April 26: A few hiccups, and some ad hoc solutions later, the Bombay Hockey Association (BHA) is firmly on the road to a new astroturf surface. Work on repairing the underlying shock pad, and installing the new turf started almost simultaneously today. According to the latest prognosis, the new turf should be ready on May 8.The project has had its fair share of snags. First, the shock pad could not be imported as the UK trader did not have ready stock. Fortunately, BHA managed to get a indigenous alternative manufactured at Pune, and the pad, which arrived yesterday, had the approval of the experts from Barber SS, consultants to AstroTurf. The ad hoc decision, not an encouraging sign for a corporate body like the BHA, is possibly pardonable under the circumstances. Barber's Gord Kerr commented, ``This local shock pad is of the same thickness and has the same absorption power of the imported pad. That it does not have holes does not make it less effective. Anyway, the BHA does not have a drainage system underneath, and it is the sloping surface that drains the water.''Secondly, the sewing and stretching equipment brought along by the Barber team was held up by octroi officials at a check post outside Jammu, where Barber finished laying a turf. The clearances took time, and the machines, now travelling in the goods compartment of the August Kranti Express, should arrive in Mumbai tomorrow. Kerr said dramatically, ``the new turf is now here to stay.''His colleague, Jason Cunningham, has taken charge of the operations. Under a blazing sun, he rolled out the new turf on the old stadium.He said, ``we decided not to strip off the old turf, as previously planned, because it could have damaged the shock pad.''BHA president Dilbagh Singh Bakshi, who inspected the proceedings, said BHA has been advised to put up two extra goal posts, facing east-west, to ensure that the regular penalty circles are not overused during practice drills. He said, ``you will notice the old turf is worn out more in the penalty area.'' Top
