Summer Sports - Cricket
GETTING Personal...
Sarah with ICC Elite Umpire Bill Bowden
foundation degrees in Sportsturf and Sportsturf Management at Myerscough College, plus her time at New Road and the SWALEC, and she eventually headed out to Perth last November, returning in mid-March of this year. “During my time working at the
WACA we had temperatures of over 40O
C, especially during the men’s Ashes
test, and it was interesting to see how they prepared the pitch.” “The soil comes from a place called
Waroona, which is situated about an hour south of Perth. The clay content is over 70%. They use couch grass varieties; on the wicket block it is called Grand Prix and, on the outfield, Green Lees Park.” “Preparation begins by cutting the
grass to the preferred height and watering until the right moisture level is achieved. Then they do the first roll with a light roller (1.9 tonne), which is done really quickly. They keep rolling until the surface becomes dark, which is achieved by pushing grass into the wicket. Grass clippings are added to bare areas on wicket.” “Once the required amount of grass
has been pushed into the surface, they wait for it to dry and then seal it with a light roll, which is carried out for twenty minutes at hourly intervals. Once the desired compaction has been reached, the 2.7 tonne heavy roller is used, adding more grass clippings if needed, again at hourly intervals.” “They leave more grass on and just
roll it in. When they vacuum and water after the match finishes, it just stands back up.” “Before leaving work each day we put the covers on. They don’t have hover covers or ro-ros, they just use hessian on the wicket then put flat sheets on top of that. They don’t use any wheel covers or anything like that.”
Watering is a constant “The day before a game, the wicket is
marked out and, on game day, is cut, rolled and re-marked.” “There were six staff in total, Matt and his colleagues Jack, Louis and Rory, myself and James Reynoldson from Wormsley Cricket Club. We worked from 7.00am to 4.00pm each day but, if the weather was good during a match day (when isn’t it?) then we would do split shifts from 6.30am to 1.00pm or 1.00pm to close of play - three on, three off.” “As you might imagine, James and I
went really quiet at the end of the Test - England lost by 150 runs and with it went the Ashes.” Sarah says that, in all her time in
Perth, they only had four days of rain, and two of them were on match days! “I also had an opportunity to go to the Boxing Day Test match at the MCG in Melbourne which was another trouncing for England, this time by eight wickets, and I was also able to play a bit of cricket myself for South Perth Ladies Team.” “I was fortunate to meet both the England men’s and women’s teams. The ladies fared much better than their male counterparts, beating Australia by 61 runs in their Test at the WACA.” “We were also preparing pitches for
the Western Warriors four day matches (a bit like our County Championship), and it was also good to be involved in the Big Bash Twenty20 competition, which Perth Scorchers won in the final at the WACA. That was, perhaps, my most memorable experience, but it was all great.” “I had a fantastic time in Perth and
have made some very good friends. I’d love to go back again at some point, if I can get my working holiday visa - and if they let me in!”
Who are you? Sarah Addison Assistant Groundsperson at the SWALEC Stadium.
Family status? Single.
Who’s your hero and why? Dominic Cork, because he showed a lot of passion on the cricket field and was the first player I watched when I was younger.
What would you change about yourself? I would make myself taller.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Chocolate.
What do you drop everything for? Family, football and cricket. Glass half full or half empty? Half empty. Climate change - fact or fiction? Fact. What’s your favourite season? Winter.
If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? Back home to Southport. What’s the best part of your job? Working outdoors. … and the worst? Removing water off sheets!
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To be the first female head groundsperson at a cricket ground!
Favourite record, and why? Da Doo Ron Ron by The Crystals, because it’s sung at Southport FC games!
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? Michael Owen.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Pay off my student loan.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Be yourself. What’s your favourite smell? Freshly mown grass.
What do you do in your spare time? Watch football, listen to music and watch films.
The start of the Big Bash Sarah and friend outside the MCG
What talent would you like to have? To be able to sing.
PC JUNE/JULY 2014 I 91
Sarah Addison - Cork, Owen and chocolate back home in Southport sounds ideal!
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