Floods, Fish, Bat and Ball:

Torrential rains since October have meant that both the River Soar and Grand Union Canal have flooded significantly to the extent that for some time it was impossible to walk along the canal towpath from the Moorings towards Loughborough. This is a stretch of water that frequently hosts competitions with the Loughborough Soar Angling Society (LSAS) but this winter these had to be relocated to the canal in Loughborough town.

The roach, perch and bream (most common fish found in these waters) are still there; they find areas to shelter at the bottom of the river as the water at this lower level does not flow as fast as at the top where the force can be dangerous and thick, gloopy mud causes the risk of fishing people slipping into the fast-flowing water. When the water floods over the banks into the field however, the fish sometimes follow the water and can get stranded. Brian Hull of the LSAS is in his 70s and told me that he has never seen floods like this before and he’s currently not sure when matches can resume along Barrow’s banks. “The river has nowhere to go now” he said, “the water table is so high it only takes one more rainfall for it to flood again”.

With over 30 years of experience working as groundsman at Barrow Cricket Cub and, until recently, as pitch advisor to Leicestershire and Rutland County Cricket Club, John Upton knows what he‘s talking about when it comes to cricket pitches so I asked him about the effect of this year’s rains on the grounds at Fishpool Way.

The playing season ends in September and this usually gives John time to prepare the pitch for the next season. He scarifies, reseeds and top dresses the grass so it’s ready to ‘be put to bed’ over the winter. It costs about £2,000 to get it ready and this year has been a real challenge to get it done in time. He had only a two-week window from the end of season to the rains starting. Lots of clubs will be in a difficult position at the start of season in May, but John managed to get everything done in Barrow in time. He said that it helps that Barrow’s ground slopes down to Fishpool Brook and a few years ago the Club invested in a drainage system that has worked well, but in the 30–40 years that he has worked in cricket, he has never seen anything like the rainfall we have had this autumn and winter. If early spring is very dry, he believes that Barrow Cricket ground will be alright but he is worried that even with average rainfall in March and April things will look very bleak for cricket this summer. Barrow may just manage, but away matches to local grounds like Sileby and Syston may not happen because both grounds are in flood plains; but he says, “You can’t fight the weather, only work around it”.

While Barrow Town Football Club is keeping a close eye on its pitches, the Club has only had to cancel one match so far because of unsafe ground. The pitch is spiked regularly, which pulls the earth back up and creates little holes for the rain to soak through helping to keep it well drained. Too much mud is unsafe for the linesmen as well as the players.

My own sport of karate happens indoors at the Scout Hut so we are not generally too affected by the weather, although the long closure of Slash Lane has meant long traffic queues for those who travel into Barrow from outside the village. This caused a bit of stress at the autumn grading time, as people worried about getting to their grading in time – especially those going for their black belts. Although, Sensei Danny Spence was pleased that all made it to the Scout Hut and all passed.

Running for fun and fitness can be difficult in flooded conditions and the Barrow Runners’ website reports December 2019 runs with enforced route changes and waist-deep waters!

Karisa Krcmar