Synthetic turf for Games

 THE Pacific Games cricket competition will be played on synthetic mats and not on natural turf pitches.

The fields at Amini Park and Colts Oval have had the artificial surface put in with the originally planned turf deemed “immature”.

Cricket competition manager Lakani Oala, pictured, said it was unfortunate that the recently-laid turf was not ready for use but this would not pose a problem for the majority of players who were used to playing on synthetic turf mats.

“Unfortunately, we could not use the new turf that was laid. It was declared immature. It’s not safe for the players to play on so we had to go to plan B where we were required to put in synthetic surfaces for both the Amini Park and Colts Oval and that’s what we’ll be playing on,” Oala said.

Oala said the change would not hamper the Twenty-20 matches as the teams in the men’s and women’s competitions were more familiar with that surface. 

“They’ll (teams) definitely be happy because that’s what they’re used to playing back in their countries so maybe playing on turf would have been a bit tricky for them because none of them have turf back home so I think they’d be more comfortable  playing on synthetic wicket than turf wickets.”

Natural turf pitches were laid down by Cricket Papua New Guinea on both fields at the end of 2013 however work by Pacific Games contractor Associated Builders and Contractors, who was tasked with preparing the surfaces for soccer, touch football and softball at the Bisini grounds, saw those pitches dug up in December last year. 

The contractor then brought in turf specialists Vuksich and Borish to lay the new turf wickets however this was done late with the New Zealand-based firm completing the grassing and turf laying at the end of April.

The women’s competition, which doubles as an International Cricket Council regional qualifier for the Women’s T20 World Cup, starts today and will be contested between hosts PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu, the Cook Islands, Samoa and New Caledonia.

This is the first time for women’s cricket to be contested at the Pacific Games.