The Bermuda Cricket Board is doing a good job off the field to keep the sport flourishing, but my concern is what is being done to fix the game on the field. That is where the real problems lie.

Last week, I discussed captaincy and the importance of being a student of the game. This week, I want to focus on the playing surface, better known as the pitch, and what can be done to produce better pitches, which goes a long way towards producing better cricketers.

Too many of our pitches are not up to standard for a one-day game. Part of the problem at most clubs is manpower, which explains the lack of preparation that goes into most of our pitches.

Each club need to find at least two dedicated workers to prepare their pitch.

There is maybe one pitch on the Island that comes remotely close to being of standard at present.

Preparation is the key to good pitches. Because of the extreme heat in the summer, it is important to get as much water into our pitches as possible throughout the week and this should start no later than tthe Wednesday.

By Friday the pitch should be rolled and made hard and by Saturday, all that should be left to do is the markings and maybe some more rolling.

Having been around most clubs and observing how they prepare their pitch, part of the problem is our lack of water and lack of rolling. We have a mentality of making it semi-hard and then leaving it to the sun to bake it and make it harder.

I can recall being on tour in Anguilla with the Bermuda team and having a net session at the ground where we were playing the next day. When we arrived at the ground, they had the roller on the pitch.

We trained for almost two hours and they were still rolling the pitch. That was the first time I had seen a pitch shine so much from being so hard. Hence, the next day the pitch played so true, with consistent bounce and pace.

Part of our problem is poor preparation; therefore we produce substandard pitches. The reality is most clubs start their preparation on a Friday for a game that is to be played on a Sunday, or in some cases they start preparation on a Saturday, which is simply not good enough.

If we want better cricket to be played in Bermuda, then we must start producing better pitches week in and week out.

If you ask any Bermuda player, they will tell you that when they go on tour, the practice pitches are better than the pitches we play on here.

In an effort to improve all the pitches in Bermuda, I believe the BCB should appoint a chairperson to oversee all the pitches.

Umpires should be able to grade the quality of the pitch from 1 to 10 and then report back to the BCB. That way, they could identify if a club’s pitch is not up to par.

The alternative would be to give clubs a warning if their pitch is deemed unsuitable and, if it persists, remove all games from that field until the club can show that they have made the necessary steps to rectify the problem.

Our pitches are so bowler-friendly that it often gives them a false sense of how well they have bowled. How often have you seen bowlers grab wickets from balls that shoot along the ground or that lift from off a good length?

A bowler can walk away with a three-wicket haul when, in actual fact, the pitch has played a significant part in assisting him. Then, when our bowlers go overseas and bowl on first-class pitches, they struggle because the pitch does not assist them as much, if at all.

They have to now start thinking a batsman out and that’s where the problem lies.

Our bowlers do not to learn how to think batsmen out on our pitches because they are offered so much assistance from them.

Groundsmen have a massive part to play in the betterment of our game.

Until we realise that the problems affecting local cricket are mainly on the field and make steps towards improving them, we will continue to plummet backwards.

Again, we must all do our part to help Bermuda cricket improve.

Groundsmen’s tip: Once your pitch is finished, take a key and try to press it into the pitch. If the key goes into the pitch more than half a centimetre, the pitch is nowhere near hard enough.