Stop ball netting to stop footballs coming over

[Glug]

My new neighbours' son has managed to kick footballs - yes, more than one - into my garden too often for comfort. My fencing is 2m high, but the football's trajectory is up to 4m and has caused some damage to my fruit trees. Yesterday's tally was 8 apples and a bird feeder dashed to the ground.
I want to put up a 1m high temp barrier netting on top of my 2m fence. Would welcome advice on how the netting could be fixed to keep it taut. Do I have to buy more fence posts which will make it look a bit crowded or are there shortish fixtures (ie metal) which can be put at the top of the existing fence posts to keep the netting in place when hit with some force?
I've had a word with the neighbours and they don't mind, so no need to worry the planning department.
Advice welcome. Thanks.

 

[ColJack]

knife the ball when it comes over in full view of the little sod.. he'll soon learn to keep it on the ground and on his side of the fence.. cheaper too..

 

[Glug]

 

[WabbitPoo]

knife the ball when it comes over in full view of the little s**.. he'll soon learn to keep it on the ground and on his side of the fence.. cheaper too..

Assuming you are not joking, the world really doesn't need people like you. Offensive.

 

[ColJack]

it doesn't need people like you either.. defending vandals, bleeding heart liberals.. "we all have the right to do what we want.. appart from anyone who wants to stop us, they don't have the right to do that.."..

if the kid kicks the ball over your garden then he has no right to expect it back and no right to trespass to fetch it..

 

[WabbitPoo]

You have no idea of the tory behind the OP's post. What if the kid is only 6 or 7 and wa just having loads of fun and it was an accident? I'd hate to live near someone like you who would stab the ball in front of a little kid just to make yourself feel powerful. Disgraceful.

 

[charliebigspuds]

Coljackass

If stabbing someones football with a knife isn't vanderlisim, I don't know what it. You bitter, twisted old fool.

Glug, from your post, it's clear that you are on speaking terms with the parents of the child, perhaps you could ask them if the boy could kick the ball in a different direction? It's nice to hear kids still play outside, I thought they were all stuck inside playing games on their computers.

Personally for a few apples I would'nt go to the bother, (if the bird feeder was broken I would ask for reembursement from the parents.)

If not, then netting should not be to hard to put up at doesn't weigh much, perhaps the new neighbour could help?

 

[big-all]

as an aside

keep the netting as unobtrusive as possible so no one complains as officialy you are limited to 2m height

and i do find knifing a ball very anti social the sort off thing an innocent hoody might get blamed for

 

[Glug]

Just a few facts. The kid is about 11/12 and as indicated earlier can kick a ball with some force. A few apples may not matter but when there are twigs and leaves attached it’s a bit different and when it keeps on happening it gets rather irritating From a practical point of view if a football knocked off a twig or small branch from the plum tree in autumn or winter it could open up the tree to the silver leaf virus which is a killer.
There are loads of kids playing in gardens around here and it’s great to hear them but they are not kicking footballs into their neighbours gardens. The gardens themselves are big, more than 35m long and the boy likes to get right away from his house to the end of his garden. My trees are roughly 3m away from the boundary fence so to hit them takes some doing.
I am guessing that as he is new to the neighbourhood and possibly his school he hasn’t made any friends yet and is probably too young to go to the park 4 mins away on his own. So he gets bored. Accidents do happen which is why I didn’t go to the parents with guns blazing. I did suggest, tongue in cheek, that he kick the footballs towards the neighbours either side of him for a change. Seriously, there is a point where kids need to understand that actions have consequences and it ain’t on to keep damaging other people’s property.
Any road up, I’ll have to think of a way to get the netting up as the parents don’t want to have to do it, which is why I was looking for advice!.

 

[big-all]

next time it happens tell him you will take a day to return his ball
then 2 days then a week
get his parents agreement as in no ther balls in the circuit

and tell him if doesnt kick it over at all you will give him some fruit off the tree
i bet his aim will improve

 

[WabbitPoo]

Bribe him with fruit?! When I was 12 I think sweets would have a better chance of working!

 

[ColJack]

Just a few facts. The kid is about 11/12 and as indicated earlier can kick a ball with some force. A few apples may not matter but when there are twigs and leaves attached it’s a bit different and when it keeps on happening it gets rather irritating From a practical point of view if a football knocked off a twig or small branch from the plum tree in autumn or winter it could open up the tree to the silver leaf virus which is a killer.
There are loads of kids playing in gardens around here and it’s great to hear them but they are not kicking footballs into their neighbours gardens. The gardens themselves are big, more than 35m long and the boy likes to get right away from his house to the end of his garden. My trees are roughly 3m away from the boundary fence so to hit them takes some doing.
I am guessing that as he is new to the neighbourhood and possibly his school he hasn’t made any friends yet and is probably too young to go to the park 4 mins away on his own. So he gets bored. Accidents do happen which is why I didn’t go to the parents with guns blazing. I did suggest, tongue in cheek, that he kick the footballs towards the neighbours either side of him for a change. Seriously, there is a point where kids need to understand that actions have consequences and it ain’t on to keep damaging other people’s property.
Any road up, I’ll have to think of a way to get the netting up as the parents don’t want to have to do it, which is why I was looking for advice!.

thank you..
that's what I took you to mean from your original post..
the "stabbing the ball" was a tongue in cheek remark but I don't like being told that I don't have a right to exist..

obviously if it's a little kiddie then you tell him off after the first couple of times then you have to escalate if he doesn't stop it.. keeping the ball for a few days etc as has been suggested.. if it's a constant thing then keeping the ball permanently is one way to stop it.. make the dad come round and ask for it back and give him and earfull which he'll then pass on to his kid more forecfully that you are allowed to do...

 

[Glug]

Cheers once again, big-all. I've said to Ma there'll be no more returns and the footballs will go to a charity shop. I might get the kid round to pick some plums when they ripen with an ace gadget It was made especially for the job by Norris B Hanford (I'm not kidding) a former Montana farmer now in his 80s and living in Ca. and who likes to invent gadgets to keep active. It's the dog's whatsits.
Yup, I'm aware of the 2m thing. Originally my fence (it's a privacy trellis) was 2.5m high inside my boundary for the very reason to stop any accidental mis-hits - long before the new neighbours were here. Then "anonymous" complained and planning ordered the trellis to be lowered. Was I right or was I right?
I want to get sports-type netting which has a wide mesh and some give and is not too intrusive but am trying to work out how to attach it to the top of the trellis so the top and bottom of the netting are taut.
I'll tell all the neighbours who might be affected in advance and why and that it will be temporary and removed as soon as sonny has friends to kick around with iin the park.

 

[ColJack]

so you're going to give him ( at your expense mind.. ) a set of posts and a net to aim at? he'll love you for that.. makeshift goal...

this plum picking gadget, got a link to it and would it do small apples and cherries?

 

[Glug]

Yes, I reckon if it's a goal type net he'll want to score rather than blow the shot over the net.
I'll look up Norris B. I got the gadget about four years ago. He used to sell on ebay and last I saw he was on Amazon but not listed under fruit picking. It'll be fine for small apples. For cherries I doubt it, but you can adapt the plucking mechanism.
Watch this space.