CRICKET Getting Personal
Andy Butler - communicate, listen and remain ... and don’t show off!
Stuart Broad in action
Family status? Married to Sharon with two teenage daughters - Mollie and Tillie.
Who’s your hero and why? Booby Stokes - making a six year old cry with joy (1976 FA Cup final).
What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Probably preparing Newclose Cricket Ground for the recent County Championship game.
If your younger self saw you now, what would they think? He’s worked hard and done okay for himself.
What job would you love, other than your own? Head Greenkeeper - based on one site - sounds appealing, without the stress of running a business.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? Dislocating a shoulder showing off diving into large waves.
Brexit or Remain? Remain.
What is your favourite film? Pulp Fiction.
What is your favourite sport? A couple of years ago I would have said football, but now it’s definitely golf.
What would you cast into Room 101? Cricket players who walk on freshly painted crease lines and bowls players that put their woods on the green when I’m still mowing
Do you have a lifetime ambition? Not really. I just try to give my girls guidance and the best possible future.
60 PC August/September 2019
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? Whitney Houston, Freddie Flintoff and Louise Redknapp.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Communicate.
What’s your favourite smell? Coming home after a long day and smelling my wife’s cooking. I imagine that must be a nice smell.
Which three albums would you take to a desert island? Lionel Richie - Can’t Slow Down; Sister Sledge - We Are Family; Billy Joel - Piano Man.
What’s the daftest work- related question you have ever been asked? When a playing surface is flooded and players ask “is it playable?”
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Tough one. It depends on the season. Spring working on a bowling green - Sisis TM1000. Autumn working on a cricket square - tractor mounted Graden. Winter working on golf greens - Air 2G2.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Conscientious, hardworking, grumpy.
What is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16-year-old groundsperson? Listen.
What talent would you like to have? To be able to sing.
An overseeded used pitch - it won’t be used again this season
second innings. “I’d have taken that if you’d asked me at the start of play,” beamed Andy. And was he nervous in the run-up to the game? “No, not at all. I know we have a quality ground here, from the pavilion, to the hospitality marquee, the outfield and the square; and you can’t beat the setting either.” “It was intense though and I only relaxed once the game was over. I found the experience enjoyable only then, and I look forward to hosting the county XI again very soon.” Crowds exceeding 5,000 visited over the four days, with a good number travelling from the mainland. Sadly, for all those involved in Newclose, Brian Gardener passed away in February 2015 and never saw his ambition realised. The original square, constructed by Speedcut, comprised ten Ongar Loam pitches. Over time, Andy has added another seven by heavily scarifying and topdressing with Ongar. These are used by junior sides, often with a two matches being played at the same time. A
safety net separates the two games across the centre of the square. “We will have accommodated around seventy games by the end of this season, which looks like being the new ‘norm’. A few years back, when Ventnor were relegated from the Southern Premiership and returned to their home ground, we dropped down to just thirty games. That was a fairly relaxed season for me but, of course, that affected bar takings and important revenue for the club, so I’m actually really pleased our fixture levels are back up again.” Andy is very much a family man and he fully acknowledges the part his wife played in allowing him to start up his business. “It was very much a joint decision. Sharon had a well- paid job and, with my Plessey contract secured, I knew I’d have some money coming in but, of course, I had to buy new machinery if I was going to be able to expand the business, and that would mean considerable financial outlay.” “In addition, she was bringing
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