Summer Sports - Cricket Andrew Wallis
Whilst at the University of Nottingham, studying Environmental Biology, I became a member at Nottinghamshire CCC and fell in love with county cricket. I was looking at trying to combine the use of my degree with my love of the game, but was unsure how to.
Right at the end of my degree, Trent Bridge jointly hosted the World Twenty20 in 2009 and I volunteered there for the tournament. After having had a fantastic time, I was speaking to an ECB volunteers coordinator who suggested I might enjoy being a groundsman and offered to help set up some work experience to help me decide.
This led to doing two weeks at Wormsley, after which I knew this was absolutely the career for me. I continued volunteering and learning from both Simon Tremlin and Simon Morse, whilst looking for a job within the industry. Eventually, this led to a being employed part-time and then full- time once Garsington Opera moved to the estate and we were taking on more work throughout the estate.
James Reynoldson
My first Job was working for JMS Sport UK in Keighley, West Yorkshire, building and delivering cricket and other sports equipment (mobile covers, sight screens) all over the UK and Ireland.
I was working at Aston Rowant Cricket Club in early 2012 and my boss decided to go and meet his friend Simon Tremlin at Wormsley. I fell in love with the ground as soon as I saw it and, luckily, Simon was looking for someone to work for him for just a month or so, so I jumped at the chance - although we were both about six pints deep! I left home three days later and they haven’t been able to get rid of me since.
I met Cameron Sutherland (ex head curator at the WACA) whilst he was visiting sports facilities in the UK. I basically asked him for a job at the WACA everyday until he agreed (again about six pints deep). If you don’t ask you don't get.
I worked out in Australia at the WACA during the summer of 2013/14 and loved every minute of it. I Iearnt so much about working at a Test venue and realised that’s what I want to do in the future (hopefully overseas). I didn’t really want to leave!
Hopefully, I’m going to be working at Newlands in Cape Town, South Africa for some of the winter this year.
74 I PC JUNE/JULY 2015
Head of England women’s cricket, Claire Connor, presents Anya Shrubsole of England with a cap during day one of the Women’s Ashes Series
One of several greenhouses used for propagation
preparation regime which, unlike the usual 10-13 day preps usually carried out by groundsmen, is somewhat different. In Simon’s case, he leaves his grass length at 12mm, until three days before the game, using pedestrian rotary mowers. These do a great job and help clear up any surface debris. Pitch prep starts twelve days out, beginning with a decent soaking of the pitch, if required. He then rolls the next day, usually 3 x 30 minutes sessions with the two tonne roller. This is repeated the following day and thereafter, every other day with reduced rolling times (between 15-30 minutes). Essentially, he likes to roll the grass into the surface. “If you roll grass into the surface, and get the soil and grass very dry, I find the ball skids through quicker, thereby helping to improve pace, which batsmen and bowlers want.” “I tend not to do any scarifying or cutting
until three days before the match. I’ll then reduce the height of cut using my faithful Lloyds Paladin, scarify using a pedestrian Sisis Combirake and keep the grass dry. I rely on a good surface density of grass, rather than be dictated by length or colour of the grass.”
Simon has used this method of
preparation to prepare for the England women’s one day international pitches, using just a rotary mower and a verticut scarifier, and by concentrating on thinning the density and getting the grass and soil really dry, and rolling the grass into the surface. “The results have been amazing,” confirms Simon, “with wickets offering good pace and bounce. The other bonus is the fact that, because I have not rolled it to death and cut it too short, recovery after matches is much quicker; after a dose of water, overseeding using a Blec seeder and a light dressing of loam, the grass is back up and running after five days.”
With so many high end corporate events being held at Wormsley, Simon is mindful that the whole estate should always look its best, so presentation skills come high on his agenda.
Simon lives on site, so is always on hand to
oversee any emergencies or last minute hitches. His partner, Charlotte Rose, also works on the Estate, in charge of all the gardens and production of flowers and vegetables, which are in constant demand throughout the year. The two acre walled garden is divided into
four ‘Garden Rooms’, each as unique and exquisite as the other, offering guests the
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