EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS Getting Personal
Neil Smith - a rat up a ladder would be something of a concern!
Who are you? Neil Smith, Facilities Supervisor (Grounds) at The King’s School, Chester.
Family status? Married to Lynn, with Robin (5) and Frankie (3).
Who’s your hero and why? My dad. His outlook on life. He was a farmer, so his work wasn’t just a job; it was his life. And he loved cricket and gardening.
What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Now, being able to put all that I’ve learnt over twenty years into practice.
If your younger self saw you now, what would they think? He’d be chuffed with where I’ve been and see that I’m contented.
Which famous people wind you up? Politicians. I think they should work together, instead of being in parties and having agendas.
What job would you love, other than your own? Test Match Special commentator.
A wasp lands on your arm - what do you do? Look after it.
If you could domesticate any animal, which would you choose as a pet? My favourite animal is the great grey owl, although I wouldn’t be in favour of domesticating things. I think they should be allowed to stay free.
What was the most
embarrassing moment in your life? I got locked outside of my house once, and I had to spend the night sleeping on a bin bag.
Brexit or Remain? Remain. I don’t believe in countries either. When someone asks my nationality, I find it hard to say ‘British’ or ‘English’. We’re all together.
What is your favourite film? I quite like Grosse Point Blank.
What scares you? Rats and heights.
What would your autobiography be called… and who would play you in the film? Getting the Most Out of Life. I’d play myself.
What is your favourite sport? Cricket.
64 PC October/November 2018
What would you cast into Room 101? Politicians.
Which historical time and place would you most like to visit? I suppose I could say more than sport, couldn’t I? But, I would have loved to be there when we won the 2005 Ashes series. Maybe even celebrating in The Oval dressing room.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? For my family, friends and myself to be happy.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? John Lennon. Nelson Mandela. Ian Botham.
What's the best advice you have ever been given? After my dad died, my mum told me not to let it ruin me and to still get the most out of life.
What’s your favourite piece of trivia? I heard the temperature extremes have caused polar bears to migrate south through Canada, where they’re mating with grizzly bears. The cubs are called ‘Pizzlys’, if polar paternal, or ‘growlars’, if grizzly paternal.
What’s your favourite smell? A really nice cheese. I’ve been enjoying soft Irish cheeses recently.
Which three songs would you take to a desert island? I most enjoy house music, and they’re not really songs and don’t have names.
What’s your favourite piece of kit? I liked it when it’s verti- drained and striped.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Friendly. Positive. Loyal.
Finally, what is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16- year-old groundsperson? Take your time. Regardless of whether you have the best tools, the important thing is that you take your time. I’d prefer my assistants to fail to complete their daily jobs, whilst doing them well, than to do all of them badly.
Mark Jones, Head of Estates (left) with Neil Smith, Facilities Supervisor (Grounds)
that have to be considered carefully.
Our biggest outlay since I started in the role has been the Toro Groundmaster rotary fairway mower. The finish on our previous mower wasn’t that good. People say you want a boring machine. That’s what I look for in our machinery, and you get that from the Toro. It’s used year-round. They just feel well-built, like the door-close in a luxury car.
We have demos brought in. The Groundmaster has rollers on the back, so we can do the two jobs in combination. We also combine the cuts of the rotary and cylinder mowers, to stand the grass up nicely, then finish them off in the other direction. We didn’t always contract for our major maintenance works, but it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve ever taken. Their machinery
is top-quality, and they have one of everything.
If I had any further wishes for what we could get from our renovations and major work, we might consider using a Koro on the cricket squares, maybe on a 10- year cycle, and possibly start an annual rotation of using one on one football pitch at a time - but, we’d need extra time between terms. We did once Koro off our first team football pitch, and afterwards we laid pure ryegrass down without any of the poa involved and very little coming through. I must admit, it did look really good.
The flip side of that was
the extra feed it needed. It needed more than the other pitches, and we needed two types as well. Everything you do has a knock-on effect. The finish was amazing, though. Mark and I have
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