AMID the fervour of a bustling New Road match day, there are many people working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly.

And one of those people who makes things tick -- especially for those of us who take in the proceedings from the press box -- is Worcestershire's PR and sponsorship services executive, Maria Carney.

A former English teacher, Maria made the decision to work in cricket after spells as a copy writer for Warwickshire County Cricket Club and a media liaison officer for the International Cricket Council (ICC) and, since arriving at New Road, she hasn't looked back.

"I've been at Worcester for 14 months, so I am well into my second season and still really enjoying it.

"During my degree, I did quite a lot of work with Warwickshire and one thing led to another and I ended up here," she said.

"It is lovely to be part of a small team at Worcestershire and really good fun, but hard work."

Many spectators who enjoy watching cricket at New Road will not realise the amount of work that goes on to host the day's play, and Maria is quick to highlight that it is very much a year-round job.

The 25-year-old added: "In the summer time, I manage the press box on match days, making sure any press or interview requests are dealt with and the players are out there being seen as much as possible.

"I also deal with any PR requests from charities or local businesses. I organise all the press accreditation queries too, making sure that the right people have the right passes for the right games.

"Also, I manage the website and the match-day programme -- making sure all the content is relevant and up to date.

"With regard to the sponsorship services side of things, I ensure we meet our side of the agreement with the main sponsors and make sure they are happy and want to keep coming back to New Road season after season.

"In the close season I work closely with David Leatherdale, who is the commercial director, with all of the sponsorship deals.

"This takes up a lot of time and effort and is crucial as it plays such a vital part in funding and shaping the future of the club.

"For instance, extending the Apollo 2000 deal was a large part of our work this winter as well as extending our relationship with English Mutual and Banks's. Clydesdale Bank are another new feature too.

"This close season also saw a lot of time invested in getting things in place for the Elton John concert, too.

"The concert, which takes place on June 11, will see the largest ever attendance at New Road and is the culmination of a lot of hard work."

In addition to this, Maria is often the players' first point of contact for any queries they may have.

She added: "Everyone at the club also pitches in to make sure the players -- especially the overseas guys -- are well looked after.

"For example, Phil Jaques arrived in London for the Surrey game and the team put a lot of effort into making sure he was ready to go when he arrived in Worcester.

"Among other things, his flat was prepared for him and we collected his car from City and County."