Tewkesbury Cricket Club are set to install three hybrid pitches on their square in Gander Lane ahead of the new season.

It is hoped the work, which will take about two days, will start in April, although that is weather dependent.

And it is the weather – both when it is very hot or very wet – that has led the club to believe that hybrid pitches are the way forward.

To pay for the work they have launched a £30,000 Crowdfunder appeal, which means the club need to raise £15,000 with the remaining £15,000 matched by Sport England.

The last few months have been particularly tough for the club weather-wise, with a club spokesperson saying: “The last year has taken its toll.

“At the end of every season, the club carry out essential work on the wicket – removing the top surface, reseeding and replenishing the soil.

“It’s a routine job that costs around £5,000 each year just to keep the square in good condition.

“Last summer’s extreme heat made things much worse.

“The clay surface cracked badly, leaving deep gaps around the outfield that had to be filled with around 20 tonnes of topsoil and sand.

“At the same time, the outfield needed reseeding and fertilising at a further cost of around £6,000.

“Those repairs were completed – but then came the floods. With water sitting on the ground for long periods this winter, there are real concerns that the grass on the square has been damaged again.

“Until the ground properly dries out, no one knows quite how much work will be needed to put things right for the coming season.”

The Crowdfunder appeal, which was set up by 1^st XI captain Tom Allcoat – club president Hilary Caudle is confident it will be successful – will help cover immediate repairs and make the ground more resilient in the long term.

The hybrid pitches, which are used by most county cricket clubs, are still natural grass wickets but a specialist machine stitches synthetic fibres into the clay square just below the surface.

Grass grows around the fibres, strengthening the root system and holding the pitch together while keeping its traditional look and playing characteristics.

For a busy grassroots club – the club run six adult teams and have a thriving youth set-up – the benefits are simple: greater durability for multiple teams, better resistance to cracking in hot weather, quicker recovery after rain and a longer lifespan. 

Once installed, the hybrid wickets cannot be used for a couple of months, but cricket will still be played at Gander Lane from the start of the new season on the club’s other wickets.

To support the Crowdfunder appeal, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/tewkesbury-cricket-club