CRICKET
Getting Personal Norman
Robertson - he wouldn’t let you off lightly if he was a judge!
Who are you? Norman John Robertson - Volunteer Groundsman at Clackmannan County Cricket Club.
Family status. Husband, father to two daughters, with two grandsons and two grand-daughters.
Who is your hero and why? My grandfather - a train driver who was always proud to be with me.
What has been the highlight of your grounds career so far? Very happy to get praise and thanks for what I do. That is what it is all about!
If your younger self saw you now, what would he think? I would hope he was quite happy to be like me when he was older.
Which famous people wind you up? Jeremy Corbyn, but he could not be called famous. A complete nonentity.
What job would you love, other than your own? A judge. No short sentences from me.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? Getting a rope caught in the Dennis FT610 blade and damaging a bearing. I do things a diff erent way now.
What is your favourite fi lm? Brief Encounter.
What scares you. HMRC. What would your
autobiography be called… and who would play you in the fi lm? Tales of a Grass Cutter. Rowan Atkinson.
What is your favourite sport? Golf.
Which historical time and place would you most like to visit? The fi rst man on the moon.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To be happy.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? The BBC weather girls.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Always treat other road users as complete idiots.
What’s your favourite piece of trivia? Where would you fi nd a capuchin?
What’s your favourite smell? Twenty pound notes.
Which three albums would you take to a desert island? Chicago, Four Tops and Donna Summer.
What’s the daftest work- related question you have ever been asked? Our opening batsman asked why I was cutting the grass during lockdown.
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Dennis FT610 ... it’s just excellent.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Proud, critical and self- motivated.
What is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16-year-old groundsperson/ greenkeeper? Take pride in everything you do.
What talent would you like to have? Play my guitar.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? Political correction to be abolished.
David Henderson 76 PC October/November 2020 Clubhouse
Norman is always learning by his mistakes and has adapted how he sets up a wicket. “What I used to do was put out my thin rope, get it all measured up and run my mower down the line at a lower height of cut than the rest of the square to defi ne where the wicket is and take the rope away. This was fi ne until a few years ago when the wind picked up and blew the end of the rope into the cutting area, and it just caught the corner of the blade drawing the line into one side of the mower and damaged the bearing shell. This had to then go to Henderson Grass Machinery to be fi xed, which came at a cost, but it was
a lesson learned. So, what I do now is I put my two cords out, and I use white line marker and every six or seven yards I will put a dot. I then follow the dots with the Dennis, that way I can’t do any damage.”
“My fi rst cut after putting the white lines out will be at 10mm, which gives a bit of distinction. Then, I will get the Graden out and scarify from the bottom crease to bottom crease as I like the bit where the bowlers plant their feet to be a little bit tighter. This has saved an awful lot of wear and tear on the square. As I am building this pitch up, I will use the scarifi er twice. I will then reduce my height of cut gradually till I get to 6mm. In-between each cut, I will use the SISIS Lawn Rake, being mindful not to cut in too much, especially if the wicket is quite dry, as it could start to break up. Then, by the time I have fi nished preparing the wicket, the grass will be sat at the height of 4mm. Preparing a pitch to me is a minimum of ten days, and if you do it any less than that you will get heavy wear and tear on your square, and we do not want that.”
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