With no fixtures taking place this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Rydal Penrhos has already begun preparing for the new campaign and has enlisted the help of a leading turf maintenance company to regenerate a wicket that has seen little in the way of activity this year.

Staff at 360 Groundcare have completely revitalised the surface with four bags of seed and 94 instalments of Loam, which is soil composed mostly of sand, silt, and a smaller amount of clay.

Their industry-leading methods are set to provide a completely transformed wicket for pupils, the school’s Alumni cricket team called the Rydal Dolphins, and outside fixtures providing social distancing measures are relaxed by the Welsh Government by the time competitive action is scheduled to get underway.

This significant investment at the school’s New Field sporting facility will now be left and maintained by Rydal Penrhos’ groundstaff throughout the winter. 360 Groundcare will then come back to the site and work on the wicket some more before the first ball is bowled – measures permitting.

Rydal Penrhos has a long history of cricketing success, with many of its pupils going on to secure national recognition.

Owen Reilly, who was the school’s cricket captain for the last two years, became the latest to earn Welsh youth honours and recently claimed a five-wicket haul in Wales’ U18 contest against Warwickshire.

Another current pupil also made the most out of a disrupted summer of activity in the current climate, with Rocco Molina-Franco, who has represented Cheshire at youth level in the past and emerged as Buckley Cricket Club’s top run-scorer despite his tender age.

The New Field wicket has long been renowned as one of the best in the region and has hosted both Colwyn Bay Cricket Club and Welsh youth internationals in recent years.