So Day 5 now begins

Dawn breaks over a stunning ground with sunrise over the sea. Outlines of huge oaks emerge from the darkness. Memories of straight sixes fade. The scent of the all-run-7 wafts in from the Channel. This is Failand & Portbury CC's new ground.

There was nobody bar the contractors on site at 9.00 am today. Robert Sheppard is due there shortlyfrom Avonmouth and Graham Grey is driving back from Hampshire to assist. This means that more paid labour is therefore being hired in. It had been hoped that this extra expenditure could have been avoided.

Can anybody get down there right now to put their shoulder to the wheel?

Task 1: At 8.00 am further lorry-loads of 10' rails start arriving. Manpower to unload lorries, and stack onto David Bird's trailer for distribution round the new perimeter is urgently needed.

Task 2: Some of the posts whacked in could not go straight into the soil because of underground rubble. These need stones collected and pressed in at their base to bring them to the perpendicular. When the rails are then nailed on (by Stuart), the tension will hold the posts upright permanently. A unit of 2 Clubmen is needed to go round the ground doing this.

Task 3: This is for Friday and Saturday when more pressing demands are absent - going round the old perimeter with a bucket (own bucket) or wheelbarrow (own wheelbarrow) picking up loose stones unearthed and cutting off with a spade (own spade) roots still sticking out of the ground, bring the stones back to pile on the rubble mounds and the roots back to a new bonfire to be started behind the pavilion.

And so Day 4 ends
Men, digger, man, post-whacker machine and tree-man have all been and gone, never to return. The record for whacking in posts in 1 day was comprehensively smashed by Jason, working with Stuart and Alex. All debris has been removed from the site and the flattening and grading of soil where hedges were grubbed out has been done. The area behind pavilion has been flattened. All gates and stiles are still in. All wire fencing has been delivered by to site McArthur Steel and the first lorry-load of 10' wooden rails arrived late in the afternoon.

Saturday and Sunday

There will be no contractors on site. Stone and root picking by Clubmen, and likely some distribution of rails around ground, will be needed - but, if we can enable Stuart and Alex to have spent a full day Friday on fencing (not stopping to fetch, carry or take a leak), then we will be on the home straight for a Tuesday finish.

It's been hard but we shall survive.