homepage

Hybrid Wickets in Merrion

A major renovation on the Anglesea Road square has been completed with the laying of two ‘hybrid’ wickets. For those who do not know what these are, hybrid wickets involve fibre injection into normal grass wickets to improve durability and help strengthen the root structure of the wicket. 

After extensive trialing the new patented technique, the first installations took place in 2019 and since then they have spread across Test and County grounds in the UK. These have now been brought to Ireland by Cricket Ireland who are installing a number of hybrid pitches in international grounds around the country. 

The hybrid pitches retain 95% natural turf, with all the variation in conditions that govern grass wickets, but the polyethylene yarn that is stitched into the wicket improves surface stability, reduces wear and tear and accelerates recovery time. For Merrion, where we are heavy users of our square during the season, this could prove a game changer. 

It will be six weeks before we can use these wickets.