Bermudans search for cricket soil

The quality of the pitch at the island’s main cricket arena has apparently deteriorated in the last two years, and the Board of Trustees of the NSC is looking to improve its nature.

"We are appealing to those persons who believe that they can assist us in this process of locating suitable Bermuda clay to provide us with specific and precise information on its whereabouts," remarked Dr. Gerard Bean, chairman of the Board of Trustees, at a news conference on Friday.

"In light of considerable public discussion and debate surrounding the pitch, the trustees have decided to exhaust every possible avenue to determine whether or not the clay they need can in fact be found in Bermuda.

"With this aim, we are now seeking assistance from the general public who may know of areas where this clay exists to help us to find it, and determine whether or not the clay is suitable for the construction of an international cricket pitch."

The Board have started the search, following a highly critical assessment of the NSC strip from top ICC pitch expert Andy Atkinson last year, as well as further criticism from legendary former West Indies off-spinner Lance Gibbs and current West Indies manager Tony Howard.

"The clay should be virgin or undisturbed taking into account such factors such as the physical and chemical composition of the clay and its actual location," said Bean, who is looking for five to ten truck loads or approximately ten cubic yards of the soil that will undergo testing in Britain.

"We look forward to working with members of the public in trying to identify suitable Bermuda clay for our needs. Obviously, various time constraints mean that we are interested in hearing from the public as soon as possible, and within seven days."

The pitch issue has become even more acute, following Bermuda’s qualification for this year’s ICC Intercontinental Cup semi-finals in Namibia and the 2007 ICC World Cup in the West Indies.