Sunday Service with Church and Vickers

Episode 27 - Groundswoman at Lords Cricket Ground, Meg Lay

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 42:27

Welcome back to the Sunday Service with Church and Vickers - we hope you’ve all had a peaceful cricketing week.

This week, Mark and Hector are joined by a trailblazer in the sports turf industry.

Hailing from Christchurch, New Zealand, she made the jump over to England in 2022, where she began work for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. 

In 2023, she led the first fully-female groundsteam in the UK, and prepared the wicket at Edgbaston for the first T20 of the women’s Ashes series. 

Among a whole host of awards that she has racked up since joining the industry, perhaps the most notable one was winning this year’s Young New Zealander of the year.

Now, she is a director at the Grounds Management Association for Next Gen, and is into her third season on the groundstaff at Lords.

Meg Lay joins the show to chat through her incredible career in the grounds-world, the work she does to attract new people to the industry, and any advice that she has for people looking to join.

Also on the episode, Church and Vickers continue their new, hard-hitting, segment; "What cricket sound is this?" - and Churchy delivers a sermon focusing on the omniscient 'Mother Cricket'.

A huge thank you to Meg Lay for making the time to come on this week's show and deliver such a fascinating insight into an industry that deserves far more time in the spotlight. 

Another big thank you goes to our friends at Newbery Cricket, who are offering up their award-winning SPS bat for this month's competition giveaway. You can read all about it via the following link: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-features/the-bat-test-2026

You can also check out the premium equipment that Newbery has to offer here: https://newbery.co.uk/

If you have liked this episode of Sunday Service, please make sure to rate and review us, and share us on social media platforms.

Make sure to get in touch, we want to hear your cricketing thoughts and guest suggestions:

Email us at: sundayservice.pod@yahoo.com

‘X’ - sundayservice22

SPEAKER_03

Hello everyone, and thank you for joining us again on the Sunday service with Church and Vickers. We hope you've all had a good cricketing week and are enjoying the sunshine. It might just be me. A cricket always feels better in the sun, wouldn't you agree, Church?

SPEAKER_02

Aye young Hector, I would certainly agree with you on that. There's nothing worse than being a cricket when there is that annoying wet rain. As opposed to the annoying dry rain.

SPEAKER_03

Famous voice, very voice. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Sunday service with Church Figures. I've been planning and preparing because I'm off on another overseas mission, leaving the old man on his own to run the parish and keep an eye out for the cricket. Churchy, how has your week been?

SPEAKER_02

Extremely busy, young Hector. A mix of cricketing and domesticating adventures. Mum had a new boiler fitted. And thank you to Ian for doing a brilliant job. Some high power meetings involving blue sky thinking, whatever that is. And of course getting ready for Surrey Against Essex, where we find ourselves today, having witnessed a hard-fought opening day at the Kear Oval in front of a crowd of over five and a half thousand. It's not rocket science, young Hector. Good weather, cricketing facilities, top class cricket equals bottoms on seats. So what's on today's show, Mike, my friend?

SPEAKER_03

Well, Churchy's gonna kick it off with a sermon focusing on Mother Cricket, who is always watching.

SPEAKER_02

She always is. We have another What Cricket Sound is this? And this week it's devilishly difficult.

SPEAKER_03

And our guest today is Megley, the pioneering grounds professional at Lourdes.

SPEAKER_02

And thanks to our friends at Newbury Cricket, we have our competition where you can win one of their magnificent SPS cricket bats. And once again, it is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful piece of willow. And don't forget you can get in touch with us, just email sundayservice.pod at yahoo.com or tweet at Sundayservice22.

SPEAKER_03

Lots to get through, so let's get cracking with the Sunday service.

SPEAKER_04

This is Cameron Steele, and you are listening to the Sunday service with church and vicars.

SPEAKER_02

And that if your bat doesn't fit through the gauge and you haven't actually used that bat, and then an inordinate amount of fuss is made, bringing the game to a halt for 10 minutes and making absolutely no difference to the outcome, I hope your week got better. My goodness, it has been a very busy week in the parish. Monday was spent in Boycott Vicarage, listening to the BBC's magnificent coverage to the conclusion of the third round of county championship matches. I was gripped to the voices of Gibson, James, Howells, Reed, Seabourne, Hand, Rad, Wilford and Toppley. Gripped, I tell you. In fact, so gripped that I did not move from the armchair all day, apart from to make a cup of tea and use the holy facilities. It was marvellous. And I was joined by young Mr. Vickers at the conclusion of the nail-biting finish between Somerset and Hampshire, and he very happily listened whilst eating a round of cheese and pickle sandwiches. Tuesday was the parish visit to hear of any cricketing problems. We are rapidly approaching the start of the season with our first game against the mighty Little Winging, just a fortnight away. Rumour has it that Little Winging have a new employee in the village shop who bowls leg breaks and is also rather handy with an electric strimmer. Young Mr. Vickers has been sent undercover to investigate. Tuesday would have been our late Queen's 100th birthday, and as a mark of respect, the parish met on the parish green and bats were raised. We were a little surprised when Mr. Thompson of the Arts and Crafts shop came dressed as the Queen, but I must say he looked quite splendid and we all ignored his beard. Wednesday, the editorial team of the Parish Gazette met in the village hall. I'm delighted to announce Mrs. Bartholomew is this year being allowed her own recipe of the month column, and it's starting with her pilchard and mango curry served with jacket potato. The parish fixtures are also to be included, but my request for a 2000-word match report on every game was turned down. And I am very much looking forward to Mrs. Watts' review of the WI's interpretation of Apocalypse Now, which went down a storm in the village hall and raised much needed funds for a new birdbath on the parish green. Mr. Arthur's line, I like the smell of freshly cut grass in the morning, was a personal highlight. Thursday was spent with my head in the good book making cricketing notes and writing statistics, because on Friday I ventured to the Ovalshire for Surreyshire's latest championship game against Essexhire, where you find me today. Young Mr. Vickers has once again been left in charge of the parish, and as you may have seen with the picture taken by the parish photographer W. G. Rumblepants, who incidentally is holding an exhibition of his pictures later in the year in the village hall, peace and harmony has been restored in my absence, and young Mr. Vickers has assured me that that will remain for the next few days. So, a busy week in the parish and a very busy week for Mother Cricket. Oh yes. Mother Cricket. For those who do not know, Mother Cricket watches over our beloved game, rewarding those who treat it with respect and punishing those who take it for granted. I do not know whether she has actually been seen at a game, but I always imagine her sat in a rocking chair, possibly knitting, with Tess match special on the radio, keeping a watchful eye on our beautiful sport. Mother Cricket is everywhere. She is watching the casual game in the back garden, whilst also keeping an eye on a World Cup final. And I promise you, she knows. Oh yes, she knows. If a misdemeanor occurs on the field of play, her punishment will be swift and may last for a long time. An example. A batter is playing beautifully and cruising towards a hundred. But they are feeling so good that they then play a casual shot to get out, leaving runs out in the middle. Mother Cricket's punishment. The next time they go out to bat, their first ball will pitch leg hit off, and they will head back to the pavilion, cursing the fact they did not make more of the opportunity in their previous innings. And if she is in a particularly bad mood, she will then make the batter have a miserable run of form until she feels the lesson has been learned. But Mother Cricket also rewards. An example. Sir Alistair cooked 100 in South London in his final test innings. Sir Alistair had not been in the best of form, but he was rewarded against India where Mother Cricket got him to 100 with three overthrows, and there was not a dry eye in the house. She knew what we all wanted, and she made it happen whilst finishing a particularly lovely wooden roll neck jumper in floral green wool. Mother Cricket is also used by coaches on the young to warn them of impending punishment if they do not treat the game with respect. I have often heard the phrase, do not mess with mother cricket, uttered by a coach to a young player. I feel the parish's player coach, Mr. Grant, took it a bit too far when he dressed up like his mother, Mrs. Grant Sr., for one of our junior practices, calling himself Mother Cricket. And it took a couple of weeks for our younger players to recover. So please respect Mother Cricket. And remember, she is always watching, and her retribution can be swift and terrible, especially when it comes to the weather. How often do we see a team dominate a game with the sun shining? Only for it to rain on the whole of the final day. The cricket will have noticed something disrespectful, however small, and her punishment will often involve that away to rain. Just remember she always there. So until next week, you'll slow the balls before the battery. And please, everybody. I've got news for you.

SPEAKER_03

Hit me. Well, I'm not gonna hit you.

SPEAKER_02

There there is rumour that there is a TV satellite channel that's quite keen on taking on board what cricket sound is this. No. But I think if somebody did, it would be a hell of a, hell of a channel. Disney Plus. If they are Sundayservice. They might have other things on their minds at the moment.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Well, in a moment you will be hearing a sound, and all you have to do is tell us what cricket sound is this. So obviously. It's so obvious. Now last week you heard this sound, and the question was, what cricket sound is this. Well that was Churchy taking his stance on a pavement. If you got it right, congratulations. Well done to you. Pretty obvious. Pretty obvious as as we precursed.

SPEAKER_02

If you can tell me which pavement it was, that would be an extra. That's two bones.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, well, now it's time for this week's What Sound Is This? And the question is, what cricket sound is this? Here is the sound. Ooh, I think this week is a little bit harder than the last couple of weeks. So this is the first real test on what's cricket sound is this this week, I believe. But if you think you know, email sundayservice.pod at yahoo.com or tweet at Sundayservice22.

SPEAKER_00

Hi, Matt Fisher, Surrey in England. Um, you're listening to the Sunday service with Church and Vickers.

SPEAKER_02

And now it's time for our cricketing guest. Meg Lay is a pioneering grounds professional at Lourdes with a career shaped by her New Zealand farming background and elite-level cricketing experience. She started at Gloucestershire in 2022, and Meg has quickly established herself as a leading figure in grounds preparation, inspiring a new generation of grounds professionals. She was recognised as the GMA's newcomer of the year in 2023. At Lourdes, Meg applies her deep agricultural knowledge and understanding of player needs to maintain world-class cricketing services. She notably organised, recruited, and led the first ever all female grounds team to prepare an international cricket pitch at Edgeon. So I spoke to Meg earlier in the week, and I started by asking her how she was. So I think the accent's pretty obvious to everybody from New Zealand. Uh came over here, joined Gloucestershire in 2022, but but you spent seven years backing Christchurch working in the agricultural sector. Um how much of that time back in New Zealand working in that sector sort of help coming into the job you're doing now?

SPEAKER_01

It was it was absolutely massive. Um I've I grew up on a farm, grew up on my grandparents' cropping farm where we funnily enough grew a lot of grass seeds, so it's just sort of um filtered through by osmosis, really. Um I did a load of different agri agricultural jobs um driven every type of machinery you can think of. Um and it all sort of is put me in really good stead for this. I can I can sort of pick things up quickly and understand the um you know the the the agricultural science behind what goes into sports too. Um and so there's it has been certainly a really nice link.

SPEAKER_02

You were a pretty good cricketer yourself. W was it was it always was it always the aim to to be involved in cricket in some way, shape, or form?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I I mean I loved I've loved cricket my whole life. Um both of my parents played, mum and dad, and um, you know, my my youth was spent on the boundary watching my dad play cricket out in New Zealand, and so it was just completely in the blood, um, absolutely obsessed with it. And plan A, I I didn't have a plan B, but plan A was to play cricket for New Zealand. That was all I ever wanted growing up. Um and I sort of I got on the right pathway, but um I was a bowler and I ended up getting the yes, which was quite a tough thing to deal with because it's not something that you know it's not an injury that you can go away and rehab and work on, or it's not a technical thing that, you know, there's a few tweaks there, it was just all in my head. Um and so I really, really struggled with my career career ending. And yeah, to be able to do this now, to be at Lords still, I wanted to be at Lords as a player, but now I'm at Lords every single day. Um, prepping the surface for players, it's just been amazing to be able to stay in the game at the top level without actually playing.

SPEAKER_02

Just explain to us how the move over here came about. So you you joined Gloucestershire in 2022. How how did that how did that move over here come about?

SPEAKER_01

It was it was a funny one. It was just an absolute quarterlife crisis, I think, is the only way I could explain it. I just I wanted a change of scenery, um I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with my life at all. Um I I had just come off the back of a three month harvesting peas out in New Zealand, and um I was sitting on a pea harvester at 4am and I just shaked my head. I just I just want to get paid to watch cricket, that would be the dream job. And then yeah, a couple of months later I moved over to England, didn't have a job, just thought I'd travel around for a bit and see what came up. But um I was living with a couple of professional cricket players, uh Fran Wilson and V Morris, and they they came home one day and said that the ground staff at Gloucestershire were really short, so I thought, you know, I'll see if I can I can help out for, you know, a a week or so until they find someone who actually knows what they're doing. But um ended up sticking around there for two years.

SPEAKER_02

And how good was that experience? Because it's one of my favourite grounds, Bristol. I think it's a lovely ground, I really do. Um and uh it's in the heart of the city as well, which I think is so important. But um just that time at Gloucestershire and and the experience of it and and and when you first started, your first day and meeting everybody, what was that like?

SPEAKER_01

It was just incredible. Um I'm so grateful for the two years I did at at Gloucestershire. The club is the club's amazing, it's just full of really, really nice people. Um, and I feel really proud to have worked there for sure. Um you know, day one of the job, um, you know, I was I think I was the youngest in the grounds team by about 25 years, and I don't mind dropping them in it saying that, but they just looked after me so well, and I I'm so lucky my first experience at Turf was just so positive. Um I knew, you know, right from day one, I I started again thinking I was just gonna be filling in for a couple of weeks, and you know, we had it was a game day, we had taken all the covers off, um, I'd learnt how to use a few of the mowers, I'd cut the pitch, which I couldn't believe, and then the game started, and I said, right, what am I doing now? Give me a job. And they said, Hey, just just sit and watch the cricket. And I just remember I was sitting on a tractor watching the cricket, and it was a second division Gloucestershire game, and I just I remember so distinctly thinking, well, this is me for the rest of my life, and I was about three hours into the job at that point.

SPEAKER_02

Us journalists, we think we know what a picture's gonna do, but we look at it and we go and have a look at it, and nobody really knows. How much again, coming from your background, loving your cricket, but there is a real science to this. There's a real science to pictures and what what what one team might want it to do. Again, how much was that a a quick and steep learning curve?

SPEAKER_01

It was massive. And this is coming from someone who understands agriculture and I understood cricket, and I had no idea what went into it. I even, you know, when I heard the ground staff was short, they had five staff members already. And I thought, how how many people do you possibly need? It's just cutting grass. And that's, you know, coming from someone with with my cricketing background. I just didn't understand it. And then going into it, I was completely blind, and I don't think anyone knows what goes into it unless you've done it. Um there is so much science behind it, and there are so many variables in cricket as well. Every every ground is so different, the soil they use is different, the grass is different, the weather conditions, everything. Um and so that's been uh that was a really steep learning curve. And you know, now I'm I'm preparing a few pitches uh here at Lords, and as long as every pitch I'm I'm feeling a little bit more confident with and it's it's getting better, then I'm happy, but it's a real learn on the job type thing. Um I certainly I when I you know when I first started I wanted to find some online manual that would say roll it this time for this amount and cut it this time at this height, but there is none because you can't have that. You just have to learn on the job and through experience from from others.

SPEAKER_02

And the other thing now is and and I I look at ground staff and I have nothing but admiration for the hours you put in and you hardly ever have any time off. But but with the amount of cricket now and and you compare it to even ten years ago and you've now got women's games, you know, there there's the hundred, there's international games, there's all of how tough is it? Because you haven't got an inordinate amount of pitches to prepare, and you have got so much cricket going on at the uh the the the whole time now during a summer.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you're right. I mean, even the last the first sixteen days of the season we had uh one day where there were there was no no game and no training. So um it's a massive undertaking and there's a lot of cricket to be fit in in six months. And you know, there's there's always there's always a chat about, especially during the hundred, that pitches can be a bit slow, but it's very obvious why the pitches slow down a bit. Um we have to keep reusing them. Um you know, if every ground only has so many pitches that um work with TV in terms of, you know, sponsorship placements and um and even just the infrastructure of the TV cables and that sort of thing. And um, you know, we've got free test matches that'll all require fresh pitches. We've got um a couple of other internationals, they will all need fresh pitches, and so we we really have to plan accordingly as to like how we're going to do it, um, which is certainly difficult and not every game can be played on a brand spanking new pitch.

SPEAKER_02

2023 was when you sort of as your name put your marker down in in the fact that you you put together there was the first T twenty uh for the women's ashes, held at Edge Piston, and you put together uh a a fully female ground team. Um what what was that like? Um and getting that team together and then getting that ready for let's be honest, a huge T twenty international.

SPEAKER_01

Quite surreal and um in hindsight now I c I kind of can't believe We pulled that one off. Um it was it came about because I'd I'd been to this uh it was sort of ground staff convention in the southwest of England and there were maybe a hundred hundred groundsmen there and I looked around and I was the only woman and I I s I said to my boss, I s I I said, I'm the only one. He goes, Yeah, mate, you're it. In the whole country at the time, I was the only woman working in professional cricket, and um I just I couldn't believe it. And then I did a bit of digging, and it turned out there's never been any record of a woman ever preparing an international cricket pitch. And I, you know, a couple of years ago at cocky straight into the job, I thought, right, well, I'll do it then, I'll be the first. And then so um, between uh myself and a woman called Claire Daniel, who was the operations manager at Edge Best and at the time, we decided that we're gonna do it for an Ashes match. Um, why not?

SPEAKER_02

And uh Well if you're gonna do one, you may as well you may as well go for a biggie, eh?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, may as well start at the top, which again in hindsight is just insanity, really. Um but yeah, went went to social media and I just basically found every woman working in sports turf in the UK and uh got them all at Edge Best and then and it worked out, the pitch was alright, it was an it was an awesome game, and um I'm I'm so proud of that one. But again, in hindsight, can't believe it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and and you mentioned there you went to the conference, you were the only woman at the conference. H how how do you see that changing? Because now we have so much women's cricket as well, and obviously it's turned pro here. Uh how how do you see that developing to get more more women into into the job you're doing?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, look, it's it's not um it's not necessarily the the the PC answer here, but I don't care who's coming into the industry as long as we're getting more people. Um, and that's because I'm so passionate about women sport, because these women need to be playing on the on the best venues possible. They need to have the best pitches um across all sports, you know, rugby, football, um, tennis, whatever it is as well. And uh to be able to deliver that we need a lot more skilled staff that we are struggling to find at the moment. And so if we're currently only appealing to men, that's not good enough. We need to be appealing to absolutely everyone because we need everyone who's interested in this. Um places are crying out for staff, um, especially skilled staff. And if you're keen and you're and you're willing to sort of put the time in, people will invest in you. And so, yeah, it was it's it's more about getting generating the interest with from anyone.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

What's it like having your office at Lord's? What what what is it what what's it like walking waking up and thinking, yeah, it's another long day, but but actually I I'm I'm just going into work at the home of cricket.

SPEAKER_01

It's like totally surreal. Um it's such an honour to work here. Um I obviously I've watched games on TV that were played here at Lords my whole life, and um, you know, I I I whenever I whenever I get back from New Zealand, I like to go home every year sort of around Christmas time, and whenever I get back I know I'm gonna be a bit jet lagged, bit miserable. And you know, this year when I got back I I I think I'd had about two hours of sleep and I put my Lord's uniform on and I just stood in the mirror and I just I grinned like a lunatic. It's like, yes, I'm back.

SPEAKER_02

But what what is it like working on what is the halo turf? You know, for any cricket supporter player, that that still is where you wanna be and you wanna play. And uh to be out there and under pressure because you know you you have got the biggest matches taking place there, but but but what is it like being out there every day on a day-to-day basis?

SPEAKER_01

It doesn't get old. Um I I I never get used to it every morning when I walk through the gap underneath the media centre and look out at the pavilion. Um it it just doesn't lose its aura, you know. Um so yeah, very, very lucky, but um certainly like as you were saying, there there is that pressure there. Um, you know, and not just how the pitch plays but how the ground looks as well. It's gotta it's gotta be immaculate and uh the the team we've got, we really take pride in it. Um we you know, we're a team, we have people from all over the world who have travelled here to worker lords on the ground. Um so there's a real pride amongst the team that we work there.

SPEAKER_02

What's it like test match week? What's w what what is it like building up to that test match when you know you know to the three days in pictures of the the the pitch, then then a couple of days in everyone's having their opinion on what it's what it's gonna do. What what what what is that like test match? Test match week and the build-up to test match week as well.

SPEAKER_01

It's it's so exciting, but certainly really nerve-wracking. Um especially if we don't have the weather on our side that week and um you know it's it's Lords, there there isn't a more scrutinised 22 yards of grass in the whole world um than the Lord's pitch on a test match week. And so there's certainly the nerves there. We know that however the game goes, the criticism will come because it's Lords. And um but they're the best weeks of the year. Um it's it's just such an incredible atmosphere around the place, and so yeah, we're all always really excited for a test match, and it's uh yeah, it's so much fun.

SPEAKER_02

Can I can I ask you? So we we've got a game starting in South London at the Care Oval against Essex. Now the weather, the weather in April, it's been pretty dry again, and and the weather keeps changing. How tough is it? How tough is it with the conditions that we get now and uh to to sort of get your because your your seasons start earlier and earlier and earlier. How tough is that as well? Because what did we start? April, the start of April again this year. So it's getting earlier, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01

Yep, third of April. Our first game started this year, and April pitches are really hard to prepare. And I feel sorry for a lot of the grounds that have warm-up games in March because I I mean I don't even understand how they do it. Um it takes so much longer to sort of dry them out and get them nice and firm to play on, and they're always going to be softer in April, um, and typically a little bit greener as well. Uh it's it's definitely definitely a challenge. But um I I I don't mind, you know, when it's dry. It's it you can add water really easily, obviously, but taking it away is significantly harder. Uh but it's it's more the unpre unpredictability of the weather. That's the biggest factor that we have to take into account. We we're never sure. The forecast is the forecast is never sure. And we have to adjust how we prepare pitches accordingly.

SPEAKER_02

And you know, we mentioned first female ground staff to to prepare a pitch at Edge Biston. You've won awards as well a and voted as well young New Zealander of the Year, uh, which is a hell of an accolade, isn't it? Um what's your secret, eh? 'Cause cause these awards are all coming. But how how proud are you of that as well?

SPEAKER_01

Oh it's I'm just I'm more proud that I'm doing something that I absolutely love and it's so easy. It it's so ev the this job is so easy to me because of how much I love it, and obviously, you know, when you when you sort of look at it on paper, the hours that we work here are insane and um but it doesn't feel like work to me. It's it's just been the easiest decision of my life and it's so exciting knowing that I can do this for as a career for the rest of my life. So um no the the awards are great, but it's it's honestly it's easy. It feels easy.

SPEAKER_02

But but come on, young there's there's a there's a lot of people to pick from for Young New Zealander of the Year. So that's a hell of an accolade that, isn't it? Well you did w when did you find out? How did you find out? What was your first thought?

SPEAKER_01

Uh I I just got off the plane at Heathrow Airport, actually. Um I was standing in the airport waiting for my bag and I got a call from the president of the New Zealand Society asking me to go to a big fancy ball for a for an award ceremony. So um yeah, it was um yeah, very, very surreal, and I felt really honoured to get that, um, especially being in a room with my, you know, fellow New Zealanders and I had an amazing pucker performed for myself and the other winners, and um, yeah, no, certainly lucky and very, very, very surreal.

SPEAKER_02

Incredibly well deserved. Um th the other one, and and let me get this r right, the the Next Gen's Ground Management Association director. It's quite a long title that. Um J just talk us through that as well and the kind of work you're doing with that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so the Grounds Management Association, they've been around for a really long time, and it's just um it's sort of about promoting the industry, looking after the people that are already in it. Uh but a f a good, you know, a few years ago, a group of young people got together and said, well, you know, we need more young people in into the industry. It's a seriously aging industry, and so uh how do we do that? And so they all got together and they formed it was called the Young Board at the time, but uh in the last couple of years we've rebranded to next gen. And our aim is to basically just get the word out there that this is a career, because something we all seem to have in common in this industry is that we didn't seek the job out, it just sort of found us, and we obviously have so much passion for it, and we want other people to know about it. We don't want them to just sort of stumble into it. We want people to be like, This is this is the career I want. So um it's certainly our aim to publicize it more and put on events for young people and just sort of try and engage them a bit more.

SPEAKER_02

So you you you've answered that perfectly because we always ask this question. So if there is a young kid who's listening to this at the moment, and I'm thinking about, I don't know, a girl at school who uh likes being involved in cricket, has listened to you and thinks, hang about, I I that I would love to do that. What what advice would you give give give a youngster about sort of getting into the job that you do?

SPEAKER_01

An amazing thing about the job is that there are so many paths into it. I've worked with people who uh have PhDs in soil science, and I've worked with people who literally just want to come to work and cut grass, and that's perfect, and there's a space for all of those people. So the amazing thing is that there are apprenticeships, there are that where you're on the job getting paid, um, and there are a few colleges around the place that do that. You can go to uni, you can get that soil science or biology degree, you can volunteer at your local club, get the experience that way. There are online certificates, you can email people, do match days, or just do what I did and just apply for a job and hope for the best. Um I people are always worried that they're not qualified or they don't have experience. I'd never worked in sports turf before I started working at an international ground. You just don't know what people are after, and so that is always my biggest piece of advice is just apply for that job. Whether you tick all the boxes or not, just do it. Because we do need more people, and you never know what a ground might be looking for.

SPEAKER_02

Final question. So, there'll be a lot of people listening to this at the moment thinking, right, so Middlesex aren't at home this week, they've got the bye week. There isn't a test match or an international coming up for a little bit of time, then then there's the hundred, but obviously they're they're at Lord's at the moment, and they're they're just getting pitches ready for Middlesex in England and for the hundred. No no no no no no. You you guys hardly get a day off, do you? Because there is so much other cricket that he's played at Lords.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think on I mean on the main ground alone, I think we have sixty-four days of cricket to fit into a s you know, six month period, so it is just it's madness for six months, absolute madness. We we don't get too many days off, I'm sure. But um but yeah, no, we have MCC days, we've got we have school teams playing, um, you know, we had the military in today, so there's just such a range of cricket being played here. It's not just the big international or county matches that sort of get the publicity. We have a lot of cricket and I really enjoy those those matches because you know, for a lot of these people it's it's probably the first or only time they'll ever play at Lords, and I remember the feeling that I had when I first walked out to the middle, and it's amazing seeing that on their faces as well, because it is such a special experience. But yeah, no, certainly uh certainly have a full calendar for the grounds team.

SPEAKER_02

Well listen, yeah, thank you so much because you've had a busy day today, I know you have, and it's what are we now? Nearly ten to nine in the evening, and you've probably got another full-on day tomorrow. It's been an absolute pleasure, it really has. And and keep doing what you're doing because you know it you you're right. We need we need more more more women on the ground staff and and and more involved in what is a hard job but a fantastic job as well. So thank you so much for your time. Good luck for the rest of the season, and uh I'll I'll look for you from the media centre when we're at Lords.

SPEAKER_01

Sounds good, thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_04

Uh uh introducing Newbury Kit Studio, where you create your own heritage. Design bespoke teamware for any club, school, or team with thousands of custom combinations at your fingertips. Whether you're building a full custom look or choosing from our core range to suit any budget, your team deserves the best. And because Newbury has been crafting cricket equipment since nineteen nineteen, kit studio customers unlock exclusive discounts across balls, bats, equipment, and shoes. Start designing today at newbury.co.uk. Newbury Kit Studio. Create your own heritage.

SPEAKER_03

So there are our friends at Newbury Cricket, and now it is competition time, and thanks to our friends at Newbury Cricket, we have a beautiful SPS Cricket bat to give away. Churchy, more of your thoughts on the SPS bat.

SPEAKER_02

This is true. So two nights ago I dreamt of using an SPS on my test debut. Unfortunately, my test debut wasn't against the test playing nation. It was against a club side that I'd played against many, many years ago. But golly did I bat well using the SPS. And I looked the absolute bitterness with it. I really did, because as I said to you last week, the thing I love about it is number one, it is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful piece of willow as always from Ubery, but also it looks cool because it's quite retro and there aren't huge amounts of stickers on it. So I marched out with my wielding, I think is the word. Wilding my SPS at the oval. Uh no, it wasn't at the oval, it was uh an old club ground. And and I can remember it vividly. The first ball, I completely mishit it, and it's still raced away for four. So I am now dreaming of the SPS. So that is how good this batter is from Newbury that I'm dreaming about it. A 52-year-old man should be having other dreams, Hector, but I'm dreaming of using an SPS.

SPEAKER_03

It's the perfect storm walking out for the SPS. Oh yes it is.

SPEAKER_02

So, if you would like the chance to get your hands on an SPS, it's really, really very simple. You just have to get the question right, then your name goes in the hat, and then at some point we will pull a name out of the hat, and you will win the beautiful SPS cricket bat from New Break. Now, last week's question was which sorryboulder took 4 for 18 in a recent IPL game for CSK. The answer Jamie Over. It was Jamie O, it was Jamie O. So, all of you who got that right, your name's in the hat. So, this week's question for a chance to get your hands on Newbury's SPS cricket battery. We're at the Surrey versus Essex game. But which Surrey player made his first championship hundred for Essex against Surrey when he was 17? Well, that's this week's question. If you think you know the answer, you know what you can do. Email that answer to sundayservice.pod at yahoo.com or tweet at Sundayservice22. And our friends at Newbury have released an official Sunday service discount code. You can now use the discount code Sundayservice15 and get 15% off goods at www.newbery.co.uk, excluding bespoke bats. So why not treat yourself to some premium gear and quality widow?

SPEAKER_03

Right, that is dump for this episode of the Sunday service with Church and Vickers. We will be back together next Sunday, the 3rd of May. Hang on. Hang on, hang on, hang on.

SPEAKER_02

We won't be together, will we? No. Because where are you going next week? To like uh classic. Yeah. So back by the back to the underlying clock when you were in your beautiful cottage in the back garden of someone. Next time you'll be in a beautiful hotel with Maritia.

SPEAKER_03

Uh so yeah, sundown. I've got over that. For your download Darwin. And don't forget, you can send it your answer to the quiz and to what cricket sound is this.

SPEAKER_02

Or what golf sound is this from Maritia? No, wait, what golf sound is this from Hector's eat the crowd? In the sun in Marika. Carry on.

SPEAKER_03

Carry on. Uh anyway, just email sundayservice.org at yahoo.com or tweet at Sundayservice2025.

SPEAKER_02

So thank you for listening. If you like what you've heard, please rate and review it because it really helps others find the podcast because we want us all to be one big happy cricketing family and head uh thank you to Meg Lai for joining us today, and of course, thank you to our friends at Newbury Cricket for all their support and their magnificent competition prize, the SPS Bat. It is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful piece of willow that I'm now dreaming about.

SPEAKER_03

Until next Sunday from the Kitty Arrival, this has been Hector Vickers and March production. Have a magnificent cricketing week, everybody, and remember if you're going to use an replacement, make sure they're not too experienced, otherwise it will not be deemed like nice words from you, Hector.

SPEAKER_02

I'm actually very proud of you actor Mauritius. Well done. Very proud of you.