Seventeen metre wide outdoor screen - the biggest in Europe - unveiled at Trent Bridge cricket ground
KAY Cutts craned her neck and looked up admiringly at the big screen she helped pay for.
Decked out in Dickies work boots and a white hard hat, the Notts County Council leader looked up at the nearly completed big screen in the northeast corner of Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. She smiled.
"Now that's big," she said.
"Big" is one way of putting it. At 17 metres by eight metres, it's the biggest outdoor screen in Europe. So yeah, it's a bit more than your standard high-definition telly.
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As builders worked on the nearly finished project, council leader Mrs Cutts and culture committee chairman John Cottee inspected the massive screen yesterday.
The council donated half the cost of the £1.8m scoreboard – Trent Bridge paid the other half itself – and Mrs Cutts nodded in approval as she inspected where the cash went.
"Well," she said, "that is money well spent."
Made by Mitsubishi, the LED screen sits in what is essentially a six-storey building, with the top four floors sitting behind the screen.
Those floors are a warren of metal-grate walkways and stairs leading to boxes of switches and wires and surrounded by the omnipresent buzz of the scoreboard.
"It's been likened to being in a submarine," said Steve Hollins, project contracts manager for construction company Bowmer and Kirkland.
The building's something of an all-rounder, housing more than just the massive screen. The first floor features a suite with a large balcony and its own kitchen. It will not necessarily be the bargain option on match days, but it will offer luxury.
The ground floor will feature a food-and-drink area and a new headquarters for ground staff who have for years been crammed into a cramped, low-ceilinged, less-than-salubrious room beneath the Larwood and Voce Stand.
Now they'll have changing rooms, showers, a kitchen – luxury.
"It's not the biggest place, but it's perfect," head groundsman Steve Birks said. "The lads will love it."
Bringing all this together hasn't been easy. As contracts manager, Steve Hollins has to deal with all 42 of the job's sub-contractors. That means he's in touch with everybody from Mitsubishi to the bloke whose team is growing the grass that will slot into the corner of the pitch that is now a dirt-covered part of the building site.
With this job, not even the grass gets left to chance. As it's grown, it's being colour-matched with the existing Trent Bridge grass.
This part of the project has not been without controversy, however.
The grass, Steve revealed, is being grown in Yorkshire.
16 Comments
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by HW_RED
Thursday, March 14 2013, 8:59AM
“If the test matches are already sold out and there's already thousands of people coming here to boost local economy, how does putting a big screen in the ground make any difference to that?
It might look nice but its a waste of money.”
by Crlton1
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 5:21PM
“"KAY Cutts craned her neck and looked up admiringly at the big screen she helped pay for."
And there was me thinking that the money had come from local council taxpayers”
by HizzyG
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 4:47PM
“SteveBasford - "Now that's big...." I don't think I've ever been fortunate enough to say that in my lifetime!! hee hee”
by SteveBasford
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 2:38PM
“"Now that's big," she said
.......what, the amount of money you've *****ed away?”
by HizzyG
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 1:19PM
“rdc180368 - That's fair enough chuck! As previously stated, I do appreciate and agree with your views about vital services. In an ideal world, maybe the Cricket Club will repay the money to the Council over a period of time?! That would be the perfect solution to keep everyone happy”
by rdc180368
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 11:51AM
“@HizzyG... I don't know anyone who thinks it's a good thing for people who can't support families to keep on having more children. A debate about we address that is something we could have another day and I'm all for that.
The point of the e-petition is for the Council not to part-fund the scoreboard. Nobody says it has to be pulled down. It will be up to the members to seek further private finance... perhaps from some of the wealthier Tory councillors. Perhaps they would like to "chip in" from their own pockets rather than everyone else's?”
by ml1802
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 11:31AM
“Here, Here, HizzyG. Someone who talks sense.
The beauty about a day at the Cricket is that we tend not to attract any Rif-Raff.”
by HizzyG
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 11:12AM
“rdc180368 - e-petition??? Why??? So more money can be spent on taking it down? I'm sure your pastimes and hobbies are probably of very little consequence to anyone else. I'm not a cricket fan, but it is nice to see money going towards something that hardworking people can enjoy for a change!! I appreciate your views about money going towards vital services, but let us not forget the amount of money that goes towards the people who make a career choice of banging out children from an early age and never working a day in their life!!”
by rdc180368
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 11:07AM
“"Televisions for people in council houses"??!! Where do you get this rubbish from piesman?!!
This money should be spent on schools, services for the elderly and disabled, highway and public transport. If some of those services are - quite legitimately - used by people on low incomes (and - god forbid - some who are on benefits), then so be it! That's what councils are there to do - unless you leave in 'Cuttsworld' of course.
You say that the Test Matches have sold out... so perhaps you should instead question why senior figures at Trent Bridge have madfe such a mess of managing their finances?”
by piesman
Wednesday, March 13 2013, 10:29AM
“What people like Robert Crossley don't unsderstand that this creates jobs and people can then earn money. It also brings people into the city spending money which creates more jobs and more money. These people who will earn money are tax payers and therefore will see a return on their money. What would he rather the money be spent on? People on the dole? New tv's for council houses? If he doesn't like it maybe he can avoid going to the test matches. Oh they have sold out already so maybe normal people approve of this after all.”