Practice Play

Artificial Cricket Pitches offer realistic play with significantly lower maintenance costs than a natural grass wicket. The three main types of artificial cricket pitch surface are woven, tufted and needlepunch and we manufacture all three from our factory in West Yorkshire.

We strongly recommend a woven surface for the following reasons:

• Strength – Tensile strength tests have shown that woven surfaces stand up better to continued use. This means that in high use areas, they are considerably less likely to stretch.
• Drainage – The natural porosity of the woven material lends itself better to quick, effective drainage. However, our tufted surfaces have holes punched in to the backing to improve drainage.
• Resistance to spikes – When spikes are used, the construction of a woven surface means that it will puncture to contain the impact from the spike, whereas a tufted surface comes with a much higher risk of tearing.
• Durability – Tests have shown that both our woven and tufted cricket surfaces experience less than 5% wear even after 2,000 cycles.

Whichever surface you choose, we also recommend a shock pad is installed underneath to protect the playing surface and improve the comfort of those playing on it.

The manufacturing processes vary between the different surfaces, but all are made at our factory in West Yorkshire, and we are ISO9001 and ISO14001 accredited. Our woven surfaces are manufactured with a non-directional pile for realistic play characteristics.

There are many things to consider when installing an artificial cricket pitch, of which the following are some of the more important ones:

• Surface – We offer 3 surface options – woven, tufted or needlepunch. We will discuss your requirements with you to find the surface that gives the best playing experience for your needs.
• Maintenance – Artificial pitches are cheaper to maintain than natural grass pitches, but you should still consider how you will manage the upkeep of the pitch and choose a surface that you can realistically manage to maintain. We can advise you on the type and level of maintenance required for each of our surfaces.
• Cost – Budget will of course be a key consideration. With our range of playing surfaces, we can give you a number of different options to choose from in order to meet your budget.
• System – We recommend that our surfaces are used in systems designed by leading suppliers such as Dura-Sport Limited, Club Turf, Verde Sports and Exclusive Leisure.

We manufacture our pitches in the UK and they are installed right across the country. Many have even been installed in other parts of the world. Here are some more reasons why you should consider working with us:

• Experience – We have been installing sport and play surfaces since 1991, and our parent company National Floorcoverings dates back much further.
• Quality – We manufacture all our own surfaces, which are ISO9001 and ISO14001 accredited.
• UV Stable – To ensure the longevity of our wickets, we use the highest UV Stabiliser in our fibres to minimise the effects of exposure to UV.
• Peace of Mind – All of our wickets and pitches are backed by a minimum 5-Year Warranty.

With a global distribution network, Playrite can export their surfaces abroad. To find out more about Playrite’s exporting capabilities, please click here.

Playrite work with numerous consultants who specialise in the design of dynamic sports bases and by amending a client’s specification slightly, anything can be possible.

Maintenance is an important part aspect with any synthetic surface, not just to enhance the visual aspect of the surface, but also to enable consistent playing performance throughout its life span. Artificial surfaces are cheaper to maintain that natural grass pitches. You must consider the costs involved in providing equipment and labour to maintain your surface against the cost to employ a company to carry out routine maintenance visits every month or quarter – dependent upon your type of surface.

Our needlepunch surfaces are all weather and can be used all year round. Needlepunch is the most durable method and will drain faster than a conventional tufted surface. It is not recommended to remove snow from the surface, however a synthetic surface will generally thaw quicker than hard surfaces such as tarmacadam.