Rugby pitch (From Penarth Times)

Rugby pitch

IN REPONSE to the Penarth Times article of April 14, I must respond on the reported comments of Mr Moorcraft.

A meeting was held with Mike Gooding, Chairman of the Penarth Rugby Club, and Jeff Thomas, of Penarth Cricket Club, on July 20, 2005, to discuss the management of the change of the rugby pitch to the cricket outfield.

The agreed action was to take down the rugby posts after the rugby club s official home fixture that was agreed with the WRU, renovate the pitch to cricket outfield standards, replace the posts and remark the pitch for the Crawshay game on Good Friday.

This work started at the agreed time but, regrettably, a part of one load of top dressing contained an amount of stones.

These were quickly removed during the renovation process and this poor delivery has been taken up with the normally good top dressing suppliers.

The pitch was marked and ready for use on time for the Crawshay match, which I understand was a successful event.

Work will now be undertaken to complete the switch from rugby pitch to cricket outfield.

I have now spoken to Mr Moorcraft on the telephone and he has agreed that the club s internal communications will be improved so that the various clubs officials are fully aware of the Parks Division s works programme.

The division responds to enquiries based on the council s Standards of Service . Communication between various clubs has now been improved so any issues of this nature will not occur in the future.

It is regrettable that the club s perception and reported comments do not match the high maintenance levels delivered for rugby, cricket and lacrosse at the grounds.

This service includes a fully qualified and experienced groundsman based permanently at the site.

The Parks Division is proud of its record of working with organisations and is striving to continually improve the user experience keeping within the existing budgets.

This can be clearly seen at Belle Vue Park with the prestigious Green Flag Award, the renovation works at Windsor Gardens and Windsor Road Dingle, and the new open space at Queen s Road.

A good indication of the communities support for the Parks Division is shown in the letter from Carol Fford in the Penarth Times of April 14.

P Beaman

Operations Manager

Parks and Grounds Maintenance

Vale of Glamorgan Council