Summer Sports - Cricket
GETTING Personal...
Colin Watson - an eclectic mix of accents at his dinner party, including the Queen?
Who are you? Colin Watson, Chairman, Rugby Cricket Club.
Family status? Partner Lisa.
Who’s your hero and why? Any volunteer - why do we do it?
What would you change about yourself? Relax more - I can’t sit still for too long.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Wine.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far? It would be brave of me to call it a career, but obtaining the grant(s) to extend and improve our playing facility were decent achievements. Getting us up and running almost from scratch in three months was a challenge.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Richie Benaud, Seve Ballesteros, Ray Winstone - Three valued opinions.
If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be and why? Any wicketkeeper - I would love to have the opportunity to keep again after doing it for over twenty years.
Do you have any bad habits? Of course not.
... or any good ones? Attention to detail - I know it annoys others.
Do you go to bed worrying about the next day’s workload? I try not to, unsuccessfully.
What are you reading at the moment? I’m just finishing Harold Larwood’s biography by Duncan Hamilton. Next read, MJK Smith - No Ordinary Man.
What are your pet peeves? Grass with poorly presented lines. Lack of respect and bad manners.
If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be? The Alsace wine region.
What’s the best part of your job? A ground and wicket presented to the best of our abilities with the sun shining on it.
… and the worst? Equipment breakdowns.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To live long enough to get a drink out of our secretary!
Favourite record, and why? Anything by the Stranglers. They pushed a few boundaries in the early days (no pun intended).
76 I PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015
square from November through to the end of January (65mm, 85mm and 100mm). Additionally we sarrel and cut ourselves. The early signs are positive and I believe that, if we continue to listen, learn and push a few boundaries, the facility we provide to members, guests and the community will continue to improve. I have great respect for
Who would you choose to spend a romantic evening with? Helen Mirren.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Keep it a secret.
If you were to describe yourself as a musical instrument, what would you be and why? A piano - nice to listen to, but difficult to move!
What is the best advice you have ever been given? Treat experience and knowledge of others with respect, but don’t be frightened to challenge or develop it.
What’s your favourite smell? Grant money!
What do you do in your spare time? Spare time? I used to play cricket and golf, but the back hasn’t allowed that for a while now.
What’s the daftest work related question you have ever been asked? Heavy rain all match day morning, covers and sheets on square - Question: So, which track are we on today? Answer: The green one to the left of the covers!
What’s your favourite piece of kit? The Autoroller. Our previous one was a very old split rear wheel type - a nightmare to get the creases out on a damp one. It’s also our most reliable piece of kit!
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Loyal, considerate, genuine.
What talent would you like to have? To get a drink out of the Secretary.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? I’m not sure you would print my suggestions!
Six new tracks were constructed by Woodward Turf Care ...
professionals in the trade and, for that matter, anyone who can’t simply erase an error. Have a surface perform consistently well and you will hear little about it; have it perform below par, or not as expected on an occasion, and it will create much debate. Perhaps at professional level it is then, at that specific time, the industry needs a better opportunity to be heard? We carry out our entire end of season renovations ourselves. We basically renovate by cutting to 8mm and cleaning, followed by a cut to 4mm and another clean. We currently hire in scarification equipment. The article by Andy Mackay
at Sussex CCC was invaluable in that, last year, I was very cautious about how aggressively we scarified. This September, we slightly decreased the height and increased the number of passes and directions. We began by cutting again to remove debris, then scarified as per Andy’s recommendations, before overseeding with Johnsons Premier iSeed. The square was then fertilised using Maxwell Autumn and Winter 3:3:12, before being topdressed with seven 20kg bags per track of Binders K Pitch dressing. We spend around £1,000 on average
each year on square renovations. Next year, I may research using a pre-seed fertiliser during autumn renovations. Hopefully, together with the new winter works, the wicket performance will continue to improve next year. I will be cautious whilst learning but, at the same time, I am very keen to see what works best for us longer term.
During the winter, we will
continue to cut the square, when necessary, to 20mm with our SARP PRO rotary. The outfield will be maintained at 25mm. In the spring, we will apply Lebanon Proscape 25:0:12 MESA 100% Expo and, during the season, an application of Maxwell Advanced Generate 12:3:9+2MgO+2 Fe. The fact that there is rugby
played on part of the outfield is, sadly, a significant downside to our ground’s performance and appearance. We have issues with greater plantain, which had been fairly invasive on predominantly the rugby pitch after renovations. Through time, this weed has been encroaching on the remaining cricket outfield so, over the past two years, we have engaged a contractor to spray our outfield with Headland Relay P, when the plantain is actively growing. It’s a cost we could certainly do without. The general restoration of the rugby pitch is funded by the local borough council each spring. The cricket club maintains the remainder of the ground annually at its own expense, but would happily undertake maintenance of the whole ground should rugby not be played on it. I’m really
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