CRICKET Getting Personal
Gary Barwell - if you see Christian Bale walking around Birmingham, look again!
Who are you? Gary Barwell, Head of Sports Turf and Grounds, Edgbaston Stadium.
Family status? Married with two daughters Evie (15) Megan (11).
Who’s your hero and why? My grandad - just a big influence on me and I’m a lot like him.
What’s been the highlight of your grounds career so far? 2015 Ashes - my first Ashes Test pitch.
If your younger self saw you now, what would they think? Hopefully he’d be proud!
Which famous people wind you up? Anyone who says things for effect.
What job would you love, other than your own? A football coach.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life? I haven’t got one.
What is your favourite film? The Wolf of Wall Street.
What scares you? People unhappy with my work.
What would your
autobiography be called… and who would play you in the film? A Little Bit of Barwell Magic ... Christian Bale (apparently he looks like me).
What is your favourite sport? Football.
What would you cast into Room 101? People who ask if I’m Gary Barlow from Take That.
Which historical time and place would you most like to visit? The Battle of Bosworth in 1485, as I grew up locally.
Do you have a lifetime ambition? To design my own house.
Which three people, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party? My dad, grandad, and Sid James.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given? Always give 100%.
What’s your favourite piece of trivia? Anything Sport or Only Fools and Horses.
What’s your favourite smell? Creed (aftershave).
Which three albums would you take to a desert island? Anything from Snow Patrol, Queen or Oasis.
What’s the daftest work- related question you have ever been asked? Can I add an extra 2mm of grass on!!!!
What’s your favourite piece of kit? Allett Buffalo mower.
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Passionate, honest and dedicated.
What is the single most useful thing you could tell a 16-year-old grounds person/greenkeeper? Never give up on your dreams
What talent would you like to have? I would like to be able to change the weather.
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? Fair pay throughout the grounds industry.
Gary and his team with the first gold roller delivered in the UK as part of Auto-Roller’s centenary celebrations
partners or families, but one lad was living on his own in a house share, so we encouraged him to go back to his family.” “We normally have a decent amount of holiday in winter, so the second lockdown wasn’t so bad for those who were then put on flexi-furlough, but I’ve worked through.”
He aims to stagger the workload so that everyone gets a good work/life balance and lieu days can be taken fairly. “When getting ready for practice for example, I only need two groundsmen to come in on each day of the weekend to take the sheets on and off. Mark Johnson has responsibility for
A role for synthetic materials
Along with near neighbour and friendly rival Worcestershire CCC, Edgbaston has been trialling hybrid pitches since 2016. “I looked at various systems used in football and got some really useful advice from Alan Ferguson when he was at St George’s Park,” explains Gary. “We decided to trial SISGrass, which is a yarn stitched in 9cm below the surface, and a year later met with the ECB to discuss our findings.” Installed on wickets 15 and 17, the hybrid grass is virtually indiscernible from a fully natural wicket. The surface is ready for play six weeks after installation and match preparation takes slightly longer - up to a day more, he reckons. “They look good. We’ve used them for all levels of cricket and, once the teams work out the effect on the ball, there is no
the training ground, so I’d rather have him all week and let him have the weekend off. It’s a long season, from 15th March, when training starts, to 20th September.”
If the easing of restrictions progresses as planned, a sense of normality could return this summer, with spectators a possibility for the Test Match in July. “It’s important to remember that precautions are still needed, however. We keep to 2m apart, check temperatures and the lads know not to come in if they feel unwell at all. It’s not difficult due to the nature of the work, but we obviously can’t afford to have an
Natural and hybrid wickets side by side - little visual difference, maintenance the same, but extended wear from the SISGrass strip
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PC April/May 2021
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