PETE CRUISES THROUGH HIS FIRST ‘ASSIGNMENT’
PETE Marron left Lancashire at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities as a freelance consultant. Peter, 53, had been at Old Trafford for
three decades and became one of the most respected groundsmen in the country. So highly regarded was he that, in 2006, the county awarded him a benefit, an almost unprecedented award for a non player. “Peter has been thinking about this for sometime, and it’s something he and I have discussed at length over the past couple of months,” Lancashire’s chief executive Jim Cumbes said. “He's been Head Groundsman here for 25 years, and there are things away from Old Trafford he would like to do, and felt if he didn’t do them now, he never would.” “To my mind, he has been the best
groundsman in the country for years. And I know he doesn’t win the top awards, but they tend to go to those with the flattest pitches, not necessarily the best cricket pitches! You just need to read the comments made by the England team and touring sides over recent years, and they are always full of praise for the pitches at Old Trafford.”
“He has just completed installing our new £600,000 state-of-the-art drainage system and outfield. It’s not the last we
will see of him, as I fully expect him to be driving the re-orientation of the square when that takes place at the end of 2009, it’s just he won’t be here on a full-time basis.”
On making the decision
Peter said; “Not many people can come to work each morning and honestly say they love their job, but I can. However, when you’ve been doing it for as long as I have, you get to a point when you need a new challenge and
want to use your knowledge in a different capacity.”
“Lancashire and Old Trafford is a massive part of who I am. I’ve had the best and the worst of times whilst working here, and over the years some work colleagues have become my closest friends. But there is a big wide world out there, and you just know when it’s time to pass over the reigns and try something new.”
One of his first ‘freelance’ jobs was to swap rainy Manchester in November for Miami to give his expert opinion on the world’s first cruise ship lawn. He flew out to the United States to offer his experience to staff looking after the lawn
aboard the new 122,000 tonne Celebrity Solstice.
The 14,000sq
ft area is used by the 2,850 passengers to play bowls, golf
and picnic on during cruises from Florida to the Caribbean. Peter said he thought it was a wind-up by his cricket chums when he received an invitation from the ship’s owners, Celebrity Cruises. “I really did think it was a wind-up. It’s the kind of thing that Freddie Flintoff would do,” he said. “But it has turned out to be a dream job. I’m led to believe it’s raining in Manchester - I’m heartbroken,” he joked. The lawn was developed using lightweight clay and volcanic pumice as a soil substitute to keep the weight down. “I was intrigued to see the lawn because it is something unique and it just goes to show what incredible things can be done these days.”
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