Grounds with Amanda Norman

Grounds men and women are vital components to the success of women and girls cricket in Suffolk and across the country. For women and girls looking to get involved in the sport in other ways than playing, ground preparation and maintenance is a fascinating and fulfilling way to engage with the sport.

Amanda Norman is the groundswoman at Felixstowe and Corinthians CC and is one of only a small number of groundswomen across the county. Here she explains how she got into the role and why she thinks more women and girls should get involved in this aspect of cricket.

“I started working on the grounds team at Felixstowe & Corinthians about 5 years ago and was chair of the grounds for 2 years which was a big responsibility. I got started after the committee asked for more volunteers, both my children played cricket and I had some free time so I thought why not, give it a go. The other members of the grounds team were very welcoming and encouraged me to learn the basics of preparing a wicket straight away. I enjoy all aspects of working on the ground and it keeps you very fit.

I think more women and girls should get involved in the grounds side of cricket as it’s very enjoyable and you can get to see what goes into preparing a wicket, which is a lot more than I first thought. It takes up to 2 weeks to prepare a wicket with daily cutting and rolling to get it ready to play on, not to mention keeping an eye on the weather (covers on or off).

If you are thinking about helping out at your club then I say go for it any help is the most welcomed I can assure you.”

If you are inspired by Amanda to get involved with the grounds at your club, please contact your club chairman or groundsman/groundswoman to get more information on how you can get involved. As Amanda states here, any help is always welcomed – little or large!

Look out for Amanda on the mower, rolling the wickets, or painting the lines next time you are at Felixstowe and Corinthians CC!

Tags: Amanda Norman, Grounds, Women and Girls Big Cricket Month, Womens Cricket

Categorised in: Womens Cricket