The Dorset Cricket Centre

Dorset

The Dorset Cricket Centre is one of our most prestigious cricket projects to date and called on our skills and expertise as a company to provide a bespoke turnkey solution for all aspects of a major refurbishment project.

Work involved removal of existing materials, construction of a new base and the resurface of the entire centre within a tight deadline. Access to the area was also constrained so the majority of the work was undertaken by hand rather than with the aid of large machinery.

For many years the centre had been repaired and patched where necessary but it was now apparent that the facility, which serves the Community and is home to Dorset Cricket, required a complete overhaul.

Dura-Sport were invited to provide help, information and offer a solution for the centre in order to meet their performance, lifespan and budget requirements. After lengthy discussions regarding suitable base and material types a specification was written and agreed accordingly.

Work involved stripping out approximately 1,000m² of synthetic material and removing it from site in a safe and suitable manner to a waste transfer station. With the existing base exposed, some areas of the aggregate had been replaced by sand whilst some areas also contained shock pads. The sand areas were replaced by aggregate and using the latest technology, the 5 lane 900m² area was laser levelled and screeded to provide a flat, level base to work with.

Discussions regarding the performance of the centre and required consistency were taken into account. Because Dura-Sport work independently and are not tied to one type of base or system, we were able to offer the client a range of options and a tarmac base was agreed for this project. Again, a range of surfaces and their merits were discussed before the client chose our i-turf cricket product to be installed within all 5 lanes of the centre. The material is a superior synthetic carpet which requires no additional shock pad and its composition and durability means that other sports such as hockey or five a side football can also be played on the surface, opening up further revenue streams for the centre if desired.

In addition to the 900m² 5 lane area there is also a bowling machine lane, situated along the back of the centre within a separate room. Because access to this area is tight, the bowling machine floor was laid entirely by hand.

The Centre was then marked out as per the wishes of the client for junior and adult games and practice.