Jabber from the hut ...
I
t speaks volumes about a community that a groundsman’s hut is an integral part of it, but that is Guernsey cricket. In the summer months, the visitors we get at our small shack at the King George V Playing Fields (known by the natives as the KGV), near the island’s west coast, are numerous and regular. The lure of an afternoon’s cricket, combined with an ever-burning barbeque and well-stocked fridge, seems to keep bringing people back and, when we stage the big matches, we are often overrun. It is also an intriguing fact of this small-knit community that, on our full- time groundstaff of two, we boast a current international cricket captain in the number.
My assistant, Stuart Le Prevost, is Guernsey skipper and has, in the last six months or so, overseen two highly successful World Cricket League divisional campaigns, including wins over the likes of Malaysia, Norway, Nigeria and Japan.
Alan Hamilton, Guernsey Cricket Board’s Head Groundsman, steps out of his hut to talk about cricket on the island
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He, and a part-time staff member John Mountford, work with me to provide wickets for cricketers of virtually every age and ability in Guernsey - from Business House teams in friendlies up to Stuart’s own island side in International Cricket Council sanctioned tournaments. We basically cater for all and sundry, both on and off the pitch. My experience before taking on the
role in the island was nothing out of the ordinary. I was heavily involved in Boughton Cricket Club in Northamptonshire whom I captained for about 12 years.
It was a typical club cricket in the UK
where, as captain, you would make the teas in the morning, go to cut and roll the wicket before going out to toss up and, if you were batting first, you would go out and umpire as well! That was what cricket was where we played. I did about six years part-time doing the club ground. One of the regrets I have is that I just had to pick up and learn about groundsmanship as I went along. It would have been great to work with somebody over a period of time who was a professional - basically like an apprenticeship - but I did not have that luxury.
It was through Jason Shambrook, someone I used to play against in Northants and who I got to know, that I came to Guernsey.
Jason, who is now cricket development manager on the island, came here to do some coaching and was also asked to help the then part-time groundsman, John Cockayne, with the square at the KGV.
Jason and I had been on courses together and, when the Guernsey Cricket Association started talking about
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