Summer Sports - Cricket
Gravitt are among the best apprentices to graduate from the Sussex scheme, but Brian is concerned by the growing difficulty in sourcing committed young staff. “The demands of the job appear to put some off,” he says. “I’ve seen many come through here who don’t really have a grasp of what’s involved. Sometimes, they see it as a cushy number where they can sit out and watch cricket all day. The reality is that you need the confidence to make tough decisions on your own and be willing to work long hours. For some, the rigours of this profession are just too much.”
Those who do make the grade benefit
from one of the most demanding training programmes around, shaped with care and attention by Sussex CCC, who adhere to a skills checklist that ensures ground staff are well armed for a career in the industry, wherever it may be.
“I take the training very seriously and 1st and 2nd team square
we could spend at Goring, and the fact was, I was over-servicing. When a position became vacant at Sussex, I applied and was offered the Senior Groundsman post at Blackstone, moving here two years later to take the head’s job.”
At Preston, Brian’s helped by an annual flow of apprentices and developing groundsmen who often share
their duties between Fulking and Blackstone. Ben Stapleton-Denyer is the latest in line - one of the best recent prospects to develop through the ranks in, what Brian believes is, an increasingly shallow pool of young talent. “Sussex is committed to train apprentices annually, but it hasn’t made the job of finding good staff any easier,” he grumbles. Chris Geere, Dan Gibb and Matt
like to be thorough,” states Brian, “which is why Sussex like sending apprentices to me. I put them through their paces.” The improvements to the original club have all been carried out in keeping with the idyllic village setting, utilising Sussex flint construction - even the groundsman’s shed has a certain panache. A total of £1.5m was pumped into the clubhouse and renovations, which began in 2002, a year after Spen’s death.
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