How has cricket changed your life – Voting Open

Voting is now open to win a Flicx Match pitch from our short list of 6 amazing entries from ICC Europe memebers and their stories of “How Cricket has changed their lives” …

ICC Europe Official Supplier – Flicx UK

We are asking ICC countries to vote and to share this competition to win a Flicx Match pitch for 1 lucky ICC Europe member by circulating this page around your network of clubs and players. We are looking for your thoughts on the entry that best fits our competition title “How has cricket changed your life”

Our finalists are…

1. Estonia – Spirit of Cricket- Sharath Geetha
2. Germany – Cricket Club Bonn – Raymond Cooray
3. Ireland – Dundalk CC – Eddie Bosano- Andrews
4. Israel – Cricket4Peace – Sharon Gudker
5. Lanzarote- Lanzarote Cricket Association – Peter Starmer
6. Palestinian Authority submitted by the Israel Cricket Association – Cricket4Peace- Shehadeh Salamin

In order to vote, simply read all the entries and decide which your favourite story is… You then need to click the LIKE button under that blog on a 1 vote per person basis (using the Twitter and Facebook shares on the page itself is also accepted) . Our finalists are able to share their stories on their unique URL in order to achieve more awareness for their entries and also more generally to promote cricket in their country.

Voting closes on the 8th March.

Good Luck to all and thank-you in advance for your interest in the Flicx UK / ICC Europe competition and for all of your votes. (NB- You need to be registered on WordPress to LIKE and vote- it’s a simple process to join and why not follow the FLICX UK Blog too) For more information on buying a Flicx Pitch please call us on 01295 816765 or visit the products page on our blog to find out more….

Practice Cricket in the safety of your own home with the Flicx Home Academy

The Flicx Home Academy is a complete Cricket practice facility for your own garden which is great value for money. Make practicing your cricket safe and improve your game fast with the full range of top pitches, nets, bowling machines and coaching aids from Flicx UK.

Our Home Academy system (pictured below) is 7.5m  x 1.6 m and delivers a consistent bounce of ball to build batting confidence and safeguard against broken windows and lost balls. All the Flicx Pitch range will prevent damage in the garden and rubberised run up area’s can also be supplied to protect other area’s of grass. The surface is top quality and safe and endorsed by top coaches around the world.

Flicx Home Academy

“The Flicx Home Academy is a great system for the development of your game in the safety of your own home. I would certainly recommend it for all up and coming cricketers. It is ideal to have as post and preseason training.” – Jimmy Cook – ex South African Test Cricketer and coach for Hampshire and Gauteng (South Africa)

If space is restricted other products available from Flicx include the Senior Throwdown (6m x 1.4m) or the Junior throwdown (4m x 1.4m). Please call 01295 816765 or contact any of our approved retailers…

A new approach to using a Flicx Pitch

Previously the Flicx Pitch was seen as a portable pitch that could be rolled out and back and moved around to different venues as required by the customer. Whilst this is one benefit of the Flicx Pitch, a new approach has also been developed which see’s the Flicx Pitch installed to form a more permanent surface for cricket, at a fraction of the cost of an astroturf or a fully maintained crease.

This new approach see’s clubs and schools” rolling in” the Flicx Pitch which gives a good foundation for a consistent bounce without any expensive excavation work.

Flicx Pitch after being rolled and captains before the match

A good time to carry out this work is over the Easter weekend just in time for the cricket season whilst also allowing time for the grass to grow through the pitch as shown in the photo above which creates a realistic turf like bounce when playing with either a soft or hard ball. If you are interest in purchasing a Flicx Pitch please visit our website www.flicx.co.uk or contact us for our approved list of retailers.

Installing your Flicx Pitch – A groundsman’s guide

If you follow these simple instructions prior to laying the pitch you will gain many happy hours playing Cricket.

1. Considerations

Firstly, take into consideration your surrounding area (homes, parks, pedestrian areas).  It is preferable that the pitch is placed in such a way that the batsman does not drive the ball towards glass windows or where people maybe sitting or walking (patios, pavements etc) for safety reasons.  Always use a cricket net when practicing and thus anything behind or square of the wicket will generally be protected from being hit.

2. Orientation

Look at the orientation that you are going to place your pitch and nets.  Most cricket practice takes place in the afternoon, thus you don’t want your batsman facing into the sun however not all areas allow this flexibility.  Your first choice then is for the pitch to face east (batsman facing East); second choice facing north, then south and lastly west.

3. Location

Once you have decided on the orientation, you now need to look for a flat surface to place the pitch on.  The smoother and flatter the surface, the more the consistent bounce of the ball off the surface.

A Flicx Pitch being rolled into the ground

4.  Preparing a Flat surface

• Mark out a square area the same size as the pitch you have chosen.  (This can be done using 4 pegs/nails string or fish line.)
• Cut the grass as low as you possibly can with your garden mower (This may mean a running the mower over the area a couple of times).
• Should the grass be thick (thatch), and then it is recommended that a steel rake is used to remove all the dead grass (this will prevent good ball bounce).
• Roll this area with a hand roller – varying in weight between 250kg- 750kg.
• You may need to bring in good loam topsoil to level off the little indentations.
• Roll again, until flat.

5. Laying the Flicx Pitch

• Position the Flicx pitch, square on, while it is still rolled up.  (it is easier to manoeuvre while still rolled up)  It is recommended that safety gloves are used when handling the Flicx Pitch.
• Unclip the straps and roll out.
• Square the pitch up, by gently moving the corners.  If the pitch does need to be totally replaced it is recommended that it gets totally rolled up and strapped before moving, as the connectors have not been designed for lateral movement and could break.
• It is now ready for the Flicx Pitch to be rolled into the surface.  A roller not heavier than 1.5 tons should be used.  This may take many hours depending on the softness of the under surface and the weight of the roller.  The end result is the Flicx Pitch that sits flush with the surrounding surface.

6.  Securing the Flicx Pitch

Using 5 inch nails secure the ends of the pitch into the appropriate nail holes.

 Your Flicx Pitch is now ready to play!!!!