Labour of love for Greg
TOWNSVILLE Cricket grounds manager Greg Shephard believes he has one of the most rewarding jobs going around.
The born- and- bred local cricket lover has spent almost three years preparing and taking care of the pitches at Endeavour Park, where hundreds of cricket players lock horns in their own action- packed contests every weekend.
Shephard is smack- bang in the middle of everything, and his attention to detail is what helps a summer of cricket run smoothly.
“It’s not rocket science, it’s just preparation and time,” Shephard said.
“You prepare your wickets and figure out what works for the area, and you put in the hours to make sure everything is prepared as well as it can be.
“In Townsville the water situation can be hard, but we pump a lot of it on to our wickets. There’s different challenges, but with the right preparation the pitches will come up well.”
Shephard, who was born and raised in Townsville, has been involved with cricket all his life and was introduced to the art of curating from an early age.
“When I was growing up my father used to prepare wickets at Pioneer Park,” he said.
“I’ve always been around cricket – it’s a passion – and when this job become available it was something I jumped at.
“You learn as you go, and you get to see so much and meet many people.’’