Summer Sports - Cricket
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Our Chairman only retired recently, and the rest have largely been involved in commerce. That’s a necessity, due to the expense and value of the place
The seasonal nature of the work suited him early on. It allowed him to work in Parliament during the winter months, where he worked for the MP for the City of Durham, and fellow Doctor of Philosophy, Roberta Blackman‐Woods.
This was as a Research Assistant, which entailed a balance between research and completing chores (think Chris Addison in ‘The Thick of It’).
Talking to him in the expansive pavilion, I couldn’t help thinking about the price the building might fetch if the cricket club decided to sell on instead of playing on membership fees.
He told me that the value was probably into the tens of millions, and the houses in the surrounding area can often sell for upwards of £3 million.
However, the club was founded on a ‘covenant’, typically honour‐driven as cricket traditionally was. It is written into the club like a sovereign state’s constitution, requesting that all future administrators ensure the ground will only ever be used for cricket.
Gareth Shaw (left) with Oliver Wilkin
On top of this, the club is open 365 days per year for commercial and social purposes. Also, as the area is so populated, those on nearby streets use the club’s bar as their local drinking venue.
Whereas we were just a cricket club, we now had winter sports too, so we were employed year- round instead of just seasonally
The pitch is rented out, whenever free, for corporate matches and event. The function room adjoining the bar area is rented out too, and sees frequent use. These factors combined result in a cashflow sufficient to continue the club’s viability as a business. Gareth said: “As a club, we’re run very commercially. The cricket is central, but the committee and trustees we have here are business people.”
“Our Chairman Gareth only retired recently, and the rest have largely been involved in commerce. That’s a necessity, due to the expense and value of the place.” Oliver Wilkin is a former professional cricketer and Gareth’s Deputy Head. When asked his age, he replied, “I’m 25… I think.”
92 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
Gareth and Ollie are the only groundspersons.
Whilst Gareth has been at the club since
February 2006, Ollie has just completed his first year of full‐time work, having seasonally helped for the previous two. Ollie has played for Ealing since he was seven years old. He played for Middlesex County Cricket Club for around three years, before suffering a career‐ending shoulder injury.
Not wanting to abandon the sport entirely, he continued to play for his hometown club, whilst switching his emphasis from pace bowling to opening the batting, to prevent further damage. Finishing his final summer out of the professional game, it suddenly struck him that he would need to find new work, and Gareth had fortunately just realised he was to need additional help soon.
This was because the club have worked, in the last few years, to acquire another two sites. One of these is a multi‐sport venue, one is listed as a different cricket club, ‘Ealing Hanwellians CC’, and the two men will likely continue to maintain all three. The multi‐sport area at Popesfield Sports Ground, also in Ealing, was renovated as a joint project with Ealing Borough Council. It was derelict, having been out of use for nearly thirty years.
The council invested significantly, and
Ealing CC won an open bid to partner up with them and invest heavily too, their reward being a thirty year lease on the ground.
Since then, other investors have become involved, including: London Marathon Charitable Trust, ECB, John Lyon's Charity, Sport England (Lottery Funded). Overall spend has been over £500,000. Ealing began to use the facility during the middle of the 2017 summer season, and have leased it to semi‐professional Hanwell Town FC over the winter.
This, of course, affects Gareth and Ollie directly. “Whereas we were just a cricket
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