Beccles Town win FA award

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Beccles Town win FA award: Beccles Town Football Club has won the Ransomes Jacobsen sponsored Suffolk FA Groundsman of the Year competition for the second consecutive season.

The competition, which is open to clubs who play in Step 7 and below in Suffolk, has been sponsored by Ransomes Jacobsen for many years and has played an important role in raising the quality of football pitches in the county.

Beccles Town win FA award

Beccles Town win FA award

After entering for the first time last year and being placed first, Beccles’ joint groundsmen Chris Brown and Shaun Soloman were again judged as this year’s winners. They just beat Adrian Waters of Halesworth Town, who entered for the first time, to this year’s title with Tony Adams of Claydon FC finishing third.

Beccles Town joint groundsman Shaun Soloman said: “This just makes it all worthwhile. We don’t do it to get recognition but for the town and the people of the town and especially the kids to be able to play on a decent pitch that we never had the chance to do as it used to be a mud bath.”

The judging panel was led by Ipswich Town Football Club head groundsman, Ben Connell, and he was accompanied by Suffolk FA football development manager Jodie Allard, Institute of Groundsmen pitch advisor east, Phil Jeggo, Tim Parker of Suffolk FA Pitch Improvement Programme sponsors Parkers Pitches and Steve Alabaster, regional sales manager for Ransomes Jacobsen.

This year’s competition was one of the hardest to judge with the quality of pitches rising in Suffolk, and lead judge, Ben Connell, has been pleased to see the initiatives from different parties having an impact.

“I’ve been taking part in the judging for seven years, and the standards are getting better and better. I’ve seen the pitches improve over that time and I’d put that down to the dedication of the groundsmen and the support and advice they get from the Suffolk FA and the IOG.

“This competition has been a great initiative, and along with the funding from the FA and IOG, it has really made a difference to grassroots football in Suffolk because the pitches are getting better. Without the sponsorship of the competition from Ransomes Jacobsen and the support from the FA and IOG, we wouldn’t have got to this point, and I’m looking forward to seeing further progress.”

Steve Alabaster from Ransomes Jacobsen added: “I’m quite taken aback and astounded by how much work the volunteers put in, especially when they have to finance a majority of the work themselves. Some of these guys have hardly got anything at all, and they’re producing fantastic surfaces for kids and adults to play on. I was really surprised that every pitch we saw wasn’t waterlogged because of the heavy rain we’ve had, and it is incredible that they’re doing that with such little resources – each pitch we’ve seen is a credit to the groundsmen who maintain them.

“It’s fantastic to be able to big up these guys because they don’t always get much recognition and it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to partner and support the Suffolk FA. It’s something we’ve been doing for a number of years that we’re very proud to be part of.”

In addition to being crowned as Groundsman of the Year, Beccles Town will receive £200 to be spent on groundscare equipment, with Halesworth Town receiving £100 and Claydon £50. All three clubs will be invited to attend the Suffolk FA Awards Ceremony later in the year to receive their prizes.

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Nurture Landscapes win BALI award

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Nurture Landscapes win BALI award: It’s a nurturing hand that sees Nurture Landscapes win its fourth Grounds Maintenance Limited Public Access award at the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) National Landscape Awards.

The award, which is sponsored by Toro and Reesink Turfcare, the exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for Toro groundscare machinery, recognises all sorts of grounds maintenance, and the project that won is not only a vertical space in the form of one of Europe’s largest living walls but has the added challenge of being alongside the Metro viaduct wall next to Snow Hill Station in Birmingham making access somewhat tricky!

Nurture Landscapes win BALI award

Nurture Landscapes win BALI award

Matt Monckton, regional manager at Nurture Landscapes, says: “This site is incredibly challenging with the green wall running just a few metres adjacent to the Metro line. Our planned overhaul visits can only be carried out in the small hours when the live lines are powered down which happens on just two weekends a year and we have to bring in free-standing artificial lights, which in itself is a major task.”

At 220m long and 7m high with 604m2 of plants, it’s an eye-catching feature. As well as plants, the living wall incorporates decorative perforated aluminium panels designed to capture artificial and natural daylight. Programmable uplighters bring the wall to life at night and create constantly changing patterns and the illusion of depth and movement.

Matt continues: “The whole feature has moisture sensors built into the green wall which are internet connected and alert us quickly to any irrigation issues across the face of the whole wall. In the evening a cutting-edge LED lighting system operates to create waves of coloured lights across the wall which, when combined with the interspersed, undulating perforated steel panels really does make for a unique flowing green space.”

So what does Matt attribute the company’s continuing success to in the awards which in 2019 had record entries, record first-time entries and record international entries and makes receiving one even more of an achievement? “Where we can we try and partner with our clients and this site is a case in point,” he says. “We have built up a wonderful working relationship with the building management team who take a genuine interest in making this location a vibrant local landmark.”

It’s for all these reasons and the fact that Nurture Landscapes achieves great and beautiful results, that makes it a worthy winner of the award, says Reesink’s Alastair Rowell, who presented the award to the company in front of an audience of over 1000 BALI members and guests at the 43rd annual awards: “It’s a fantastic feat of grounds maintenance skill that Nurture Landscapes not only win this award, but win it for the fourth time. It’s grounds maintenance that creates a work of art and provides pleasure to so many commuters as well as being progressive and cutting-edge in its execution too.”

Paul Bean, sales director at Nurture Landscapes, says: “To be recognised again is testament to the enthusiasm, passion and skill of our teams. We invest in training our people well and creating strong business-to-business relationships. This award reinforces we’re doing the right thing and we’re generating the kind of success we’d always hoped for.”

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Allett Awarded Queen’s Award

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Allett Awarded Queen’s Award: Today, Allett Limited welcomed the Lord-Lieutenant, Mr Ian Dudson, the Queen’s representative in Staffordshire to meet the staff and present a commemorative vase and ‘Grant of Appointment’ deed for the Queen’s award for Enterprise.

In April 2019 Allett, the Staffordshire based specialist cylinder mower manufacturer won the coveted Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2019 in recognition of its growth in exports and contribution to the British economy.

Allett Awarded Queen's Award

Allett Awarded Queen’s Award

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of:

  • Innovation
  • International trade
  • Sustainable development
  • Promoting opportunity through social mobility

Allett won this award after the company had demonstrated exceptional and year-on-year growth in export sales over a five year period  and had made a minimum of £100,000 in export sales in the first year of entry.

The Russia World Cup was an important factor in Allett’s overseas sales success however the Company has also seen a huge rise in sales to other countries such as America where sales into the top baseball and football clubs has been a strong and growing market.

Export Manager Dave Allett played a major role in partnership with Allett’s Russian distributors, Moscow based Unisaw, before the world’s biggest football tournament to supply host stadiums, training grounds and contractors with a range of Allett machinery.

Dave Allett and James Till (Allett Director) were invited to attend a Royal Reception at Buckingham Palace last summer.

“We’re very honoured to receive the Queen’s Award,” says Austin Jarrett, Allett’s Managing Director, “This prestigious award recognises our achievements and team efforts in bringing innovative developments in our mowing systems to meet challenges in overseas markets with large potential. Because of increased export sales the business no longer subject to the seasonality of sales cycles in the UK. Our mowers and turf maintenance systems are used throughout the world where they maintain sports surfaces and lawns to the highest standards. The groundsmen in the UK are acknowledged to be the best in the world and these customers demand the highest standards from their equipment suppliers,” says Jarrett. “This relentless demand from our UK customers over the years have driven our engineering team to improve and develop our mowing systems which subsequently help to produce near-perfect sports surfaces and garden lawns. Allett have benefitted from this and we are confident that we can deliver higher standards to the stadiums and lawns using our systems in the rest of the world. Every one of our machines proudly bears a Union Flag decal, and this really helps us in our export markets where the UK is revered for their lawns.

We will be hosting Pitch Maintenance training seminars in China this year,” adds Jarrett, “to help set standards and expectations for the playing surfaces in this huge country which is growing rapidly as a footballing nation. Allett is more than just a machine. We’re strengthening our technical support and embarking on a plan of new product development to concentrate on a wider range of grass and sports turf maintenance products.”

As part of the Award ceremony at Regal House, Allett’s manufacturing facility, Allett held a celebration on the 14th February 2020 to celebrate their success. The Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire was on hand to present the Directors with a ‘Grant of Appointment’ (an official certificate) and a commemorative crystal trophy. After an informative factory tour, the Lord-Lieutenant took the opportunity to talk with Allett employees over lunch. It was a special day for every member of Allett Mowers staff  who are extremely proud to have achieved the award and play their part in producing the machines used in some of the world’s most prestigious sporting venues.

Lord Lieutenant said;

“It was a privilege and delight to present a Queen’s Award for Enterprise today to Allett lawnmowers. Another Staffordshire manufacturing company leading the world in product design, performance, quality and reliability which has driven outstanding continuous growth in overseas sales over the last six years to achieve this well deserved prestigious recognition.

Great to be able to meet the entire workforce to offer congratulations and continued success.”

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GEA 2020 winners revealed

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GEA 2020 winners revealed: The winners of the 2020 Golf Environment Awards (GEA) have been announced at The Crown, Harrogate, in a ceremony hosted by STRI Group.

Environmental Golf Course of the Year 2020 – Warrington Golf Club

If you are looking for a golf course that has consistently shown innovative and direct solutions to reducing damaging environmental practices, then Warrington is the cream of the crop. From developing a team of experts Warrington has shown that a course can be sustainable in relation to inputs, environmental impacts and water usage, whilst also being ecologically diverse.

GEA 2020 winners revealed

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year 2020 – Neil Sherman – Ipswich Golf Club, Purdis Heath

Neil Sherman has been a fundamental part of Ipswich Golf Club, Purdis Heath and that can be seen through its ecologically diverse and fantastically beautiful rough areas. Neil has performed positive and interesting work in renewing the heathland characteristics of the course and it is rare to meet a greenkeeper with quite as much ecological knowledge as him.

Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year 2020 – Dundonald Links

Amanda Dorans and the team at Dundonald Links have done something truly rare, they have created a partnership between not just multiple golf courses but multiple industries to create protected sites across Scotland. Not only that, that they have achieved amazing results in boosting numbers of the small blue butterfly.

Operation Pollinator 2020 – Banchory Golf Club

Banchory Golf Club has gone from strength to strength during 2019 vastly increasing the areas dedicated to wildflowers. Naturally seeded areas and also areas sown with species that are appropriate to the local region are both present. STRI ecologists saw a diverse range of invertebrate species that can only be explained by a course that has been managed appropriately.

Home Unions National Award 2020 – Market Harborough Golf Club

Market Harborough GC are the inaugural winners of the Home Unions National Award. The club management and greenkeeping staff have driven environmental and ecological conservation as a combined force. This has manifested itself through the sustainability group which have created policies, action plans and projects that have importantly started to create direct improvements on the course.

STRI head of ecology, Bob Taylor, said: “The Golf Environment Awards were set up 25 years ago to showcase golf’s positive environmental footprint amongst a backdrop of social negativity. It has been great to see the way in which such small beginnings have now swelled to what is a major movement, delivering and working towards ecological and environmental best practice throughout the length and breadth of the UK.

“I’m delighted to see there was so much enthusiasm and passion for ecology and the environment in golf at the 2020 GEAs. Every year the awards get bigger and better in providing aspirations and goals to both individuals and golf clubs delivering sustainable working.

“A huge congratulations to the winners and finalists of this year’s awards. You are all doing sterling work and, in doing so, are becoming a valuable part of your local communities.”

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DLF announce SALTEX winner

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DLF announce SALTEX winner: Paul Humphreys at Concord College, Shrewsbury and Taunton Schools’ Mark Jolliffe have been announced as the winners of the DLF/Johnsons Sports Seed ForthRoots Competition at SALTEX 2019.

Having successfully answered three questions on DLF’s 4Turf Tetraploid ryegrasses, they were rewarded with new innovative tools for effective on-the spot overseeding worth over £600.

DLF announce SALTEX winner

Pictured receiving their prizes from their respective DLF Regional Technical Managers, John Hughes and Ian Barnett, Paul takes home the ForthRoots MultiTool and Mark the ForthRoots Ryeseeder. Designed to fit perfectly into the scars and space left following matches or training, the interchangeable tine options on the RyeSeeder and MultiTool help to create the perfect seed bed for quick recovery.

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IOG award for Callum Allsop

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IOG award for Callum Allsop: Award sponsors Toro and Reesink Turfcare, an official UK Toro distributor, are delighted to announce Callum Allsop from Leicester City Football Club’s Belvoir Drive training ground has been crowned the Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year at the 10th annual Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Awards.

Having worked in the turf industry for 10 years, Callum was recognised for his dedication to the industry and education. As well as leading a team of nine as head groundsman at Leicester City Football Club’s Belvoir Drive, Callum is also currently undergoing studies for his Level 3 in Sports Turf Management.

IOG award for Callum Allsop

“I got involved in the industry volunteering at my local club at 14 and really enjoyed it,” says Callum. “Since then, I’ve worked my way up and worked hard to get to where I am, and education has been a large part of that career progression for me.

“I strongly believe that in order to be successful, you have to make sure that every piece of work you do is always done to the best of your ability and that you should strive to learn more. Always ask questions and stay interested in what you’re doing, and you will reap the benefits from that.”

Callum was presented with his award by Reesink’s national key accounts manager, Alastair Rowell, in front of an audience of 650 leading groundscare experts from the UK and Europe. And when it comes to gaining the benefits of winning the award, he wants to use his new platform to inspire others as well as improve himself.

“I think currently in the industry, more needs to be done to encourage younger people,” he says. “That’s why awards like this are important, because it’s vital to raise awareness of the career and educational opportunities available to young people. In fact, at Leicester we’re looking at the possibility of going into schools to speak about the careers in groundscare as many young people aren’t fully aware of what they might be able to achieve in this industry.

“Personally, winning this award has been a great experience, and the highlight for me has been meeting so many top professionals in the industry. I hope winning this award at such a key point in my career will open up more opportunities for me in the future.”

Marketing manager at Reesink, Rochelle Bedford, says: “Sponsoring this award is just another demonstration of ours and Toro’s long-term commitment to the development of the industry and our investment in the careers of young people; a hugely important undertaking for us. It’s wonderful to see Callum has achieved so much in his career already, and we hope the award helps him to progress his career further and inspire more young talent like himself.”

The awards, which took place on 31 October at the The Vox at the Birmingham NEC, recognise leadership, innovation and outstanding achievement across every aspect of groundscare and highlight the progress of young, student grounds professionals. And Reesink and Toro are proud, as ever, to play a part in giving a platform to the best and brightest young people in the industry through the sponsorship of such an important award.

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2020 GEA finalists announced

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2020 GEA finalists announced: The shortlisted finalists for the 2020 Golf Environment Awards (GEAs) have been announced.

The GEAs, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020, recognises golf clubs and individuals that strive to undertake environmental best practice. Past finalists’ projects have ranged from simple but effective, to grand scale schemes.

2020 GEA finalists announced

Ecology consultants from STRI spent August and September visiting qualifying clubs that applied for the awards before painstakingly whittling them down to 17 finalists and five Home Unions finalists.

Four finalists have been named in three GEA categories – Conservation Greenkeeper of Year, Outstanding Environmental Project, Environmental Golf Course of Year and Operation Pollinator, while five golf clubs have been selected for the Environmental Golf Course of Year category. Another five worthy finalists have been identified in the new Home Unions National Awards category.

Representatives from the finalists will attend the glittering awards ceremony on 22 January 2020 at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate, during BTME week.

Golf Environment Awards judge, Rowan Rumball, said: “This year was exceptionally difficult, and we have had some amazing and very worthy entrants. I have seen some superb projects and many clubs are now looking beyond the confines of their own club boundaries.”

Head of Ecology at STRI, Bob Taylor, said: “I cannot believe it’s 25 years since we first set up the Golf Environment awards. Moreover, the awards have become the leading accolade for ecological and environmental excellence within the golf industry. Many golf greenkeepers tell me the awards represent something to aspire to, they provide an opportunity to market the good works they do. For me the awards represent a growing community that all come together at the awards celebrations discussing works and passing on ideas. Anyone is welcome to attend the awards, and one thing is certain you will leave inspired by the great work clubs are doing.”

All finalists receive free entry into the Foundation Award in Amenity Horticulture course, recognised by BASIS, and managed by STRI, as well as CPD points. The lucky winners of the GEAs will also be able to enjoy a European Golf & Environment Trip of a Lifetime to Portugal.

The Golf Environment Awards 2020 finalists are:

Environmental Golf Course of the Year

  • Warrington Golf Club
  • Kington Golf Club
  • Saunton Golf Club
  • Effingham Golf Club
  • Nairn Dunbar Golf Links

Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year

  • John Milne – Rothes Golf Club
  • Neil Sherman – Ipswich Golf Club (Purdis Heath)
  • Richard Mullen – Banchory Golf Club
  • Les Rae – Montrose Golf Club

Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year

  • Trevose Golf & Country Club
  • Dundonald Links
  • Craignure Golf Club
  • Clitheroe Golf Club

Operation Pollinator

  • Cumberwell Park
  • Banchory Golf Club
  • Ufford Park Woodbridge
  • St Andrews Links Trust

Home Unions National Awards

  • Market Harborough Golf Club
  • Scotscraig Golf Club
  • Ashburnham Golf Club
  • Bingley St Ives Golf Club
  • Diss Golf Club

The winners will be announced at the Golf Environment Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 22h January 2020, at The Crown Hotel in Harrogate. Tickets for the awards, which includes a three-course meal and drinks, go on general sale on 14 Nov. Please email enquiries@strigroup.com for further details.

STRI would like to thank all the golf clubs that entered but didn’t make the final shortlist.

A huge thank you also goes to Golf Environment Award partners and sponsors who continue to support and promote the awards year-on-year, without them the awards simply would not be possible. The R&A, BIGGA, The Golf Club Manager, Tillers Turf, Ransomes Jacobsen, Wiedenmann, Aquatrols and Syngenta.

For further details about The Golf Environment Awards and how to purchase tickets please visit https://golfenvironmentawards.com/

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Sprayer operator award winners

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Sprayer operator award winners: The category winners of the 2019 Amenity Sprayer Operator of the Year Award were announced at the Amenity Forum conference on Thursday 10th October 2019.

The Forum administers the awards whose main sponsors are ICL and Syngenta. BASIS registration also offer free training vouchers for the winners.

Sprayer operator award winners

Each category winner received a trophy and framed certificate. The overall winner will now be decided upon and be announced at BTME in Harrogate in January. The overall winner is awarded the Amenity Forum Shield and earns him or herself a choice of amazing prizes.

Professor John Moverley, Independent Chairman of the Forum, said ‘The Amenity Forum is the voluntary initiative for this important and essential sector. We promote best practice and these awards are a demonstration of the high professional standards in our sector’

The category winners were:
LANDSCAPE AND INDUSTRIAL USING HAND HELD & TRACTOR MOUNTED EQUIPMENT
Winner Ian Millward, Millward Forestry
Runner Up Daniel Lewis, Manchester City

SPORTS TURF USING TRACTOR MOUNTED & HAND HELD EQUIPMENT
Winner Paul Gater, Caldy Golf Club
Runner Up Jason Garlick, JMG Amenity

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Allett’s Creative Lawn Stripe Winner

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Allett’s Creative Lawn Stripe Winner: Allett Mowers have announced the winning entry in the Allett Creative Stripes competition 2019. This year’s winner, Erik Czako, is from Hungary.

The competition is run online on Allett’s social media channels and the final judge was last year’s winner, Keith Smith. There were entries from ten different countries with the top six coming from Hungary, Sweden, England, Wales and the USA, a clear reflection this is an international competition, and anyone can enter and win. The prize is an Allett Liberty 43 with all its cartridges and two cartridge stands. Winner Erik says:

Allett's Creative Lawn Stripe Winner

“I wanted to mix circles and squares in such a way as to show through both of them. It’s simple in one sense but hard to make it accurate because of the contact point. It takes three hours.” Erik works for a delivery food company and plays football league four. “When I was a child, I watched premier football match and I dreamt of playing on an amazing pitch like that. Because in Hungary pitches don’t have such quality, I decided to make a lawn like this one. Gardeners in Hungary told me it isn’t possible because of the climate. I got advice from English groundsmen and my dream came true. Nowadays I kick the ball on my pitch with my friends, it is a little bit smaller than a football pitch, but it isn’t a problem.”

Erik used an Allett Kensington 14” to create his winning design. Runner up was Swedish garden service company owner and former groundsman Niklaus Andersson who used an Allett Kensington 20K to create his design. In third place was England’s Andrew Wain, Head Gardener at Euridge Manor in Wiltshire, where they host weddings and corporate events, with the lawn seeing an average of 150 people on it every week. To find the winner of the competition the team at Allett voted on their top six first and the results were sent to Keith Smith, the 2018 winner.

Allett's Creative Lawn Stripe Winner

“I was absolutely delighted and honoured to be asked by Allett to judge this year’s competition,” says Keith, “then when I saw the amazingly high standard of entries, I realised what a difficult task this was going to be. I have been so impressed with the standard of entries. Not only the creativity, but the technical difficulties that need to be overcome.” All the entrants will be invited to an Allett Mowers factory tour at the end of the busy season and Allett eagerly look forward to seeing next year’s entries.

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Cricket Groundcare Award Winners

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Cricket Groundcare Award Winners: A fabulous presentation day, at Lord’s, was enjoyed by all the winners of the Cricket World and Turf Matters Cricket Groundcare Awards 2019.

The group gathered in the Tavern Stand for the Presentation, which was attended by Chris Wood ECB Pitch Advisor, – Karl McDermott MCC Head Groundsman at Lord’s (a previous Cricket GroundCare Award winner, whilst at Clontarf CC in Ireland), Alastair Symondson (Cricket World) and Scott MacCallum (Turf Matters).

Cricket Groundcare Award Winners

There were also representatives from the sponsors of the Awards – Richard Fry and Marcus Hewitt (Rigby Taylor), Robert Jack (Dennis and SISIS), Simon Hedley (Boughton Loam) and John Clifford (ISEKI)

The Awards had been introduced by Cricket World to recognise the dedication and hard work that groundcare individuals put into maintaining and producing cricket squares and outfields, for reactional clubs, schools and universities, in the UK and Ireland without whom there would be no cricket.

Alastair Symondson, Head of Media, Cricket World said: “We are delighted to be running these Awards again, with the support and assistance from our sponsors and partners. We also understand the dedication and hard work that goes into preparing cricket playing facilities and it is nice that we can recognize their hard work and endeavours in some small way.”

Roger Knight, former First Class cricketer and past CEO/Secretary of the MCC  sent a message of congratulations : ”These are the stalwarts of recreational cricket clubs and schools and we should thank them all – how gratifying it is to see a past winner now taking charge at the Home of Cricket as well.”

Kent  CGA – a special award was presented to the Kent Cricket Ground Association represented by  Peter Robinson, Tony Leach and Peter Aylott.

Chris Wood ECB Pitch Advisor added: “This Award is in recognition of their outstanding work as an organisation in assisting clubs, in Kent, with maintaining their cricket playing facilities”

Other Quotes

“I was delighted to see so many committed and talented groundcare volunteers and professionals, at Lord’s, and to see them recognised for the wonderful work they do to ensure that cricket is played on excellent pitches, at all levels of the recreational game”

Scott MacCallum, Editor of Turf Matters magazine.

“We are proud and excited to support these awards! Congratulations to all the hard-working nominees and winners”

Rigby Taylor on supporting the Cricket Groundcare Awards 2019.

“Congratulations to all the worthy winners but not forgetting all the other hardworking groundsman out there. Recognition well deserved! Proud supporters!”

Iseki on supporting the Cricket Groundcare Awards 2019.

“ It was a great day for all the winners to enjoy and we are very happy to support this grassroots initiative”

Boughton Loam – Cricket Groundcare Awards 2019 – Sponsors

“Dennis and SISIS are delighted to be part of these Awards. Raising the profile of the grassroots volunteer and professional groundsmen, and the fantastic work that they do to ensure the game of cricket is played, will also help to attract the next generation of groundsmen. Congratulations to all the Award winners.”

Dennis and SISIS – Cricket Groundcare Awards 2019 – Sponsors

Club and School Winners (with small nomination bio)

Pete Clark – Alcester & Ragley Park CC Pete has been volunteering his time to the club for more than 50 years as Head Groundsman and without his commitment and passion for the ground and the club, the club would not exist to this day. Pete was unable to attend through illness but was presented with his Award at his club, in Warwickshire.

Andy Harris – Buckingham Town CC Andy has been the groundsman at Buckingham Town for 10 years. In that time the pitches and the ground in general have been prepared to the highest standard. He takes great pride in his work and the quality of the ground is often commented upon by players and spectators alike. Andy was taking a well-earned break in the sun in Greece after toiling all summer at his club Buckingham Town CC

Laurie Turner – New Ifield CC – Laurie is in his late 60’s and has been involved with New Ifield CC for nearly 52 years initially as a player (slow bowler) then following retirement from actively playing in 1990 he became involved with the maintenance of the playing surface, pavilion and outbuildings as the sole incumbent. Mr Turner had been a volunteer with grounds maintenance from 1982 when New Ifield CC originally moved to the ground in Priestwood Road, Gravesend.

Graham White –  Sissinghurst CC – Graham White is a 71 year old ‘volunteer’ groundsman with Sissinghurst CC.  Mr White started with the club as a 15 year old bowler/batsman and helping out with cricket pitch preparation and maintenance. At 21 years of age Mr White took on the role of full-time groundsman and also became a committee member.  Mr White played for the club for 34 years and at the age of 55 he retired from playing and became even more involved with club life; along with a past club chairman (deceased in 2013) Mr White (and other club members) built, at that time, the new cricket pavilion.  Mr White continued as groundsman but also took on other roles such as barman. At the tender age of 71 Mr White continues as Head Groundsman and is also the ‘Club Welfare Officer’ and ‘Bar Purchasing Officer’, he has been an active member of Sissinghurst Cricket Club for 50 years.

Cliff  Clark Harlow CC –  Joined the club in the late 1970’s as a player then took over groundsmanship over twenty five or thirty years ago. During that time as well as improving the wicket, he is enlarging it, ground maintenance he also managed and help build our second cricket ground ten years ago in the adjacent Spicers Field being the other side of our club pavilion. During last winter he also helped build an equipment building and it always finding other bits to do to improve not just the playing area but also the club facilities as well.

Nick Bull North Leeds CC – Nick has tirelessly looked after the ground at North Leeds for several years now, and handles the ever-increasing workload, alongside his day job, impressively. As the volume of junior cricket increases at our club annually, he manages to make sure that wickets are prepared, marked, cut, rolled and the surrounding areas are kept tidy by his team of, mostly retired, volunteers. His efforts have led to our club being awarded the honour of hosting the final of our league’s Waddilove Cup competition for the first time in our 125 year history this season. He’s also instrumental in the creation of a new small ground we’re developing in our old nets area for Under 5, 7 & 9 cricket in memory of an Under 17 cricketer who sadly passed away last year. The Tom Coupe Oval will be our legacy for such a promising youngster who lost his life far too soon.

Martyn Crowther Bradshaw CC – Since taking on the role 4 years ago Martyn has made vast improvements to the ground, especially on the pitch. Martyn has also carried out other invisible improvements, such as replacing drains (saving the club the £1000 quoted for repairs), and aimed to help the environment by planting willow trees along one side to help drainage and improve the aesthetics. He is willing to listen to other team’s groundsmen and act upon their advice. He also puts in many hours that nobody sees, going straight to the ground after work (full time) for several hours, often skipping tea. He gets very little help from the rest of the club.

Martin Woods Wargrave CC – with 30 years of service and overseeing the relaying of the old square 6 years ago the club are now hosting minor counties matches for t20, 50 overs and 4 day games. The guy is a legend for practice wickets on the square to making sure the 70 plus games we host in a season from girls, colts, league, rep matches and sundays

Bob Carder  Stamford School – Bob and his team do an outstanding job on a very limited budget. The dedication and attention to detail Bob sets are extremely high professional standards. The cricket square and outfields are pristine and are mesmerising to look at. It’s groundsmanship taken back to basics and the basics done well.

Craig Keast  Wells Cathedral School Craig has done a truly outstanding job as Head Groundsman at Wells Cathedral School. He is in his 32 year of service and continues to produce superb cricket wickets. Our main cricket pitch, Cedars has 22 cricket strips with the middle 10, which were laid in 1995, built on a stone raft, when the council decided to drive a road through the school playing fields. We now host representative cricket on a regular basis. With views of Wells Cathedral, the pitch is widely regarded as one of the finest in the County. Craig also assisted with the design of the cricket pavilion as well, but that’s another story.

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