INDUSTRY
Cranfi eld United FC
Are you a volunteer or paid staff ? Wes Matthews (WM): Volunteer.
Matt Stevens (MS): Volunteer, committee member and reluctant player. John Thornton (JT): I am a volunteer.
Paul Clarke (PC): I’m a part-time groundsman.
Philip Harper-Scott (PHS): I am currently being paid to look after three greens; two on a full-time contract, whilst the other one - the club undertake the cutting during the playing season, but I still do all other work on the green.
If on the payroll, were you furloughed at any stage?
PC: I off ered to work for free during lockdown; to maintain the facilities and ensure things would be ready for when we were given the green light to return to play.
PHS: Covid did not have any eff ect on my workload, except for the green I lost.
How did this aff ect you, both personally and at work?
PC: I was fortunate, as I still had my full- time Royal Mail job during lockdown. The cricket ground is based on the Enville Estate, who were keen to limit numbers during lockdown. I was one of only two people allowed from the club onsite, whilst attempting to ensure we were ready to go.
PHS: The only real eff ect was that the greens did not get played on enough and I only played six times myself.
Were you able to continue working on your pitches/facility, even if it was just basic ‘grass cutting’?
WM: We were able to work both on the pitch and in the clubhouse. As a volunteer groundsman, I wasn’t furloughed by the club, although I was furloughed from my full-time work. Personally it eff ected me as I run my own business, so the uncertainty was a worry. Being able to get onto my pitch with the mower and cut the grass once or twice a week helped me stay positive.
MS: Yes. My full-time job allowed me to work from home, so I managed to fi nd time to regularly attend the venue - in an attempt to
keep on top of things during lockdown.
PC: Yes, but I didn’t have the usual volunteers from the club to assist.
PHS: After communications from Bowls England and the clubs wanting to commence play, things just carried on as normal. I ensured that I was the only person at the club when I was up there working.
Other than the governmental restrictions in place at the time, did your club/facility place additional restrictions on you?
WM: The gate was to be shut/padlocked whilst people were onsite.
MS: None. Although, some of the other helpers are generally older members of the playing fi eld committee and were reluctant to attend during the early weeks of lockdown. This meant that I took on responsibility for the whole playing fi eld including hedges, boundaries and our children’s play areas, as well as the cricket pitches.
JT: None.
I want to gain more
knowledge to improve the pitches I care for. I have a
strong passion to do this as a full-time job
Enville Cricket Club 14 PC December/January 2021
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