Pesky stump stickers
from today, with the young French team helping me remove a rain soaked cover, and also having a mass ‘skipping rope jump’, whilst we were ‘roping’ the outfield to remove moisture from the surface.
The Spanish team had a day off today, so much of our day was spent in the company of the young Spaniards, who are a credit to the country that they represent. I believe that many things like this are often missed when we talk about cricket, but I believe that the forming of relationships with the players, umpires. scorers and officials is vitally important, and these are the moments that make events such as this for me. Rest Day!
Match day 4: Bad weather forecast for
today; however, when I arrive to work, the weather is fine, so I make the most of the opportunity before the poor weather comes in to get some extra preparation done on KWC1. We only have one game scheduled today - Belgium v Israel, on KWC1. The game is delayed for thirty minutes, but the skies are clear, the pitch is dry, so we are all waiting to get play underway. This happens at 11.30am, with the Israel team opting to bat first. The batting goes well, with Israel soon racking up the runs, until 1.50pm, when the heavens open. A decision to take an early lunch is made, so everything is shut
Rain clouds gather over the hills
down until the rain clears. Israel rack up 195-9 to take the victory. Match day 5: More rain… bit of a
recurring theme. Everything is under cover again, so most of our work is directed at the outfield, addressing any areas of standing water. The start is delayed for one hour as the light but incessant rain looks like it is in for the day. Fortunately, the rain does clear, and enables us to finally get things under way. With the damp atmosphere, and soil, combined with a thatch issue at KWC2, we are left with a ‘soggy’ pitch, which is very inconsistent in the morning, but becomes easier to bat on in the afternoon as the temperatures start to rise. In this instance it really is a lottery, and whoever wins the toss is at a distinct advantage. The Isle of Man win the toss, and put Spain in to bat. This is a very difficult position for the Spanish, and they are all out for 79. As the Manx come in to bat, the sun starts to shine, and the pitch dries out. The Manx team went on to win comfortably, and now face Denmark in the final tomorrow. We set everything up for tomorrow’s two games, but leave the covers off in the hope that the wickets will dry further, before returning to work late in the evening to cover the wickets before the forecast rain comes in.
As I arrive back to work, I take a moment to watch some of the Manx team playing football with the French players… this immediately brings a smile to my face. Shortly after, two great moments for me - firstly, the Gibraltar coaches approach me, seemingly over the moon (and slightly inebriated!!) at their first win of the tournament earlier in the day against Germany, and give me two bottles of cider, and compliments on the work that we have done during the tournament. On paper, you could say that Gibraltar have had a poor tournament, but I would say, and more importantly than any results, that they have had a good time - the look on their faces was priceless. Secondly, a young Spanish player came out to help me with the covers, We had a good chat, and talked a lot about my job - the young man expressed an interest in a career in groundsmanship… you can’t buy moments like that. Match day 6: Finals day - rain! Today we host the 1st v 2nd place playoff on KWC1, and 5th v 6th on KWC2. As I arrive into work at 6.00am, I am faced with a problem. The torrential downpour overnight has soaked KWC1, and we are left with a nasty wet patch right on a length. This is not what we wanted for the final. KWC2 is playable, so we get that game
Where is everybody?
Mike marking out
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