Interesting observations I made in England too about the game at the grass roots level. That concrete and/or synthetic pitches are quite rare. A bit more common now. But not traditionally a really a big part of the game as far as I could tell. Is that right Posh?
I explained to English friends who lived in rural Cambridgeshire (a hot bed of village cricket) that at the lower levels, in Australia, we all grew up learning the game on concrete and/or synthetic wickets. Only if you got to a reasonable level were you privileged enough to then get a game on a turf wicket. Maybe a bit different if you are at elite private schools. But certainly not for public school kids and junior club cricketers where I grew up. Cambridgeshire folk seemed quite surprised.
This perhaps also influences the types of players we produce from the very formative years. Concrete and synthetic wickets create a lot of speed and consistent, true bounce. But don’t offer much variation (apart from one high school we used to play against, where their 40YO concrete pitch had so many cracks in it, it was more dangerous than Sabina Park). I can only imagine playing at the lowest levels in England, on pitches that just don’t have the budget to be really well prepared, what *smile* they are playing on. Balls must be skidding past at ankle bone height, losing quite a few yards of speed as they hit the deck.
