ECB County Pitch Advisors at Leicestershire CCC
ECB County Pitch Advisors
WE hear a lot about them but, judging by comments on the Pitchcare message board, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the County Cricket Boards (CCB) are perhaps not getting the message across to smaller clubs about the work of their County Pitch Advisors.
The ECB Pitch Advisory Scheme is funded by Sport England and the ECB, and represents the first governing body to address the issue of groundsmanship, in particular at recreational and non-professional level. The scheme has resulted in the placement of County Pitch Advisors across England and Wales, and their activities are fully embraced into the work of the County Cricket Boards.
All Advisors are able to assess pitches on a standard that is recognised nationally and conforms to nationally accepted criteria (IOG Performance Quality Standards).
The scheme addresses issues regarding:
• Minimum Quality Performance Standards
• Consistent advice across England and Wales
• Active response to clubs • Higher profile for groundsmanship
• Accurate assessment of cricket priority sites
• Identified costs
• Proactive move between professional and voluntary sector
Roles of a Pitch Advisor
1.To advise on the quality performance of specific pitches / squares and produce recommendations (where necessary) for any improvements, which may include grant aid schemes
2.To monitor the developments of any facilities on which recommendations are being implemented.
3.Available, if required, to assess pitches / squares in respect of
74 various league criteria.
4.Create a response team for basic assessments (perhaps annual).
5.Help build an effective Groundmanship Association.
Fees:
There are two bands of fees applicable to Pitch Advisors:
1.Prioritised detailed assessment - £250 (inclusive of follow up visits).
2.Basic Assessments - £75-150 (by arrangement with club).
Prioritised assessments may be subsidised by the CCB via the Cricket Foundation fund. Basic Assessments are paid entirely by the club and the fee set at the discretion of the CCB.
Advisor Selection Criteria
Those individuals selected by counties to the position of County Pitch Advisor have met the following criteria:
1.A minimum of ten years as a full time head groundsman and have attained at least NVQ Level 3 standard or industry equivalent.
2.Be confident with good communication skills (especially report writing).
3.Be available to the county for a minimum of the following five years, with employer’s agreement.
4.Happy to take up the appointment in the pursuance of cricket excellence.
In addition to advising on pitch preparation, renovation work and general maintenance, the pitch advisors will also assist with equipment reviews, storage, health and safety matters and all areas of grounds maintenance. They do not get involved with other facilities at the ground such as pavilions, changing rooms etc.
Your County Cricket Board will be able to assist you with contact details for your local pitch advisor.
GORDON GILL Wiltshire Pitch Advisor
We have around seventy clubs affiliated to the County Board, most of them being of the village variety.
I am 55 years old and started as a volunteer cricket groundsman at my home town club, Westbury & District CC, in about1980.
In those days the ground was managed and maintained by the local District Council’s own works team. I helped/hindered in my spare time, trying to put in those extra hours that make all the difference. At the time, I was a lorry driver for Tesco until 1998, when the depot closed and I was made redundant.
As the years went by, conditions improved and I wanted to learn more, it became a drug (only a recreational one mind you) and, in 1988, I travelled to Birmingham to attend a two day elementary IOG course on cricket pitch maintenance, the instructor being George Lane.
In 1990 I took my National Practical at Callington College. Sometime later I attended the Bowling Green IOG elementary, with instructor David Bracey and, later still, attended college in Hampshire, where I met Tony Leach for the first time, instructing on elementary winter sports pitch maintenance.
In 1997 I attended Hartpury College on day release to gain my NVQ Level 2 in sports turf and amenity horticulture (all those Latin words) with course manager Andy Laisle.
On taking redundancy, I decided that I would become self employed carrying out what had been my hobby. Times
were difficult at first, and everybody tells you it will be, but I stuck at it. I won the contract to maintain my own cricket pitch at Westbury, along with the rest of the site - a soccer and rugby pitch as well as landscaped areas. In 2000, I was asked by the then Cricket Development Officer if I would be interested in attending a course in Kent to become the County Board’s pitch advisor. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and have not looked back since. I met with so many eminent cricket groundsmen, many have become personal friends and I learned so much more.
In late 2002 I had the opportunity to talk to Bath Cricket Club about possible future employment. I was offered the job, to oversee the ground that winter and be employed on the books as from April 2003. That’s where I still am today. As jobs go, how could I wish for a better setting, as anyone who knows the ground will testify.
I wonder where cricket and life will take me from here.
Editors note: Gordon is a regular contributor to Pitchcare and has written a number of articles on cricket maintenance. He also regularly contributes to the message board under the pseudonym of ‘bath’. A quick search will reveal a plethora of gems to enhance your knowledge.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100