Hats, kits and polyester pitches

The Evo-Stik League season is now under way, with Prescot Cables having played their first game of the season away to Woodley Sports.

The quickest way to get there (with the best options for Good Beer Guide pubs) seemed to be via Stockport. Since I first got a train through Stockport a few years ago, I had been intrigued by a chimney that you can see from the viaduct.

Stockport was a centre of hat making from the 16th century until 1997, when the last factory closed, so the town has the Hat Works, a well presented little museum. They also had a small display on local sport, apparently Stockport is something of a centre for lacrosse, a sport I have not had the opportunity to watch.

Woodley's ground is in the middle of a building site at the moment, as it is to become part of the new Stockport Sports Village, to be run by the Stockport Sports Trust, which operates the former municipal sports facilities in partnership with Stockport Council.

Woodley have one of the few synthetic pitches at this level, a Field Turf surface, with the "grass" being polyester fibres attached to a polyurethane base, with a rubber infill, avoiding the carpet burns synonymous with the nylon based surfaces of the eighties.For photography it does not make a lot of difference, although the more predictable bounce can sometimes make it easier to keep up with the ball. The fibres seem to be darker than grass, which, combined with the infill (mainly from recycled material from tyres) makes the pitch look darker than grass, which is balanced by the fibres having a slightly wet look.

Prescot have a new kit for the season, supplied by PaxSport, the company run by former Prescot goalkeeper Andy Paxton, here being worn by last season's top scorer, Lee Madin.

The black band at the top looks quite distinctive, although as it does not extend a similar distance down the back, the appearance from the side takes a little getting used to. Along with a number of people who have commented on the club forum so far, I would have preferred a bolder yellow (closer to amber), I am a bit concerned about visibility on a murky afternoon in November before the floodlights are turned on, but only time will tell on that.

The photos from the game are available here.