How to Mark out a Cricket Pitch In 9 Steps

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How to Mark out a Cricket Pitch is a blog that l hope will do as it says on the tin, to help you mark out your wicket with confidence.

This how to mark out a wicket blog is assuming you have squared off your square and have the four corners marked.

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Step One

1-Using a string line put down the corner to corner (bowling crease), running the width of your square.

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Step Two

2.The next job is to find the centre of the wicket, so for a full-size pitch this would be 5 ft, in from both edges of the wicket. Make a mark, dash or scratch.

Now using a tape measure, measure out left and right from the middle(mark) 4 ft 4”, either side and make a downward dash.

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Step Three

3.Now get you marking stick out and with the string in front of the stick, mark between the two outer dashes to create a line 8’8” long. (ECB recommend lines no wider than an inch).

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Step four

4.Now go back to the corner and measure 4 ft in/down the pitch off the string line and make a mark/dash, we are now looking to create the popping crease.

Do this on both corners and move the string, 4 ft forward to the marks.

You will know if you have done this correct, when you measure 4ft from the back of the bowling crease line you just marked. This should hopefully tally with the back of your new laid down line.

Mark this line, with your bum towards the stumps(good tip for this way of marking). Mark at the back of the string line to a minimum of 12 ft across, creating the popping crease.

All marking is to be taken from back line to back line and while marking, some lift string onto marking stick while painting.

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Step Five

5.At this point you can add in the 5 ft protected area dashes and maybe even the dashes 1 ft, either side of centre stump.

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Step Six-

Repeat the above steps down the other end of pitch

6.Now to the other end of pitch, it’s the same process. String line to corners, to find the middle of pitch (bowling crease), 4’4” either side dashes. Mark the line ie in total 8’8”.

Then move 4 ft forward to find the popping crease line and mark 12 ft min.

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Step Seven

7. Return creases are the lines running straight down the side of the dashes you created earlier, just in from the end of the pitch.

Measure rough back 4 ft from the back of the bowling line and put in a peg and extend the line all the way down the pitch to 4 ft back from the other bowling line.

Now you can move the line so it runs straight up the edge of the dashes and edge of bowling/stump line.

These lines are 8 ft in total each end, from the back of the popping crease.

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Step Eight

8. Add in the 5 ft protected area dashes (measure from back of popping crease line) and 1 ft, either side of stumps and put in the stump holes.

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Finally Step Nine

9.Stump holes, however you make these the aim is for the middle of the stump hole, to run through the middle of the stump line.

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To see more cricket specific blog ,including whether to renovate or not – https://turfcareblog.com/cricket/

Have you see the cricket groundsman facebook page-https://www.facebook.com/groups/717957209036259/

Please note the views and opinions of our bloggers are just that and for professional advice get in touch with The Grounds Management Association through there regional pitch advisers.Brian and team