Brumbrella
Encyclopedia
The Brumbrella was a large pitch
covering used at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground
, Birmingham
, England
from 1981 to 2001. Its name is a portmanteau word
derived from "Brum
"—a nickname for Birmingham, reflecting its location—and "umbrella
", reflecting its function in protecting the pitch from rain.
The Brumbrella was praised and criticised - its speed of deployment helped groundstaff protect the pitch quickly, but as a flat protector, it was prone to "sweating". It was deemed to have contributed to the Edgbaston pitch's deterioration, and its demise was hastened by legislation against flat covers.
It was briefly replaced by "Son of Brumbrella", but today the groundstaff rely on manpower to manoeuvre the covers onto the Edgbaston pitch.
The original mechanism, a large section of North Sea oil
pipeline wrapped with a tarpaulin
and weighing some 6 tons, was installed in the winter of 1980. The £43,380 cost was met by the Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Supporters' Association. It was first used during a rain shower in England's second One-day International
against Australia on 6 June 1981. It was prone to malfunction, notably suffering damage on the first day of the 1990 Edgbaston Test match
, which prevented its use for the duration of the five day match.
, and opposing captains were given the right to object to its use. The Brumbrella continued in use for a little while longer, but, after 20 years of use, it was replaced in early 2001. Parts were given away to Warwickshire clubs to use as covers, including Moseley Ashfield, and a "massive section" was acquired by Atherstone Town Cricket Club. The Brumbrella was also blamed, in part, for a deterioration in the condition of the Edgbaston pitch.
match of the season against Hampshire
on 20–23 April, and a second time on 2 June, during the third day of Warwickshire's third home Championship match against Gloucestershire
, and the groundstaff returned to manual covers for England's One-day International against Pakistan on 7 June. However, the groundstaff struggled to deploy and remove manual covers quickly during the rain-affected Ashes Test
on 5–8 July 2001. The new Brumbrella was abandoned later that year and returned to its manufacturers, Tildenet, who refunded its cost to Warwickshire. Edgbaston groundsman Steve Rouse subsequently explained that it became too heavy to use once it was covered with water. Edgbaston now boasts a new rain protection system called a "Hover Cover" based on the Hovercraft principle, that covers the wicket only but also has flaps that roll out on four sides to also protect the rest of the cricket square, as seen live on UK television 7th August 2010, England v Pakistan 2nd test at Edgbaston
day, Rouse's "normal staff of six rises to around 20, the extra hands principally used for getting the pitch covers on and off quickly."
Despite having been retired in 2001, the Brumbrella remains a point of reference for the efficient covering of cricket pitches: Derek Pringle
in The Daily Telegraph and Mike Selvey
in The Guardian both favourably compared the efficient performance of the groundstaff at Kandy
during England's Test match against Sri Lanka in December 2007 to it.
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
covering used at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from 1981 to 2001. Its name is a portmanteau word
Portmanteau word
A portmanteau or portmanteau word is a blend of two words or morphemes into one new word. A portmanteau word typically combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings...
derived from "Brum
Brummie
Brummie is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum...
"—a nickname for Birmingham, reflecting its location—and "umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
", reflecting its function in protecting the pitch from rain.
The Brumbrella was praised and criticised - its speed of deployment helped groundstaff protect the pitch quickly, but as a flat protector, it was prone to "sweating". It was deemed to have contributed to the Edgbaston pitch's deterioration, and its demise was hastened by legislation against flat covers.
It was briefly replaced by "Son of Brumbrella", but today the groundstaff rely on manpower to manoeuvre the covers onto the Edgbaston pitch.
Description
The Brumbrella comprised a flat rainproof covering which was mechanically unrolled across the playing surface to protect the pitch and most of the outfield from rain. The motorised roller was intended to allow the cover to be rapidly deployed in bad weather, and then removed when the weather improved, so play could to continue as quickly as possible, but this was not always achieved:It stretched from one side of the ground to the other, across the full length of the cricket table and part of the outfield. At the time it was a very innovative piece of equipment, but had its problems. It was so heavy, and took so long to unroll, that it became impractical. By the time it had completed its journey, the shower that it was supposed to be protecting the surface from, had passed, dumping its load on the way! Eventually, when it broke down during a county game, it was decided to return to the more practical method of covering the entire cricket square and run ups with plastic sheeting and roll on roll off covers.
The original mechanism, a large section of North Sea oil
North Sea oil
North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the...
pipeline wrapped with a tarpaulin
Tarpaulin
A tarpaulin, colloquially tarp, is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with urethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. In some places such as Australia, and in military slang, a tarp may be known as a...
and weighing some 6 tons, was installed in the winter of 1980. The £43,380 cost was met by the Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
Supporters' Association. It was first used during a rain shower in England's second One-day International
One-day International
A One Day International is a form of limited overs cricket, in which a fixed number of overs, usually 50, but in the past 40, 45 or 60 overs, are played between two teams with international status. The Cricket World Cup is played in this format...
against Australia on 6 June 1981. It was prone to malfunction, notably suffering damage on the first day of the 1990 Edgbaston Test match
New Zealand cricket team in England in 1990
The New Zealand cricket team toured England in the 1990 season to play a three-match Test series against England.England won the series 1-0 with 2 matches drawn.-Test series summary:* at Trent Bridge — match drawn* at Lord's — match drawn...
, which prevented its use for the duration of the five day match.
Anti-moisture policy
In 1999, the ECB introduced a policy against "flat" covers, which can encourage moisture to sweat out of a damp pitch, making batting more difficultSticky wicket
Sticky wicket is a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance; it originates from difficult circumstances in the sport of cricket.-Origins:...
, and opposing captains were given the right to object to its use. The Brumbrella continued in use for a little while longer, but, after 20 years of use, it was replaced in early 2001. Parts were given away to Warwickshire clubs to use as covers, including Moseley Ashfield, and a "massive section" was acquired by Atherstone Town Cricket Club. The Brumbrella was also blamed, in part, for a deterioration in the condition of the Edgbaston pitch.
Replacement
The new mechanism—dubbed "Son of Brumbrella"—cost around £80,000 and was much lighter, weighing only one ton. It had two motorised rollers, housed in trenches on either side of the outfield, and was operated by remote control. However, it proved temperamental in use, and malfunctioned several times. It failed before the first County ChampionshipCounty Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match of the season against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
on 20–23 April, and a second time on 2 June, during the third day of Warwickshire's third home Championship match against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, and the groundstaff returned to manual covers for England's One-day International against Pakistan on 7 June. However, the groundstaff struggled to deploy and remove manual covers quickly during the rain-affected Ashes Test
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
on 5–8 July 2001. The new Brumbrella was abandoned later that year and returned to its manufacturers, Tildenet, who refunded its cost to Warwickshire. Edgbaston groundsman Steve Rouse subsequently explained that it became too heavy to use once it was covered with water. Edgbaston now boasts a new rain protection system called a "Hover Cover" based on the Hovercraft principle, that covers the wicket only but also has flaps that roll out on four sides to also protect the rest of the cricket square, as seen live on UK television 7th August 2010, England v Pakistan 2nd test at Edgbaston
Legacy
Since the Brumbrella's demise, Edgbaston officials have been "unable to find a suitable replacement they now have to rely on the fast legged groundsmen." On a Test matchTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
day, Rouse's "normal staff of six rises to around 20, the extra hands principally used for getting the pitch covers on and off quickly."
Despite having been retired in 2001, the Brumbrella remains a point of reference for the efficient covering of cricket pitches: Derek Pringle
Derek Pringle
Derek Raymond Pringle is an English former Test and ODI cricketer for England, and is now a cricket journalist.He was educated at Felsted School and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University.-Life and career:...
in The Daily Telegraph and Mike Selvey
Mike Selvey
Mike Selvey is an English former Test and county cricketer, and now a cricket writer and commentator. Selvey played in three Tests for England between 1976 and 1977...
in The Guardian both favourably compared the efficient performance of the groundstaff at Kandy
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the center of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an...
during England's Test match against Sri Lanka in December 2007 to it.