Message Board - Cricket: for all those who helped
1 Oct 2008 by Martyn Snell
with my last topic,
i have since met with the management of the club im at , and after a heated meeting , the cricket chairman said a few things that severely irrritated me , questioning my professionalism etc etc i have handed in my notice and start work with a landscaping firm in 4 weeks time on more money and a company vehicle,thanks to all who have helped me on here especially to jon Taylor for his advice etc .
hope to be back in the industry full time in a few years but until then im keeping my hand in at wiseton cricket club on a part time basis aswell.
Thanks guys
1 Oct 2008 by Mike
By the sounds of things you will be much better off Martyn.
Best of luck in the new role!
1 Oct 2008 by mario
I'm sure the contributors to the original thread wish you all the best in your new venture.....
.....Now where do we send our invoice for consultancy?
Martyne Snell c/o ???????..............LOL !!
I know no boundaries.
2 Oct 2008 by Grassman2011
Another man lost from cricket, what is it with these chairman ?
All the best Martyn, i wish you well.
I wonder who's next ?
2 Oct 2008 by petermarkcraig
Sounds like cricket chairman are going the of the typical Golf greens chairman....................and that's not good, not good at all 
Of course the grass looks good. The sun is shining.
2 Oct 2008 by Brian Robinson
itcould be me the chairman of barnard castle c c is intefering he as just got the job and as started interfering on the ground not even consulting me about things he just goes over my head last sunday he wanted to cut the outfield i would not let him quoting health and safety this led to a heated arguement i have done the job for 15 years when i started they were threatened with being thrown out of the league now they are being congratulated by the same people on how good it is its all been done on a low budget and hard work he the chairman keeps threatening me with the commitee i feel as if ive been used even the captain of the last 15 years will not surpport me he just says he does not want to get involved an example of the chairman was when he played a game when i said it was not playable what do i do
2 Oct 2008 by Vic Demain
Brian,
There a quite a few of us in similar situations, being told what to do by people who consider that having played the game for a number of years believe themselves to be experts in the preparation of surfaces over those of us with years of experience and knowledge. Unfortunately this situation is something we have to live with and will never change. Sit tight until you find a better position, bite your tongue and continue to take their money - if you are paid.
Bath,
Yesterday I went for an interview at a venue where there is no cricket, this is after 13 years preparing pitches at all levels of the game culminating it County Championship and South Africa warm up games in the season just past. If offered it I would go like a shot.
These people are all very sad and narrow minded, however people want and expect more now and there is little loyalty left in the workplace.
2 Oct 2008 by Brian Robinson
you are both right a perfect example of the new chairman was when i was doing the end of season work i asked for help none came he texted me to say he hed a gang of lads coming to tidy the ground surrounds and he wanted the key for the garage to tidy that out i told him the garage was ok ana i did not want any tom dick or harry playing about with machines thats when he threatened me with commitee wheres the loyalty i thought the captain would back me after all those years i now do not get invited to meetings i think it is because i speak my mind i do get payed but only in cricket sseason
2 Oct 2008 by Andy Matthews
As I have put on another thread I have had all the same problems, I worked my a**se off at a ground for 5 years, turning it from a bag of crap into one of the best in the league, constantly getting high praise from the opposition and umpires, so much so that I had other grounds asking me to do theirs, subsequently I went self employed, within 2 months because they werent getting hours of work for next to no money anymore i had the chairman having a go at me and slagging me off on the square one night, baring in mind they were only paying for 6 hours a week, I had been spending 11 hours a week on the square alone previous to that, the previous 5 years counted for nothing, I resigned 3 days later to concentrate on the other clubs, they still haven't got a groundsman. The chairman at both the clubs have had words with me about certain things but it's never descended into arguments because it's always been a business relationship, therefor it's not personnel. We now have an excellent working relationship. I would encourage any groundsman who has a good name in their league to get out there and find another club that appreciates them, it's the other clubs loss.
2 Oct 2008 by jlawrence
I'm not going to say I don't have disagreements with the committee and chairman because I do - though they are always settled over a pint or two.
Perhaps I'm just lucky :).
No one does anything on the ground (including playing a game) without my say so, I didn't even ask for that to be the case - it was suggested to the committee by the chairman.
Our chairman regularly comes down and helps out by cutting the outfield for me and he always asks first.
A good example, of my relationship with others within the club, that comes to mind is after renovating the main square someone questioned whether it had been scarified or top dressed at all - my first answer was what the bloody hell do you think I've just spent the last 2 days doing. He said 'well I can't see the top dressing' - I just said 'thankyou' and carried on with the practice square. I do fully expect to be explaining tonight why he can't see the top dressing - I was quite chuffed with how well I'd worked it into what was left of the existing sward. I still think he must have been blind not to be able to see it on the ends - but in the middle of the tracks you do have to look quite closely.
I do speak my mind to any one fool enough to question something. So long as you do it politely (ish) then I don't see that should be a problem with any committee. I also tend to poke my nose into areas which aren't strictly anything to do with the ground - like finance. My reasoning is that I (the ground) is (along with the overseas player) the largest expense that the club has - if there is likely to be problems with financing anything I'm likely to want to do then I need to know asap. If I know about it then I can think of ways to raise the finance.
One thing I do that I think makes for a good relationship with the committee is that I write reports for their meetings. I report on what has been done on the ground - including things that were a success and things that weren't - and also things that are going to be done in the next months. I think it helps to form a good relationship by keeping them up to date with what is happening on the ground. Many of the problems I've come across with committee's is simply down to the fact that they don't understand what we're doing (let alone why we're doing it) and this is invariably down to a lack of communication between grounsman and committee.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
2 Oct 2008 by OLDZIMMER
Hi, i am in the enviable position of being Chairman and groundsman. So no problems there. Until the time i hand my resignation in, will he take it!!!
However there are times when some players tell me that a couple of balls stayed a bit low, so i should dig up the pitch.
As Chairman i tell em, when they have same experience as the groundsman then they can make these stupid remarks . 
2 Oct 2008 by jlawrence
LOL @Patrick.
For those players who say the pitch should be dug up just cos a few balls stayed low you could suggest that they come and visit me.
My main square has recently (last few years) been completely rebuilt - and guess what, some balls still stayed low.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
2 Oct 2008 by Grassman2011
But some nearly your nearly took your hat of as well, ay Jon !!
I have a newly laid square, i had balls keeping low once the wicket had got to dry.
New square, whole new learning curve.
2 Oct 2008 by Brian Robinson
i relaid the whole of the square i told the commitee and players it would take at least 4 years for it to settle down this 1 st year it played quite well odd balls keeping low but otherwise ok the chairman does the 2 nd team paper report what does he write in his report that pitch did this and did that and certain players could not get to grips with the pitch the chairman also plays for 2 nd team why write that in the paper i asked he said he could write what he wanted nothing to do with me the same man ihave known for alot of years he now treats me like a piece of crap it looks like he wants to get rid of me but why groundsmen are hard to get
2 Oct 2008 by Chris Thornton
When i took early retirement at 50 (GREAT!) I went to Myerscough College to learn all about Sports Turf and whilst I was there I thought it prudent to do a bit of practical work at me local cricket club by helping the groundsman to do his renovations and drink coffee. I asked him about feedback re his pitches and he related to me that after the first team had been skittled for not a lot the Chairman had made a remark about the "wicket" (AGH) not being so good!
"Nothing to do with Eldine Baptiste then," was the groundsman's reply!!
Just shows doesn't it and this from an ex first team-er.
A couple of years ago Charl Langeveldt (South African) was our pro and on one memorable Saturday he took 8 wickets in a wonderful sustained attack on the opposition batsmen.
No remarks about the quality of the pitch to the then groundsman, that day!!
Next year will be my first,I took over on 1st Aug this year, (just before Noah sailed past!!) and I will try to get 'em hard and flat and nowt else and I will not be perturbed should "not a lot" be scored.
Cricket balls have seems for a reason and pitches are different, from one to t'other 'cause of nature and it p11111s down in England, more often than not.
All these things make the game of Cricket what it is, the best team game ever invented. If they can't cope with the vagaries then let 'em play pool or better still darts!!
My balls were always low. lol
"He not busy being born is busy dying"
3 Oct 2008 by mario
Listen guys, no matter what you do or don't do you ain't gonnae please all the people all of the time. FACT!
At a previous ground where I was in a voluntary capacity we were hosting a representative cup final.
50 over per side match with the first innings being 328 for 8. Second innings 288 for 9. A good day was had by all even the losers!
In the bar afterwards, the captain of the losing side was thanking me for the quality of playing surface whilst in the company of our club chairman.
What do you think the chairman said - " Yes it was quite good, but one ball kept low" !!!!!! Over 600 balls bowled and "One ball kept low"? There's no pleasing some people.
I know no boundaries.
6 Oct 2008 by jontaylor
Martyn,
I'm sorry to hear your news, though you're possibly better off out of it - especially with a new, better paid job.
I'll hear more tomorrow at the junior nets - the chairman won't be there but the secretary will.
What's their replacement plan? Will batman summon up Robyn? If so there'll be interesting patterns on the grass as whiskey guides him along. What are the rugger boys planning to do?
The ciderman rolls
6 Oct 2008 by Martyn Snell
ginge,if u know him is going to mark out the rugby pitches once every 2 weeks, and sweep the changing rooms twice a week.i spoke with robyn today about it he said he would not take it on again,unless the club seriously changed the structure etc.i will see you at next groundsman meeting to talk more then . thanks
martyn
6 Oct 2008 by jontaylor
Yeh, I know Ginge - his lad plays in the U13s.
Did you get any end of season renovations done?
Good luck at Wiseton - is the thatch going? Last time I played there a few years back it was spongy as my belly! Still, I got a hatful of runs that day, and not of the toilet variety.
Jon
The ciderman rolls
6 Oct 2008 by jontaylor
Yeh, I know Ginge - his lad plays in the U13s.
Did you get any end of season renovations done?
Good luck at Wiseton - is the thatch going? Last time I played there a few years back it was spongy as my belly! Still, I got a hatful of runs that day, and not of the toilet variety.
Jon
The ciderman rolls
6 Oct 2008 by Martyn Snell
no not that ginge , ginge im on about is 67 year old from rugby lot, yep wiseton very spongy taking it all up this saturday deep scarification all day long
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