Never again!
Mike Atherton, Head Groundsman at King William’s School on the Isle of Man, provides a diary of events during the recent ICC Division 2 Under 19’s Tournament
“NEVER again”… they were my words following our last ICC Tournament - the first time such an event had been held on the Isle of Man. Why “never again”? I don’t recall much of that week, but I do remember tiredness, an awful lot of hard work, not enough sleep, horrible weather, and what seemed like ‘Groundhog Day’ when it came to running on and off with the covers repeatedly. For me personally, I was also only a couple of months into the position of Acting Head Groundsman - I knew that our performance in the tournament may well lead to a permanent promotion, or failure to make the grade; I won’t lie - I was very nervous during the build up to the tournament. Fortunately, for me, the umpires and organisers must have seen my apprehension from the off, as to whether we would get it right, despite a deep determination and eagerness to go the extra mile to make sure it ran smoothly - they rallied around my team and I, making sure that we knew where we had to be, and when - we were all strangers to one another, yet I recall an
overwhelming feeling of teamwork and togetherness. I look back on that time fondly, as it was far from what I was expecting.
So, after all of the effort that went into the tournament prep, and upon reflection (when I eventually woke up from a well deserved sleep!), I asked myself two questions; ‘Did we pull it off’, and ‘Was it worth it?’ Well, the answers soon followed. I look back with great pride at what I considered to be a job well done. Secondly, ‘Did we pull it off?’ Well, that answer came in December, when we were approached to see if we would be interested in hosting another tournament in 2011… there’s all of the confirmation that I needed to suggest that we did get it right. Further confirmation that we had done alright was made in September, when I was called into a meeting with our Bursar, where he offered me the permanent position of Head Groundsman - as it transpires, much of the decision to offer me the position was based on the performance of our team during the tournament, and the feedback we received… I have a
lot to be thankful for. So, many meetings later, and
here we find ourselves ten days out from the start of our second ICC Tournament - the u19 Division 2 European
Championships. Granted, not full international cricket, but this game is all about levels - two years ago, we hosted school matches and local league cricket - we have come a long way. I now ask myself, where will we be in another two years, or five years time, and I look forward with great anticipation to what the future holds. Anyway, enough stories and
reminiscing, as I already talk too much as it is…
So, the first day of prep starts. I look out of my window… I can’t see the hills to the west of our grounds and, as I look out to sea to the south of us, I can’t see the horizon. This means only one thing… we’re in for it (rain, that is, and lots of it!). At this stage, I am guessing that this isn’t going to be any easier for us than the last time round. Anyway, the show must go on - pitches have already been
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