier than the KGV, once established.'

The Port Soif square was laid after the 2004 season and Hamilton has looked after its welfare since, together with his faithful part-time assistants Les Ferbrache and John Mountford.

For about the first year of its life, a wicket is left for the grass to establish itself and get a good root growth. It is then treated as any normal square would be, which has meant Hamilton working on it through the winter doing general maintenance before the serious job begins in the spring.

However, due to the circumstances and location of the ground, Port Soif may require more attention than any square he has worked on in the past.

'At Rovers, it is a different preparation because it is on sand and with the wind you get there, it dries quicker. Watering is going to be far more extensive there than for a normal wicket because it drains so quickly and cracks might start opening up.

'The basic principles are the same for any square but we have to monitor Port Soif more than KGV - the covers and the watering will be different down there.'

But things are looking good and the first match, scheduled to be Guernsey under-15s against New Forest on Saturday 6 May, will actually be somewhat overdue.

As Hamilton explained, it would have been possible to play on it last year, but the opportunity did not arise.

'We laid two new ones on the KGV square at the same time and played two or three games on them towards the end of the season.

What with their duties of also looking after the outfields at both the KGV and Port Soif this summer, for Hamilton and his helpers it will be a busy summer. But, as the groundsman said: 'It is a challenge and we will rise to that challenge. I have every confidence that we will cope with the rigours to come. In the coming years, I think we will have facilities that everyone will be proud of.'