WORKING WONDERS: Laying of turf wickets in progress at the main stadium of the ACA at Amaravati Township near Vijayawada. — PHOTO: CH.VIJAYA BHASKAR

VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA)'s exclusive cricket stadium at Amaravathi Township, about 12 km from here on the Vijayawada-Guntur highway, is fast coming up, so much so that all the 14 turf wickets planned by the ACA are likely to be ready by July.

The work at the 20-acre site began in February under the supervision of BCCI curator P. R Viswanathan. The ACA allotted Rs. 5 crores for the construction.

The right mix

Braving the scorching sun, construction workers under the supervision of C. Chinnaiah, who was involved in the laying of wicket at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, and Y. V. Raghava Rao, a local contractor, are busy preparing seven turf wickets at the main stadium.

"After laying the wickets with the help of clay and sand, we will transplant grass on the wickets. We will be using Bermuda G2 variety, which is popular and has been used in international stadiums," said project engineer G. Bhadrachalam on Friday.

Nearly 500 truckloads of sand and 450 tractor loads of clay had arrived at the site.

"The most important task is creating a green belt on the outfield. We will be mixing sand, clay and coir powder for levelling the entire outfield of 75 yards of distance in the main stadium," Mr. Bhadrachalam explained. He pointed out coir powder would be used in the outfield to give a `cushion-like feel.'

Facilities

Adjacent to the main stadium, a mini stadium with all the facilities like dressing rooms, pavilion and galleries was coming up, with four turf wickets and an outfield measuring 65 yards of distance from the pitch.

"We're also providing four turf wickets for practice sessions in the nets in one corner of the main stadium," said ACA secretary N. Venkata Rao. A sump with a capacity of 1,000 litres had been built for storing water.

Once completed, it would take care of the cricketing needs of the entire coastal Andhra, especially Krishna and Guntur districts.

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