Ground staff going to another level

Will Johnston

Photo: Head Pukekura Park groundsman Craig Hitchcock (R) prepares to erect the rugby posts with colleague Aaron Lim.

The head groundsman at Pukekura Park will do something he’s never done before. Paint rugby lines on the iconic cricket field.

Craig Hitchcock wouldn’t have been a twinkly in his parents’ eye when Taranaki last played at the iconic cricket venue 76 years ago.

He’s worked across both Yarrow Stadium and Pukekura Park for the last 16 years but instead of preparing for cricket at the venue, Saturday’s rugby match will add a change of pace.

“This goes to another level,” he said referring to Taranaki’s opening match of the national competition against Hawkes Bay.

“This weekend will be different. It’s NPC [national provincial championship], it’s on TV and there’s a big crowd coming in. But we’ve had big crowds with the SuperSmash games in the past.

“Everyone’s looking forward to it.”

But despite the hype around town, Hitchcock said the preparation remains the same as if a rugby league or football match was played at the venue, which happened in 2019.

“Posts still go in and we mark out the ground.”

Those posts date back to the 1930s and although they’ve had a fresh lick of paint since, they will add character to the match.

But how will the ground cope?

“The outfield will be fine, so long as we don’t get too much rain,” Hitchcock said.

A lot of work has been done to protect it from the trauma of scrums and tackles. First, it was verty drained, where a machine punches holes eight inches deep to help drain the field.

The grass is also three times longer compared to what it would be mown for cricket and the pitch block in the middle of the field is slightly longer for extra cushioning.

“I’m glad it’s a one-off game,” he quipped.

“It’s a soil-based field, not sand-based like all the rugby grounds. It’s an old run-of-the-mill rugby field.”

After Saturday’s match, Hitchcock will let the lines fade out before a full block renovation with work to start at the end of September in preparation for another busy cricket season.

And of course, Hitchcock hopes for a Taranaki win.

“You always hope that the local team wins here, no matter if it’s Taranaki cricket, rugby, CD [Central Districts] or league and football.”