Andy, Sports Ground Team Leader
Andy’s work is everywhere you look on the cricket pitch. As Palmy’s Sports Grounds Team Leader, he’s quietly spent countless early mornings, late nights and long summers at Fitzherbert Park ensuring the turf is ready for bat, ball and spectators.
His dedication was formally recognised at the 2024 ANZ New Zealand Cricket Awards, where he received the Outstanding Contribution to Cricket Turf Management Award. That award celebrates turf-masters whose work literally lays the foundation for cricket across New Zealand.
Andy doesn’t just mow the grass – he plans, curates and maintains a surface worthy of first-class provincial fixtures. In fact, during a 2024 turf-management field day at Fitzherbert Park, organised by New Zealand Cricket, Andy led a session on first-class and club pitch preparation, sharing decades of hands-on experience with turf managers from around the country.
Through thick and thin (irrigation, drainage, droughts, rain, match days), Andy has helped restore and maintain Fitzherbert Park’s condition. The ground, which had once lost its “warrant-of-fitness” accreditation because of poor outfield conditions, has since undergone substantial upgrades, with improved drainage, a full outfield irrigation system, resurfaced playing blocks and a new 10-lane practice facility.
The result is a ground that now hosts Plunket Shield first-class matches, one-day fixtures, T20 games and a full slate of club and representative cricket every summer. The wicket blocks and outfield, now consistently reliable, make it one of the best-prepared regional grounds in the country.
One of the less visible parts of Andy’s contribution has been his commitment to developing people. Over the years, he has mentored and trained turf staff, passing on the accumulated knowledge that only comes from decades of hands-on experience. One of his proteges went on to secure a coveted opportunity working at Lord’s in London – the most famous cricket ground in the world. Another is working at the Chelsea soccer grounds.
While his team has a soft spot for Fitzherbert Park, nestled beside the picturesque Victoria Esplanade, they also look after the other city sports grounds, including the turf at the Arena, home to Manawatū Turbos and Cyclones rugby.
Behind all of this, Andy is a man far more comfortable with a broom, roller or mower in his hands than with accolades. His influence can be seen not just in the quality of the turf but in the people whose careers he has helped shape. In many ways, the success of cricket in the Manawatū rests on foundations he has quietly built for years.