Groundsman up against it after wee bit of rain
JAYDEN Tohill has the hardest job in Dunedin this week.
Somehow the University of Otago Oval groundsman has to get the pitch ready for Saturday’s final and he is up against the weather — it has rained a bit recently.
Dunedin has experienced its wettest November in more than 100 years and there are still three days left.
It is not ideal when you are preparing for the biggest day in your career.
‘‘It is a reasonably big challenge if it’s raining, as the covers are on, so you can’t work on what you had planned to be doing,’’ the rookie groundsman wrote in a written response.
‘‘We were pleased with what we achieved for the first games at the start of the month and the weather was also challenging then, so it is just carrying on from that.
‘‘All we can focus on is what is in our control.’’
Last time (February 10, 2007) Otago hosted the oneday final, it got caught on a sticky wicket.
It had been a wet week in Dunedin and the day of the match dawned gloomy.
Auckland won the toss and, not surprisingly, elected to field. The Volts had been the best team during the roundrobin but
❛ We can handle the wet weather better than we could back then Tim O’Sullivan
were dismissed for a paltry 119. Auckland won by five wickets.
Otago Cricket Association operations manager Tim O’Sul livan was watching from the embankment that day and remembers the match vividly.
But he said the venue had changed dramatically in the past 11 years.
‘‘The ground is completely different now,’’ O’Sullivan said, adding the drainage system was extensively upgraded in 2010.
‘‘We can handle the wet weather better than we could back then.’’
The pitch block has also been expanded and the wickets have improved greatly from the early days when they were still bedding in.
‘‘We saw the ability of these guys early in November when they produced a pitch which catered for some good games of cricket and had very good bounce.’’
The immediate forecast is not looking promising with rain predicted for today and tomorrow. The weather should improve on Friday; the sun is expected to emerge briefly.
The day of the final is forecast to be cloudy but dry, while the reserve day, Sunday, looks very similar but perhaps with a bit more sun.
Here’s hoping.