Confusion surrounds hosepipe ban

Bowling News

Earlier in the week I wrote a posting about the Yorkshire Authority's hosepipe ban now fully introduced. There seems to be considerable confusion about the impact on bowling clubs and once you introduce the matter of irrigation systems the waters get muddied even further (excuse the pun!).

I still cannot find a definitive statement on the Yorkshire Authority website to provide real guidance and I think sometimes people are making their own interpretations based on what they would like to see. The nearest thing I could find that may help was around irrigation systems which an increasing number of bowling clubs have installed in recent years. Even that vetoes the use of devices that produce a jet spray or mist. This is what it says about irrigation systems and I cannot believe that rules on hosepipes are going to be any less stringent.

Irrigation systems may be used if it is a fixed drip or trickle irrigation watering system, connected to a metered water supply. The system must be fitted with a pressure reducing valve and a timer and the system must place water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface without any surface run off. It must not disperse water through the air using a jet or mist.

If the system is not like this then it cannot be used when connected to mains water. However, irrigation systems may be used when connected to a grey water or rainwater recycling system ( i.e. not attached to the mains system).

So I still wasn't sure that I had bottomed this matter so I contacted Yorkshire CCGBA our governing body to see what guidance they could offer. I thought it might spur them into action and make them earn their Honoraria payments. I was wrong, not even an acknowledgement of my query. That didn't surprise me at all as it is the norm for anyone asking difficult questions. Most unhelpful. What is the role of this body?

It will be interesting to see which clubs are selected to host important competition matches over the next few weeks as a number of greens are already very brown and almost unplayable and could make important competitions become almost farcical and certainly not the surface deserving of any top competition.