Page 16 - Landscape-Issue152

PROJECT

DIAMANTVELD HIGH SCHOOL

Diamantveld High School is the oldest Afrikaans-medium high school in Kimberley,
Northern Cape. The school helped to start a top-level cricket tournament at the
Kimberley Diamond Oval.

erfect Bounce recently undertook
work at the school, comprising the
Pconstruction of concrete cricket
practice nets with a crusher dust base
bowling pad and artificial grass. The school
requested them to produce a similar set-up
to what they had previously constructed
for another client in Paarl. However, due to
space constraints, they were only able to
accommodate four concrete practice nets
instead of six.

Their scope of work included the following:
• excavating the area;
• installing poles and boxing for concrete;
• supply and installation of high-density
polyethylene (HDPE) netting;
• supply and installation of green
synthetic wicket carpets;
• compacting of the crusher dust base;
and
• supply and installation of artificial
grass.

Site challenges
During the installation, Perfect Bounce Above and below: Artificial concrete cricket nets with artificial bowling pad run-up
encountered the following challenges:
• material logistics: in order to get the
required materials to Kimberley, they had
to either transport them themselves or
arrange delivery from Bloemfontein, as
local supply options were limited;
• access issues: The nets were constructed
on an old tennis court and they had
to remove sections of fencing to allow
trucks and the TLB access to the work
area;
• electrical hazards: overhead electrical
cables in the area had to be lifted and
redirected to allow safe operation of
machinery and access for the trucks;
• demolition: existing concrete on site had
to be broken up with a TLB before new
work could begin;
• ground conditions: the ground was
extremely wet, which posed a risk of
trucks getting stuck. It was necessary
to prepare a temporary access route
to ensure safe delivery of materials,
especially concrete;
• weather delays: the project took place
during a period of cold weather and hail
storms. This impacted progress, especially
since the synthetic carpets need to be
warmed in the sun before being glued to
the concrete surface;

14 Landscape SA • Issue 152 2025 Check us out www.salandscape.co.za