to go through to get the money - time being something that voluntary staff don’t have much of.” Groundsmen in a similar position should always pursue
different avenues and, most importantly, seek advice from their peers, Peter urges. “The really good aspect of this industry is that people are always willing to offer advice about what works for them. No one grows protective about their methods. A little push in the right direction can be a
great, and potentially, cost- saving help.” Midhurst were lucky enough to be the beneficiaries of a grant from the Spen Cama Association, a fund available to clubs in Sussex as a bequest of the millionaire who died earlier this millennium, and one that has helped smaller concerns afford machinery purchases and
maintenance work. “Sussex clubs are lucky to have
recourse to this fund but there should be more options like it available,” believes Peter. “Machinery isn’t cheap after all.”
Knowing how to put your club in a
strong position to apply for funding is the hardest aspect of the process, he adds. “It’s part of the job of the ECB to make sure money goes to the most worthy causes.”
Achieving ECB accreditations, such as Clubmark and Focus Club, is a significant step forward in applying for funding, he says, and Midhurst have gained them in part due to their strong youth focus. Financial support received from the Community Cricket Development Fund, also arising from Peter’s persistence, helped pay for necessary maintenance work such as irrigation and koroing back in 2007, he explains. “We needed support to carry out these larger jobs, and the koroing is definitely something I would consider doing again. The problem for a smaller, less frequently maintained, club like us is that, unless you have a good solid loam base, koroing can take a lot off the top. Despite this, the job was a success and the pitch played much better the following year.”
The condition of the pitch has witnessed a marked change since 2006,
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