A Day In The Life Of An MCC Steward

Before I had to get a proper job not that I have found one just yet I had perhaps one of the greatest if not the greatest summer jobs in the world. Yes it was hard work, yes I worked long hours and yes I stood on my feet for hours but I was a steward for the MCC at the home of cricket and I loved every day of it. In the build up to the 2nd Ashes test to be played at Lords I thought I would give you all an insight into a day in the life of a Lords steward.

Each day of a test match started the same for me up at around 5:30 to start my commute to the greatest cricket ground in the world. I would leave at 6 from my grandparent’s house and arrive at the ground to be registered before 7 am. Entering the ground via the bicentenary gate first up the body and bag search then onto registration at the head steward’s office to be assigned duties for the day and have the uniform inspected. White shirt, black trousers, shiny black shoes, Lords tie all at the same lengths as they soon became clip on and the either an official Lords blazer or a nice bit of high vis.

After registration it's off to the stands for the stewards I was very lucky when it came to my assignments and spent most of my time in the Tavern lower stand which the majority of the time was a full MCC members only stand. 8 o clock would bring the briefings and security sweep not just of the stands seating areas but of everything around and in the stand. After this it was time for positions as at around half past 8 the gates would open and all the members would rush into the ground to get themselves their chosen seat for the day. On the first day of the Ashes in 2009 watching a very elderly gentleman tuck his walking stick under one arm and his picnic basket under the other as he set off like Usain Bolt to the Warner stand is still something that sticks out in my mind.

The stands slowly fill and the famous Lords buzz becomes louder and louder, something that I have never heard or felt at any other international ground. Of course we all know that play begins at 11 and this is when us stewards really have to switch on to enforce the many wired and wonderful rules:

·         No fancy dress

·         No flags

·         No banners

·         No musical instruments

·         Beer snakes to be stopped before they are formed

·         No entrance to the stands during the over

·         No talking into mobile phones in the stands during the match

So if travelling to Lords this week and get a little whispers in your ear or a tap on a shoulder just remember the steward is only doing his job. I always found that when play was underway the time would fly rotating with your colleagues in order to allow breaks from the constant standing on your feet and even though we were not there to watch the cricket of course certain positions allowed for some viewing of the game. Well how do you keep an eye on the spectators without looking out from my favoured position at third man/ fine leg.

Throughout the days play cricket crowds I found to be very polite and well behaved so the job was more about early intervention to prevent having any escalated issue in the stand. A normal test match will see very few ejections from the stand I honestly can't remember during the many summers I spent their having to have anyone removed from our stand during a test match; of course T20 cricket is completely different as it’s a different crowd that attends.

The lunch and tea intervals are another time when the stewards are key having to make sure people know where they are going and also that come the resumption of play spectators are filtered back into the seats between over’s to make sure that play is not interrupted by any movement.

At the end of play as the crowd mill away after another day filled with memories that will last he ages the stewards job is not complete. The stand must be checked once again a nice stewards sweep all walking along checking for broken seats and lost property, the amount of umbrellas left was always something that surprised me. After this and once for us at least the Tavern members bar was clear we could radio through to be stood down for the day something that would normally occur around 7:30 depending on how the day had panned out between bat and ball and of course the weather.

My view if you ever get the chance to become a steward at Lords and they are always recruiting just after Christmas for each session is to grab it with both hands as its something that your love. I have some great memories from asking the current prime minister to see his ticket, seeing KP score many runs my favourite knock came against South Africa and of course seeing England win an Ashes test match. You will also get to work in a great team and meet some great people I can honestly say I

On the 5 days of this Ashes test in 2013 these men and women stewarding at Lords are the unsung heroes of the test and when your leaving the ground after a great days play just give them perhaps a hand shake or even just a thank you. I loved my time as a steward and wish I could still travel to Lords each summer but my commute would be a little longer now.

If you’re attending Lords this week I hope you enjoy it as Lords is a special place. Throughout this Ashes series I am always asking people to tweet me there top Ashes memories and also to tweet me pictures from the ground each one will get a RT just tweet the over to @TSF_Ashes and most importantly enjoy the cricket.

The Sport Files Ashes

Captain v Captain

10^th July the day the first ball will be bowled in this double ashes year so let’s wet the appetite just a little more with a look into one of the biggest battles will be key for both teams.

This summer and winter England battle Australia in a double ashes series the cricket is going to be great and the battle fierce. During both series there are going to be many mini battles that will be vital for each team to win for me the biggest and most exciting one is going to be the captains battle Cook v Clarke.

When any new side gets a new captain there are always the same pundits asking the same questions, will it affect his batting/bowling? How will he deal with the added pressure? When it comes to both captains in question here both have answered these questions emphatically with it will affect my batting I will become unbelievable, how will I deal with the pressure with ease lead from the front just watch me bat.

Michael Clarke or pup as he is called took charge of the Aussie test side on March 30^th 2011 taking over from the legend that is Ricky Ponting. Clarke since being given the honor of leading the baggy green has matured into someone worthy to fill the shoes of the great Ponting. Clarke for me can do anything he likes with his bat in hand and is one of the greatest players of spin I have watched live, he is reliable and extremely focused when it comes to his batting and he will need to lead the run scoring chart this summer for Australia to be successful.  Since taking the test captaincy he has scored 9 centuries with 4 of these what England call a daddy hundred his 329 not out against India in Sydney was one of the greatest knocks I have ever seen. 

Alistair Cook replaced one of the most successful England captains in the modern era Andrew Strauss as test captain on 29^th August 2012 following the decision by Strauss to retire. He had previously captained the team before on a tour of Bangladesh and also on the one day stage but this was the first time he had to step up and lead his side in the test arena looking towards the future. Cook was thrown in at the deep end as his first tour as captain was to be held in India a place where England had not secured a test series victory since 1984-85. Of course as with all records they are made for breaking and the tour of India was one where Cook led his side to a test series victory, Cook also broke the record for most test centuries for England taking his personal total to 23 and also became the first captain to score a century in each of his first five tests.

Of course the series starting in July is different to any other series both Cook and Clarke have ever lead there side into battle for. This is an Ashes series this is a series when the crowds will be different to anything these players have ever seen before. England going all out to win the series and the precious urn for a third consecutive series, Australia battling until the last ball to take the urn back down under.  Cook and Clarke have never captained in an Ashes series before and for me Clark is the captain that is under the most pressure when it comes to the series. He will be seen as the key wicket for the England bowlers if they get him early as we have seen in recent times the Aussies don’t seem to have much more.

I can’t wait to for the Ashes and each day there seems to be someone else talking about it bring on July and let’s keep our fingers crossed that the Aussies bring some nice weather over so we can experience a full 25 days of battle. The battle between the captains is going to be one that is just as exciting as the overall series and for me which ever captain scores more runs, makes the more aggressive field placing will be the one stood with his hands on the urn come the 5^th test. So I say bring on the summer and then later the winter this is going to be one year of cricket not to miss out on.

 Are you looking forward to the Ashes this year? Have you been lucky to secure any tickets? If you want to join in the discussions mention @TSF_Ashes on twitter or use #TSFAshes, you can also get involved on Facebook by searching ‘The Sport Files’ and liking the fan page.

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