Summer Sports - Cricket


The Head Groundsman at Ealing Cricket Club has two jobs - he is also a doctorate- educated, elected Councillor for the Walpole ward. Jake Barrow meets Gareth Shaw, whose wife laughed at him when he said he was going to become a groundsman - he didn’t get her vote!


C


llr (Lab) Gareth Shaw, 40, said: “Ending up in both jobs was a logical result of my background. I grew up very close to the cricket club at which I played in my


hometown, Hull. When I was fourteen or fifteen, and breaking into the 1st XI, the volunteer groundsman, Dave Craker, asked if he could give me a shout for help if I was ever heading past.”


“And the politics happened because I’ve always had an interest in it. I think there is a dissonance between the two interests, but this one worked because I have an academic background ‐ it’s a PhD in History, which suits the politics.”


“I took this job because I was going to move to London anyway to live with my now‐wife, a native Australian who was already living and working here.” “I needed something to do, as I didn’t know anyone in London and naturally wanted to work. I saw the advert for this job, and prepared to tell her.”


“I had been doing this voluntarily for so long, I thought I may as well turn it into real work. I told her about the advert, saying ‘I might work as a groundsman over the summer. What do you think?’ And she laughed at me.” “’At least you’ll be bringing money in’, she replied.”


Ealing Cricket Club


Good turf requires labour...


90 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018


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