THE wickets at Bermuda's cricket grounds should improve from next season after five clubs received new WolfPac 3100 rollers, courtesy of the Bermuda Cricket Board.

The quality of wickets at the start of the season has been an ongoing concern of the BCB as clubs have been hampered in their wicket preparation by end-of-season football matches and often the lack of a roller.

Now, the board has taken steps to address that with the purchase of five one-and-a-half ton rollers which have been distributed to Western Stars, Police, St. George's, Somerset Bridge and St. David's.

However, the ownership of the rollers comes with specific conditions. The contract signed by the clubs require them to:

l House the rollers in a building or container.

l Carry out proper and regular maintenance of the machines.

l Agree to produce their own four-year development plan.

l Enter at least two teams in the BCB youth leagues for 2009.

l Develop a club/school link by 2009 with a school in their area.

l Have at least two qualified (levels 1 and 2) within a year of funding.

l Allow the national teams to utilise their field for practice and matches.

"The BCB is extremely pleased to be able to provide these rollers and assist in improving club facilities," said BCB president Reggie Pearman as the rollers were inspected at the National Sports Centre this week.

"In order to do this the BCB is in the process of introducing club accreditation which provides a set of standard criteria that allows clubs to evaluate where they are and helps clubs develop sound infrastructure, membership and programmes."

The president added: "To achieve accreditation, clubs will be assessed on their four-year development plan, have at least two junior teams, have certified and qualified junior level 1 coaches and senior level 2 coaches, develop a link with a school in the area and attend BCB sanctioned activities, workshops and meetings. Club accreditation allows participants, players, parents, local authorities and schools to assess how good a club is by looking for the accreditation logo which we believe is the key to improving cricket island-wide."

The BCB's Cricket Development Director, Arnold Manders, believes the initiatives will assist in raising the standard of the cricket at all levels. "To improve the cricket facilities throughout the island is one of the main aims of the Bermuda Cricket Board's Development Plan," said Manders, a former Bermuda captain.

"By providing clubs with their own rollers it will allow the clubs to properly prepare and improve their wickets. Playing on better surfaces can only work to improve cricket - the ultimate aim of the Bermuda Cricket Board. Western Stars Sports Club, St. George's Cricket Club, Police Recreation Club, Somerset Bridge Recreation Club and St. David's Cricket Club are the first clubs to agree to joining our pilot programme for club accreditation."

In addition to the purchase of the rollers, the BCB has recently assisted Flatts Victoria in the installation of a net facility, helped Willow Cuts with the laying of a centre wicket at their field and worked with Police to install two training wickets. Presently the BCB is assisting Devonshire Recreation Club with the installation of two netted training wickets."

Longtime groundsman at St. David's, Sidney (Shot) Carlington sees the presence of the new, lighter roller as invaluable to the preparation of the wickets at Lords. This year the wicket there has been noticeably dry at one end, something Carlington and his assistant 'Red' Carlington have been addressing.

"The light roller will do the trick," said Carlington who has been preparing the wickets at St. David's since the club moved from concrete wickets in the early 1970s.

"It's a lack of grass and it's because of the 14-ton roller that we've been using all season. This roller will solve the problem. It's only at the northern end, the end where I come in with the roller and go off with the roller.

"It's only been about three or four months that it started, when the grass got killed. The bowlers' spikes have been ripping it up behind the wicket."

One of Carlington's biggest nightmares is watching from the sidelines as the bowlers scratch up the area just behind the stumps with their spikes.

Carlington says playing football on the wicket doesn't cause any damage to his wickets because he allows the grass to grow higher, about two to three inches.

Carlington has been spending the week preparing the wicket for tomorrow's Eastern Counties final between St. David's and Cleveland.