Message Board - Cricket: Staying motivated
20 Apr 2011 by Jim D Last edited 20 Apr 2011
Hi, long time reader, first time poster.
Im club captain/groundsman of a small league club who play in a nice location but is unfortunately also public land.
Always down there, during work lunch hours, after work, sometimes even before, and from 8am on match days (sometimes too knackered to toss the coin and pad up by 2pm!)
I just wondered if anyone else has to deal with constant bullsh!t like their square ropes getting nicked, kids playing football up against the pavilion, bikes ridden (& skid) over the square, abuse when asking teenagers to take their impromptu game of rugby away from the edge of the square.... oh and disposibly bbqs directly on the outfield!
Sometimes wish the summer could be a washout just so I dont have to put up with all the above!
How does anyone else stay motivated in the face of mindless disrespect to their beloved grounds (especially when just an unpaid valunteer?)
20 Apr 2011 by Magnum
Jim,
I have several appraches to this:
1. If you have no control over it, don't get stressed about it
2. A lot of club's suffer from this. You are not alone. They are not just picking on YOU.
3. Moan to someone. Anyone, even the wife. It might get you a grumpy reputation but it gets rid of some of the stress. Don't let it fester.
4. I try to educate the offenders by explaining why they are causing a problem. Hopefully, this builds up a culture of respect for the pavilion/square. Just shouting can be counter-productive.
And most important of all I REFUSE to allow them to spoil my enjoyment.. If you do allow this, then they have won.
Good luck.
PS - Having a colts section helps as it spreads the culture of respect.
Tony
20 Apr 2011 by mark pembroke
hi Jim, same as you felt really down when rope cut for 3rd time, gate stolen, roof damaged yobs hanging around. But with the support of commitee and council i have put up steel rope, got police to patrol more regularly, and have gone halves with council and had cctv installed. Feel much better as things are improving, just have to get a dog walker fined for messing on outfield. Keep chin up and get other people involved.
20 Apr 2011 by Jimmy Cricket
Well jim your not alone; Got a phone call on sunday just gone,3.30 to say the my office had been broken into and so had the changing rooms at the sports grond. Turned up to find world war three had broke out completely trash everything. They had peeled back a steel shutter to get in. Even stole Air ambulance collection tin money, what low lives. All new post and rail barriers around changing rooms which i had bought, constructed to imrpove ground presentation had also been smashed. Ropes and barrier fencing around square all broken down and burnt through with a lighter. Phoned old bill,for the 40th time, yes thats correct 40 times, turned up hours later only to say they could do nothing. Took me all day monday to repair office & changing rooms which left no time for important work on the square and out field.Thought about camara's but social club says costs to much. Insurance? No chance excess £1000.]mad [
Tractorman
21 Apr 2011 by barry glynn
So sorry to hear your plight boys. Most of us have been there. I live in trepidation every day I turn up. No matter what part of the country you are in , this nastiness is an issue.
The scumbags rule in many walks of life unfortunately. An alarm system can help.
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
21 Apr 2011 by seanmichaels
Exactly the same boat as you Jim. Skipper the 1's, do the pitches, and on the commitee. Biggest problem I have is with the cricket itself. Like you I get there around half 8 on match days, cut the square / pitch, mark the boundary / fielding restrictions, and then go through the admin crap with the umpires. Teammates then ask why i bat myself at 10 and stand at slip. If it wasn't for my old man driving 2 hours from the west country to help out i'd be finished. If anything was to go (and i'm giving it thought at the ripe age of 32), it would be the cricket.
No real problems with vandals or theft. We had a rope cutting problem and a sight screen cover disappear about 8 years ago. I had a friendly word with a neighbour who the club was in dispute with and although the sightscreen didn't show up, the ropes never got cut again
21 Apr 2011 by jlawrence
getting on well with the neighbours is essential. they'll often see what's happening and if you get on with the they'll tell you who it was. once you know who is wrecking the place you've a chance.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
21 Apr 2011 by mark pembroke
Jim, i think your best move is to install cctv, we have 3 cameras, infra red, with a harddrive that records on a constant 2 week loop. This has cost us £2600 with £250 annual maintenance which we are going halves with the council. Im sure that 1 camera would be a lot cheaper, and it could lower your insurance premiums. We have seen an instant improvement.
21 Apr 2011 by Pat Skires
"just have to get a dog walker fined for messing on outfield"
His dog must be ashamed of him.
Skires
21 Apr 2011 by barry glynn
Sean, don't give up cricket , you re a young man. Give up the captaincy maybe
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
21 Apr 2011 by jontaylor
Agree with Barry.
People ask me why I never captain the side.
Then I tell them how much time getting everything ready takes. Captaincy is the easiest thing to give up - you can always play "senior player"
I also agree with many other comments. Use connections to find out who is doing the dameage and then talk to them, if you can. I understand my rural village louts with bottles of Diamond White and a golf club might be very different to inner city thugs with needles and knives, but I can only advise from my experience. Relations with the youth of our village are always on edge, and each summer I wait to see who is going to be the next challenge, but I've yet to meet a kid who doesn't eventually leave us alone enough to coexist.
The ciderman rolls
23 Apr 2011 by Mike
There will always be fun and games with this type of thing... par for the course really.
I had to accost a right muppet this morning. We erected a set of nets last Thursday, had one training session in them, despite the weather being a bit iffy. Had a torrential downpour last night, and here I am in work through the easter hols, trying to get ready for the start of the new term. Then, hey presto, this muppet turns up with his son, and proceeds to start padding up. I'm literally 20 metres away, and they don't even acknowledge me, so I waddle over, introduce myself, and ask them what they are up to. They fancy a quick session to "get back into the swing of things" - this is where my blood starts to smoke, so I inform them that the standing water on the ground is courtesy of last nights downpour, and that given that fact, the ground is closed. Further to this, I find they have no links to our ground, and are members of another local club, who have an astro net facility for their use. I ended up having to remove them from the ground with something larger than a flea in their ear... honestly, the mind boggles sometimes...
Mike
23 Apr 2011 by A J Last edited 23 Apr 2011
Mike,
I feel your pain. Having spent the past three weeks returning the winter pitches back for the summer term all reseeded, topdressed and coming along nicely often watering till 10pm. Last Sunday the only day i had off went off walking for the day. Only to get a phone call from the bursar to inform me that he had to ask some parents with their kids playing rugby over what was previously the pitch to leave after giving his reasons in doing so. The parent couldn't understand why all the sprinkerlers were going off and that they were a trip hazard! And suggested that it would be quicker and less muddy on his feet if the pitches had been re-turfed? 
it was a bl%dy good job i was on top of kinder scout in the peaks. Cheek i can put up with but not ignorance.
Andy.
Grow in grace...........
23 Apr 2011 by Mike
Not pain, Andy, just sheer amazement that anyone could be some dumb!
By the sounds of it, the chap your Bursar had a run in with must have kids at our place too... there are some real beauties out there!
Must say I like the sound of your Bursar - few that I have come across would do what yours done, with that said however, I have seen our 'Bursar chase people before now!
Agreed on the ignorance - cheek, I can hold my own with pretty much anyone (apart from Barry Pace 
), but ignorance is something that I have little time for.
Mike
23 Apr 2011 by A J Last edited 23 Apr 2011
Mike, its not that i have a real problem with the odd parent turning up with is kid to kick a ball around. I would normally move them on to another part of the ground wile repairs are under way. But it was just a coincidence that the bursar was there. He only rang me because he said it didn't seem right them using the grounds wile the all the hoses were out and pitches roped off.
I've been lucky having worked for two good bursars here. It can make a he'll of a difference moving forward. My misses is a school bursar so we are both respectful of our positions.
Andy.
Grow in grace...........
23 Apr 2011 by Mike
Same goes here, Andy. I generally don't have a problem with people using the facilities, but it annoys me when people ignore signs, or other cues that suggest that the areas are under repair/not playable. Even moreso when a member of staff is present, yet they still just carry on regardless - I class that as disrespectful.
I actually watched the chap today turn his back to me when he noticed I was heading towards him, and then act surprised when he got a tap on his shoulder... there's a word for people like that...
Mike
24 Apr 2011 by Mike
And low and behold... just got a phone call from our security guard... said muppet is back again... time for a stern word methinks...
Mike
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