I don't think there can be any argument that the XL Turf was better - when in new condition - but the new surface wasn't as bad as I'd expected it to be.
XL Turf, at the outset, was the greatest luxury imaginable, although once it started getting a bit worn (funny, since the organisers told us it was new for every event... didn't look it) it wasn't quite so perfect, with tiles lifting and varying traction across the field. If cost was no object, fresh new XL Turf at every event would be best, but we all know it's too much to expect the Millennium Series to spend that much of our and the sponsors' money on relatively minor improvements to the event's quality
As a compromise, the new surface is OK. Yes, it was too slippery, one of our players injured his shoulder going arse over tit on it, and it didn't have the level of padding provided by XL Turf. But overall it was a good surface to play on, and I think it is a preferable playing surface to the mudfests and uneven patchy grass surfaces of yesteryear.
