Summer 2008!
while growing up in Yorkshire, so I had always wanted to be involved with the game in some shape or form,” he reveals. “The short game was my early passion, which is why I’m such an advocate and fan of the Twenty20 format now,” he continues.
He gained his first post at Redcar
Cricket Club where he learned his trade, before moving on to fellow north-east clubs, Marske and Middlesbrough. It wasn’t until 2000 that he made his
career-changing switch, moving to the south-east to join Ealing Cricket Club. “That was a huge culture shock for me, to move from the north-east to the heart of London,” he confesses. “At one stage I nearly moved back up there, but I stuck it out and, since settling in, I haven’t looked back.” As Kent look forward, anticipating outfield improvements at Canterbury to
add to the leisure and housing expansion, Andy knows how critical it is for the playing surfaces to continue to improve, a responsibility he is relishing in his first full season at the club. “The only stipulation given to us by the team is simply to prepare the wicket to the best possible standard we can. It’s essential that I liaise with the playing and coaching staff, and where I can inform them on playing conditions.” “All in all, team relationships are
strong at Kent, and they tend to let us get on with it and don’t interfere too much with my job.” Kent captain Rob Key is sometimes seen as an outspoken figure, holding strong views on aspects of the game. Andy rejects that view though, maintaining that “in this job you have to speak your mind if you want your voice to be heard. One man’s honest view is
THE CUTTING EDGE
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Summer 2009
another’s outburst, and I admire someone who is willing to speak their mind.” “As head groundsman, my voice is always strong,” explains Andy, “but money is always the main factor to what gets done. My needs and the needs of the pitches always have to be weighed up against the whole site, as there are many different facets to the job. Maintaining a regular programme for the two sites is what I focus on,” he adds. The year-round maintenance
programme usually starts the summer before the new season, so from September the team are already laying the groundwork for the following year. “We begin by selecting the wickets we want to use for the new season and prepare the net areas, removing any thatch and debris,” he explains. The square houses nineteen wickets,
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