Tea ladies - a special breed
by Alan Rowley, 12th August 2004

The quality of cricket teas is always a popular topic on this site's message board, but do we take them for granted? A lot of hard work is put in each Saturday and Sunday by a dedicated band of volunteers who give up the best part of their weekend to give the players something to recharge their batteries in the break between innings. This week, we take a look at the role of 'the tea lady'.

Langley Mill has been widely acknowledged on the site as providing one of the best teas in the League, but what does it take to organise the gargantuan feast that is the Millers tea? We spent the afternoon with the Millers tea ladies to get their viewpoint of a Saturday at the cricket.

Work starts at the homes of the tea ladies on Friday when food that can be cooked in advance is prepared. Pies are cooked, trifles made and cakes baked. An early night is usually advisable ready for a 10:00am visit to the supermarket on Saturday morning.

Arrival at the ground is usually around 11:30am and the ladies head straight for the kitchen. An early start means that the girls can catch an hour or so of cricket action before tea is laid out. Nikki Gibson, one of the Millers' first team tea ladies told me: "It's never a chore - always a pleasure. It's worth it when we get compliments."

The sun was beating down, and as the players were baking on the field, the ladies were slaving over a hot stove in the kitchen. The Millers' girls always provide hot and cold food and this week, the hot food included a piping hot chilli. Quite a surprise for Butterley player Steve Johnson who moaned: "It's too hot for a chilli".

With five overs to go, final prepartions were being made. Garlic bread and pizza was placed in the oven, the kettle was boiled and the cobs were uncovered. A couple of quick wickets were needed to slow down the game and today the girls were lucky. As the umpires removed the bails and the players headed for the pavilion, the tea ladies were ready.

The Millers tea with tea ladies (left to right)
Nikki Gibson, Sallyann Mee, Dawn Clifford, Hazel Blake

Within twenty minutes, everyone had eaten their fill and the dirty plates were returned to the kitchen. Compliments were flying as the grateful players recognised the hard work that had gone into the teas. "Brilliant" said Butterley's Chris Knighton. “Best in the league” said Millers second teamer David Brunelleschi, enjoying a day off from the cricket. Second team colleague Chris Jackson cracked: “Very nice – and the women are fit too!”

For the other ladies on duty, Sallyann Mee, Dawn Clifford and Hazel Blake, there was no time to rest. The pots needed to be washed before they could get changed and have a shower ready to start the bar duties for the night. Asked if they made a profit, Sallyann said: “We don’t get anything out of it. We do it for the love of cricket.”

By 6:30pm, the washing up was done, but the pots weren't being put away. First team scorer Emily Trower was celebrating her 20th birthday at the club that evening, and food needed preparing for the party. There was just time for the ladies to order a pizza from the local takeaway. When asked why the takeaway, Nikki said: “There’s nothing left for us.”

It takes a special person to be a tea lady!

The menu on the day was as follows:

Chilli - jacket potatoes - sausages
Garlic bread - pizza - sausage rolls
Pork pies - scotch eggs

Assortment of cobs - tuna and sweetcorn mayonnaise, ham salad,
egg, fresh chicken, cheese salad and prawn & crab stick.

Chocolate cake, Victoria sponge, cheesecake, trifle,
apple & blackberry crumble and ice cream

The Millers tea ladies are:
First team: Sarah Bailey, Louise Birks, Dawn Clifford, Nikki Gibson and Sallyann Mee
Second team: Hazel Blake, Elaine Butler and Sheena Trower