All hands to the pump at Ramsbottom (From Lancashire Telegraph)

All hands to the pump at Ramsbottom

2:20pm Tuesday 26th June 2012 in League news By Matt Donlan, Sports reporter

JONATHAN Fielding says it is all hands to the pump as officials and volunteers at Ramsbottom try to get Acre Bottom fit after Friday’s devastating floods.

The ground and the neighbouring Ramsbottom United football ground were left under water when the River Irwell burst its banks on one of the wettest June days on record with the Met Office saying some 50mm of rain came down in a 24-hour period.

And spinner and captain Fielding admitted he could barely believe his eyes on Saturday morning when he went down to his home town ground which resembled a lake rather than a field.

“You could have had a cruise on the ground,” he said.

“It really isn’t good and it is all hands to the pump – literally.”

Saturday’s Foster’s Lancashire League clash with Church was called off and the Lancashire Telegraph Junior Cup tie between Ramsbottom seconds and Lower-house seconds also followed suit.

And now Ramsbottom are launching a major clean-up in a bid to get Friday’s Moorhouse’s Lancashire League Twenty20 semi-final with Todmorden on.

Volunteers started working as soon as the water started to recede and the club is appealing for people to help them with the big clean up ahead of Friday’s game.

Ramsbottom are planning a host of activities for the last four clash with Todmorden as they bid to win the T20 for the third year on the trot.

British super bantamweight boxer Scott Quigg will be the guest of honour at the game and Rammy will also offer a prize of a gallon of beer to any member of the crowd who catches a six on the night.

But for any of that to happen the clean-up will go on this week and Rammy are appealing for volunteers to head to the ground tonight.

“It’s a big job but we are all working hard to try and get it looking like a new ground for Friday night,” added Fielding.

Rammy have joined forces with Ramsbottom United, who are due to begin their preparations for their first season in the Evo-Stik League First Division North, for the big clean-up.

The Rams have no home pre-season friendlies scheduled until early August but spokesman Alan Michaelovitz admitted: “It’s not looking good.

“Thankfully the water is receding so let’s just hope the rain stays away long enough to allow the ground to recover.

“It is the first time the ground has flooded in around six years and the bottom end of the football ground was under two feet of water on Saturday and it got into the changing rooms and the tea bar, leaving them covered in mud and silt.”

While the cricket club’s dressing rooms and bar were not flooded out they have much work to do on the ground in order to give it chance for Friday.

The club has already planned to resurface the square at the end of the season and has had an appeal running all season after they were turned down for a grant for the work.

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