THOSE responsible for preparing future playing surfaces for Swan Hill Cricket Club will find the job easier than it’s been in the past.
The club has recently taken delivery of a new cricket pitch roller and, with the machinery funded just by Swan Hill’s normal fundraising methods, it’s a moment a number of years in the making.
Swan Hill’s Greg Cruickshank said the manufacturer was Poweroll, an English-based company that specialises in producing cricket pitch rollers.
“It’s hard-earned by the club. It was around the $15,000 to $17,000 mark by the time we got it to Australia with freight and everything,” he said.
Cruickshank said the job of preparing pitches would be much more efficient thanks to the purchase of the ride-on roller.
“For the same amount of time spent, you’ll get twice the effect of the old roller, and a much flatter result because of that,” he said.
Cruickshank said frugality was key to the club being able to effectively fundraise.
“We keep players’ fees to a minimum for [day-to-day] running of the club… Other activities [such as] gates at the trots, drink sales, with all that money we’re pretty frugal,” he said.
“We’ve been able to save up over many years and have been able to contribute funds to improving the facilities which benefits not just cricket.”
Cruickshank said various users of the ground all benefited from a cooperative approach.
“It’s about multi-use and cooperative use of those facilities,” he said.
