A practical cricket question

[Purves Grundy]

Stumps: how do they get them lined up so perfectly in first-class cricket?

On the few occasions that friends and I get together for a game in the park the stumps are erratically aligned to say the least - bashed in with the handle of an upturned bat they're never vertical, seldom anything like the same height above ground, and the space between each is usually far too small, as we err on the side of caution. They also get progressively wonky as the hole they get squirmed into grows with each hit from the ball.

Do first class pitches come complete with a pre-cast frame that the stumps just slot into? Or do groundstaff diligently tap them in with mallets and then get out the spirit levels? And do the umpires pack the holes with plasticene each time the ash gets scattered, to keep them proud and erect?

[JtS]

A practical cricket question

I think there's a tool which creates the 3 holes.

[Purves Grundy]

A practical cricket question

yes, but like I say, after they've been scattered in, say, an attempted stumping or run-out they're likely to be a little less snug than before. At the end of a day's play you'd expect the wicket to look like that pub, the Crooked House.

[The Purple Cow]

A practical cricket question

[Purves Grundy]

A practical cricket question

OK, so that's how they make the holes (thanks, btw). But why aren't they ragged after the wicket's been flattened a few times? Plasticene? Sawdust? After a couple of clatterings in parks cricket we usually have to move the stumps a foot or so from the original location as they won't stand up any more.

I mean, you should see the state of the goal in front of the Tempest End at Kingsmeadow - it's about 5° off vertical.

[Andy C]

A practical cricket question

Viagra.