CRICKET I don’t know what we are going to do as an industry to attract


more people, it is a difficult one and cleverer people than me have tried to sort it out in the past. I believe getting involved in the industry most of the time comes from being interested in cricket, golf, football etc.


”


Westhoughton’s modern clubhouse


W


hat first caught my eye when I entered the car park at Westhoughton was the pristine-looking outfield - which was all striped up


and ready for play - and the impressive, modern-looking clubhouse. I have known Rob Bennett for quite some


time, and it was interesting to see how his career had moved on since his time at Rochdale Football Club. While I was at Oldham Athletic AFC, we would be on the phone most weeks discussing our similar situations. Rob has found his way back to doing what he loves the most - looking after and preparing cricket wickets - which he has been doing since he was fifteen, beginning by helping out his dad who looked after Astley & Tyldesley Cricket Club. “After leaving school, I was given the wrong careers advice and ended up going


into joinery. If I had been given a choice to go into groundsmanship, I would have done, but that wasn’t an option back then. I gained most of my experience as a groundsman whilst working with my dad, cutting the outfield and preparing the wickets for free. When I turned twenty-seven, I was given a chance to start my career in the sportsturf industry at Wigan Athletic FC through Rob Turnbull, the club’s head groundsman. I started as a groundsman at Orrell Rugby Club (also owned by Wigan Chairman Dave Whelan) but, after a year there, I was moved down to Wigan Athletic’s training ground where I spent a few years working under Rob.”


“From Wigan, I moved to Middleton


Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire League, where I took over from Ian Mather Brewster as their full-time head groundsman. I spent eight really enjoyable years there before moving to Rochdale


Football Club to take over from Olly Makin, as head groundsman. My first game was in deepest darkest winter - and it had been snowing - so that was a baptism of fire – or should that be ‘snow’! After what was a tough and difficult time for me at Rochdale, I had two months of getting my head right.” “I was keen to get back into cricket full- time and saw an advertisement for a head groundsman at Worsley Cricket Club, so I ended up there. A week later, I saw that Farnworth Cricket Club needed a groundsman and I got that too, and I was also doing Heywood Cricket Club part-time.” Rob now had a good base to start his own business. “It works well for me as I can earn more money being self-employed; it is the best thing I have ever done to be fair. Last year, I heard, on the grapevine, that Westhoughton were looking for a groundsman and, after I went for a first and second interview, they said they had heard


PC August/September 2020 97


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