It has been announced today that Mick Hunt - the former MCC Head Groundsman of 49 years - has passed away.
Middlesex and England legend Angus Fraser has penned the following tribute.
The legend of Lord’s Cricket Ground is built on the great cricketers that have and continue to perform on this famous piece of North London turf. And, understandably, it is portraits of these players that occupy most of the wall space in The Pavilion.
That these players have and continue to play on an immaculate surface is often taken for granted. It should not be. The grass at Lord’s is looked after and loved as much as any in the sporting world.
In the long and rich history of this wonderful ground it is hard to believe that anybody has done more to maintain its quality and beauty than Mick Hunt, the former Head Groundsman, who sadly died on Thursday night.
For 49 years Mick lovingly cared for the seven-and-a-half acres of turf that forms the main ground at Lord’s. At times he could be difficult to manage but often that was because he was a perfectionist. He took huge pride in what he produced and, whether it was an Ashes Test or a club cricket final, he wanted the ground to look perfect.
Cricket is a game where supporters and observers are not shy of expressing their views. An area of perceived expertise is pitch quality and preparation. Cricket pitches are remarkable pieces of engineering. Preparing one is like baking a cake - if you go too far too soon you can never get it back.
They also get a hell of a battering. In a five-day Test a ball could hit the surface over 2,500 times. The 22-yard strip also has people with spikes in their shoes continually running and walking over it. Yet, if one ball dares to misbehave – keep a little low or jump and strike a batter on the gloves - commentators, pundits and keyboard warriors forensically look it over and offer their opinions.
Having known Mick for over 40 years and worked closely with him for 13 when I was Middlesex’s Managing Director of Cricket I had the pleasure of spending much time in his company. I shared and witnessed his anguish and frustrations.
The responsibility for preparing a pitch for a Test is huge and the whole process is extremely stressful. As the Curator at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will testify, a lot rests on it. Two-day Tests lose organisations huge sums of money and players, even when they play poorly, love to blame the pitch rather than themselves.
Yet, it is not the conversations I had with Mick around Test matches that I remember most, even though his musings on those that had been critical were often very humorous. Mick was a very amusing man with a sharp sense of humour. He loved a moan but even when he was feeling sorry for himself he was very funny.
My favourite moments were stood chatting with him in the middle of Lord’s. Listening to him complain about the volume of cricket played at the ground and how the famous slope made it incredibly hard to keep things dry. There were also the texted jokes, many of which I wouldn’t dare repeat.
Lord’s contains many devoted workers so naming the person that has spent the most time at the ground is a difficult task. It is hard to believe, however, anyone has spent more time on and cared more deeply for the turf that us cricketers have played on. In time it would be nice to think that his hours of love and care for the place are recognised in a similar way to those that score runs and take wickets.
