The American West was a far away place to a young girl, only ten years old, living in a small town in Massachusetts in 1947. She had no idea of the changes to her life that would happen after her parents sold all they possessed and turned their old Chevy in the direction of the setting sun. Watching from her backseat window, this child witnessed not only the unfolding of scenery across the United States, east coast to west coast, but slowly developed awareness of the struggle her family faced to provide daily needs in a world of strangers where newcomers were viewed with suspicion. With no work or prospect of it, knowing no one in the far west, her mother and father became, in effect, like the pioneers of a previous era, searching for a place to settle that would satisfy them. A coming-of-age story told through vivid memories of her experiences and the persons she encountered along the way, Cricket in the Grass relates a childs learning of self-reliance.
Covering all aspects of cricket groundsmanship, this text sets the maintenance of modern cricket grounds in historical context by a survey of the groundsman's art since the 1600s. The work details the history of groundsmanship either side of World War II, looking at the modern role of agronomists and other scientists in the study of cricket surfaces. Subsequent topics include: the assessment of an existing table; pitch preparation; mechanized maintenance operations; fertilizer and top dressing; weed, moss, worm and pest control; renovation and repair; and care of the outfield. A chapter is devoted to the planning and construction of new grounds.
As I plodded back from the customary stroll in as the ball was bowled and struck firmly on the off side I saw her between two trees, hazy, but unmistakeably beautiful - a shimmering of golden hair, sparkling in the sun, whispy pink dress and brown arms and legs.