Yeah, its rubbish. Of course nobody wants to do it, but at least three times a year you are going to be asked to make sure that the club is nice and sparkly for the afternoon. You should check every home game to see whether you are on ground duty.

If you are on ground duty and don't do it properly, please expect to be put on it again for your next home game as you obviously need the practice!

If you are on ground duty, you need to arrive at the ground at least 20 minutes before the meet time. Turning up later than this will mean you will not get the time to complete all the duties before the away team turn up. There are slight variations on your responsibilities depending on which team you are in.

If you are on Ground duty on the main square (1st and 2nd team games)
- Put out umpires coats (if required) with six stones and two bails for each. All 1st XI and some 2nd XI league games have panel umpires, so you may not need to do this
- Put out the boundary rope to separate the two pitches. The main rope is pinned all the way round so you shouldn’t need to do anything with this, but there is a rope next to the second square storage shed to place between the two pitches. This will probably require a couple of you, so ask for help from the people on ground on the second pitch if available.
- Push both sightscreens into the correct position, and rope off the boundary around the screen at the road end.
- Put the stumps out, and water the stump holes if the ground is dry
- Collect any litter from around the ground, and shovel up any presents that the foxes may have left scattered about
- Empty the bins around the pavilion. This is very important, as if you don’t do it they will be overflowing by the end of the day.
- Hoover both dressing rooms and the pavilion. It’s a good idea to start with the away team dressing room so that you don’t have to dodge in and out of them while you hoover.
- Tidy and clean the shower and toilet areas, put out new toilet roll and soap if required
- Sweep the patio
- Turn on the scoreboard, and ensure that the controller is fully charged and ready to use
- If playing a Premier League game, put out the fielding circles
- Organise the chairs and tables in the pavilion, and put up both tea tables

This needs to be completed well before the start of the game. After the game, you must also:

- Return all equipment (including umpires coats, boundary markers, fielding circles, stumps etc) to the changing room.
- If it needs it, empty the bins again
- If the cover has gone out, make sure it gets put away
- Turn the scoreboard off and return the controller to the pavilion
- Make sure that if anyone has moved the benches around the ground, they are put back to the correct place.
- Make sure that the dividing rope between the pitches comes in if necessary

If you are on Ground duty on the second square (3rd and 4th team games)
- Put out umpires coats with six stones and two bails for each. All 3rd and 4th XI games require this
- Help the people on ground on the main square put out the rope to separate the two pitches (see above)
- Push both sightscreens into the correct position
- Put the stumps out, and water the stump holes if the ground is dry
- Make some drinks up in the caddy, and wheel over with a jug and some cups
- Sweep both dressing rooms
- Wheel over the scoreboard with the fully charged remote, turn on and make sure it is ready to use
- Collect any litter from around the ground, and shovel up any presents that the foxes may have left scattered about
- Empty the bins. Again, this is very important as they will soon overflow if not emptied at the start of the day
- Tidy and clean the green shower room behind the nets
- Put scoring tables and chairs out in the usual place

Again, you will also need to carry out a couple of small duties after the game:

- Return all equipment (including umpires coats, boundary markers, fielding circles, stumps etc) to the storage room.
- If it needs it, empty the bins again
- If the cover has gone out, make sure it gets put away
- Turn the scoreboard off and wheel it back to the main pavilion
- Return the scoreboard controller and battery to the pavilion and ensure they are both charged
- Make sure the tables and chairs are all returned to the storage room
- Make sure that the changing rooms are all cleared of rubbish and kit

This may seem like a lot of work, but with two people on ground on each pitch it really shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes before the game and barely 10 minutes after. Taking the time to do this makes the place nicer for everyone, both members and visitors, so please ensure you arrive for ground on time and work through the relevant list.