FORTRESS Test Grade Cricket Matting (Woven Artificial Carpet)

Test Grade Cricket Matting (Woven) – The “Rolls Royce” Of Artificial Cricket

This woven type artificial cricket carpet is used by numerous County Cricket Clubs and ICC/ECB training facilities worldwide. Made in Britain this matting consistently offers the very best ball bounce and spin performance and is designed for 7-10 years of use.

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.

Ball Bounce & Spin Like Natural Turf Wicket

This woven type cricket carpet is the closest artificial equivalent you’ll get to playing on a natural turf wicket ball performance wise. The 8mm thick matting and 6mm shockpad gives the ball the correct bounce performance (not too high or too low) when installed over the correct subbase. The ultrafine, high density yarn enhances the mattings grip on the ball to create the correct spin characteristics which is why it’s trusted by County Cricket Clubs.

Strong Weatherproof Construction

The green yarn (artificial grass blades) are made from high gauge (thick) polypropylene (HDPP) that is rot proof and UV treated so it doesn’t degrade in the sun. The yarn is woven (crosslinked) together into fibre backing for long lasting strength, durability and performance.

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 yarn (artificial grass blades) distorting or leaning to one direction over time creating inconsistent/irregular ball bounces and poor grip/ball spin.

Our Test Grade Cricket Matting has been specially manufactured with a crossed linked, non-directional yarn formation. This means that the yarn on our Test Grade Matting will not distort or lean to one side, even after years of usage and repeated foot traffic over the surface. This technology ensures this artificial cricket carpet has the best bounce and spin performance in its field.

Shockpad/Underlay (Click HERE to purchase)

6mm Polyester Shockpad/Underlay can be added below our Test Grade Cricket Matting to absorb player and ball impact when meeting 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:

1. 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.

2. 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.