“It’s like the lifting of the bonnet to a car mechanic. Without it you’ve no idea what’s really going on and what you need to do”
conditions, cricket pitch work is a pressure job at Caterham School, no question of that. I have to say I’ve seen many a county ground with squares no better than this. I watch as a group of senior boys make their way to the nets. They circumvent the whole of the outfield, taking a longer path route rather than a short cut across it and the 400 metre running track. If ever there was a demonstration of respect for the privileged sporting facilities at their disposal, this was it. It was, of course, an unspoken compliment to the work of John Dodwell and his department too.
The 400 metre running track looks immaculate. The grass is at 35mm for early season use but, when it’s cut down to 18 or 19mm for races in June and July, the good youngsters can turn in really impressive times,” says
John. The sprinter turned groundsman in him remarks; “ Who needs a tartan track?” The track is always mown
before it is marked out to full international standards, and this is done once a week by transfer wheel marker. It takes two of us forty-five minutes to an hour to complete the job, then a further forty minutes or so to dry completely. It is always a matter of looking for a ‘window of opportunity’ that fits into the sporting curriculum, he says. “Early in the day is often the best time, but many’s the time I do it solo after school hours - the bane or bonus of living on site, depending on which way you look at it.”
I suspect John wouldn’t live anywhere else.
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