CRICKET
One of the wettest and windiest winters on record will be behind him, enough to challenge the hardiest of salaried grounds professionals, let alone a volunteer one such as Rafe. Westgate’s ‘dynamic duo’ grounds team of
W
Rafe and Gary Sandwell have their work cut out at the best of times, without the trauma of turbulent weather. As a qualified umpire, however, Rafe can peer down at all the good work the two of them have put into creating a cricket square that’ll stand up to a packed fixtures calendar. “I’m excited about the 2020 season,” declares Rafe. “The club is welcoming a fresh influx of players, all under thirty years old, and that bodes well for our future.” Westgate-on-Sea is run wholly by volunteers - a fact of life for much of the grassroots game. “To run a cricket club is not cheap,” says Rafe, “and to take up the sport sets you back a fair bit - £150 for a decent bat, £50 for pads and gloves and the same for a helmet.”
hen Rafe Kelly takes the field at Westgate-on-Sea Cricket Club on 2 May, he’ll preside over the first fixture of the season.
Competing in the Kent Regional Cricket
League, Westgate-on-Sea enjoyed a successful 2019 season – its first XI finishing third. Now as the renamed Premier (East) division (after winter restructuring by the KRCL) starts the 2020 programme, Westgate is confident knowing it commands the playing strength and numbers to thrive in the sometimes sorry state of grassroots cricket.
“Most people think doing the ground is
easy, but I can tell you hand on heart that it’s far from it,” states Rafe, who points the finger at the game itself for making his task tricky. “The biggest problem with cricket is the sheer amount of it nowadays. On Saturdays we start at 1.30pm usually, rarely finishing before 7.00pm. Then there are the T20 fixtures as they really carve up the wicket - too much in my view.” Sundays will see Rafe and Gary repairing the strip played on the previous day - one of nine on the square - then leaving it to recover for at least a month.
“If you add together the nine first XI and nine second XI home games, we have to prepare each strip at least twice for a fixture, and that’s not easy,” Rafe continues. “We’ll spend up to an hour and three-
quarters repairing a single strip, mainly the holes and run-up through wear and tear created by the batsmen and bowlers.” “After raking up the loose turf, we sweep it up and vacuum off, before sowing new seed, with fresh loam. Next day, we use our 1.5 tonne Poweroll, leave the strip for one to two days then water, water and water, hosing it from the pipe at the edge of the square.” Rafe breaks off for a moment to recall the old days. “Westgate used to tour the region for a week, taking in Bexhill, Bournemouth, Brighton and Eastbourne. The team consisted mainly of the older players, with fewer family commitments, but we stopped it two years ago as numbers had fallen away.” Formerly in the Kent League, with its 50- over fixtures, Westgate is “keeping its head above water” says Rafe. "We’re ranked among the top three clubs in the area, behind Sandwich and Broadstairs.” “I was never much of a player,” he adds. “I bowled, but made up the numbers really and gave up the game at thirty-two as I wanted to be an umpire.” He gained his ECB ACO qualification thirty years ago and now, at sixty-eight, is still enjoying his passion. In that time he must have had one or two
PC April/May 2020 97
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