Draining feeling for Hill with Warriors Sixways pitch (From Worcester News)

Draining feeling for Hill with Warriors Sixways pitch

10:00am Friday 8th February 2013 in Sport By Tom Guest, @tomguestWN #WENsport

RICHARD HILL: Unhappy with Sixways pitch.

THE condition of the Sixways playing surface has left Richard Hill feeling drained — unfortunately the same can’t be said about Warriors’ pitch.

A prolonged spell of terrible weather over the winter has left the Worcester turf looking more like a farmer’s field than a rugby pitch, but head coach Hill insists there is little the groundstaff can do to improve matters.

Hill revealed a drainage issue is causing the problems and the club are hoping for a spell of dry weather before Warriors’ next home game, which is the visit of Northampton Saints a week on Saturday.

The Worcester boss explained: “Our pitch is a bit of a concern at the moment, because we want to play attacking rugby and that is not a pitch which is suited to that.

“It’s nothing to do with the groundsman, it is because the drains are about five or six feet below the surface of the pitch and they are still dry.

“The water is just not draining through the pitch at the moment — the poor groundsman can’t do much about it because the water is just settling in the top couple of feet and hasn’t shifted in four weeks.

“We have to hope for a dry spell, but it is a heavy pitch at the moment and difficult to play attacking rugby on.”