FORTRESS Club Spec Cricket Matting [Tufted Artificial Carpet]

Club Spec Cricket Matting (Tufted) – Engineered To Perform Like Natural Turf Wicket

Our Club Spec Cricket Matting has been upgraded in 2020 to create the very best tufted artificial playing surface in cricket. It has been specially engineered to be longer lasting, have the correct ball bounce, enhanced grip for ball spin and to be more consistent over years of usage.

This matting is suitable for cricketers of all abilities/ages and can be used indoors/outdoors. It can be used to create an artificial match wicket or for batting/bowling lanes inside practice nets.

What makes our matting the very best in the market?

Excellent Spin & Bounce Characteristics

We have redesigned the artificial cricket carpet to improve performance and make it feel more like playing on a natural turf wicket. The 10mm thick matting and 6mm shockpad give the ball the correct bounce performance (not too high or too low) when installed over the correct subbase. We have increased yarn density (volume) to 75600 stiches per square metre to enhance the mattings grip on the ball, this makes it perfect for spin bowling.

Strong Weatherproof Construction

The green or brown coloured yarn (artificial grass blades) are made from high gauge (thick) polyethene (HDPE) that is rot proof and UV treated so it doesn’t degrade in the sun. The yarn is compacted together using a special net cloth backing and premium SBR bonding (glue) so it doesn’t fall apart. The yarn, backing and glue is built to withstand years of use.

5 Year Warranty & Lifespan Up To 10 Years

Our cricket matting is strong, robust, long lasting and weatherproof. It comes with a 5 year warranty (when correctly installed/maintained) and lasts up 7-10 years. Lifespan depends on the installation, maintenance and usage of the matting.

Performance Consistency

Any competitor can say that their artificial cricket carpet will last years, but this is pointless if the performance suffers over time to create a poor playing surface. This mainly happens due to the green or brown in colour yarn (artificial grass blades) distorting or leaning to one direction over time creating inconsistent/irregular ball bounces and poor grip/ball spin.

Our Club Spec Cricket Matting has been specially manufactured with a curled yarn making it non directional. This means that the yarn on our Club Spec Matting will not distort or lean to one side, even after years of usage and repeated foot traffic over the surface. Our curved yarn technology ensures excellent bounce and spin performance every time.

Shockpad/Underlay (Click HERE to purchase)

6mm Polyester Shockpad/Underlay can be added below our Club Spec Cricket Matting to absorb player and ball impact when coming into contact with the surface. This increase the life span of the matting, is kinder on player’s joints (reduces stress) and it enhances the ball bounce performance to make it more like playing on natural turf wicket.

Installation Advice

There are 2 types of subbase you can install this matting on:

• Aggregate/Dynamic Base:

This is best of type of base you can install (ball bounce performance wise) and is recommended by the ECB. It also offers good/quicker rainwater drainage compared to concrete sub base. Bottom 50mm layer is filled with limestone or granite (trade call it MOT Type 1). Middle layer is filled with a weed control fabric (100gsm or above in quality). Top 50mm layer is filled with 6mm granite to dust or sand. We recommend a timber frame edge border to contain these materials especially for multiple cricket mat lane setups. You then tension and secure down the cricket shockpad/underlay and then the club spec matting using nails/screws.

• Concrete/Tarmac Base:

This system is popular because local builders/grounds care contractors can offer this service cost effectively and it lasts for years with minimal maintenance. It also easy for DIY’ers to do this cost effectively using recycled materials for home setups. ECB and expert cricketers believe the ball bounce is too high/harsh compared to aggregate base setups but schools/home setup find it acceptable for practice. Bottom 25-50mm layer is filled with sand or crushed stone. Middle layer is filled with a 100gsm weed control fabric. Top 50mm-100mm layer if filled with concrete. Some builders will prefer to use tarmac instead of concrete because it has better drainage, is quicker to set and is softer (gives better ball bounce). Again, we recommend a timber frame edge border to contain these materials. You then tension and secure down the cricket shockpad/underlay and then the club spec matting using nails, screws or matting glue.

Simple Maintenance Tip

Regularly keep the cricket matting clean and free from mud and moss using a stiff brush, water and moss cleaning agents.This enhances the lifespan of the artificial cricket carpet and ensures good, consistent ball performance when the matting hits the surface.