Players in a hole lot of bother on pitch

Nov 7 2007 by Ben Guy, The Journal

TURF experts have been called in to investigate the mysterious holes that have started to appear in the pitch of a Northumberland town’s football club.

Not only do players with Hexham Football Club have to side step tackles from opponents, in recent weeks they have had to dodge an increasing number of gaps in the grass.

The team play their home games at the Tynedale Council-owned Wentworth Centre in the town, and now the authority has called in a top team of turf experts to investigate the problem.

The holes will be investigated by an agronomist from the Sports Turf Research Institute, an organisation that has in the past worked on the grass surfaces at Wembley Stadium, Lords cricket ground and Ascot racecourse.

Club secretary Doug Robson said the holes had started to appear on the pitch at the beginning of the season.

He said: “At first we thought it was some kind of animal, but then it became clear it was something else.

“The holes look like a cannon ball has landed on the pitch, they are that sort of size and shape. It is bizarre.”

In total about half a dozen of the holes have appeared on the pitch, and Mr Robson said that the council had been excellent in its efforts to address the problem.

He said: “It has been great the way they have leapt into action to try to find out the cause.

“They have also filled in the holes that have appeared quickly, so they have been really good.”

The senior team at the football club play their home Northern Alliance fixtures on the pitch, and it is also used for training sessions.

One possible cause for the holes is the major development work that is being carried out as the new Wentworth Pool is built nearby.

But a spokeswoman for Tynedale Council and Leisure Tynedale said it was impossible to tell what the cause was until the investigation was complete.

She added: “We wish to provide a quality service to the users of the outdoor sports facilities.

“While we have experienced minor problems like this in the past, we are particularly puzzled by the small holes which have developed in the pitch recently.

“We have commissioned a report by an agronomist from the Sports Turf Research Institute, and when we receive the results, and their recommendations for action, we will work together to ensure that the ground is returned to a more suitable condition for users.”