Llanarth Cricket Club Awarded Groundsmen of the Year Trophy

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Their ground is as sound as a pound: Llanarth Cricket Club have been awarded the Groundsmen of the Year Trophy for their picturesque ground.

The sponsors of the South-east Wales Cricket league, Thomas Carroll Insurance brokers, were keen to Recognise the important but usually unsung role of the groundsmen in preparing pitches and maintaining facilities to enable amateur cricketers to participate in their favourite summer sport.

Throughout the cricket season visiting captains in all divisions of the South-east Wales Cricket League have been marking the standard of pitch, outfield and facilities at each ground that they played on. At the end of the season the results were tallied and it was village club Llanarth who were chosen as the inaugural winners of the trophy.

Llanarth’s ground is kept in immaculate condition by a dedicated team who not only give their time freely but often dip into their own pockets to purchase odds and ends and cover sundry expenses. The club is both proud and delighted that the efforts of their ground maintenance team have been recognised and is very grateful to each of them for their unstinting work.

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Andy Ward wins Isthmian League Groundsman of the Year

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Andy Ward wins Isthmian League Groundsman of the Year: Andy Ward, 24, who has been the groundsman at Wingate and Finchley FC for five years, won the Isthmian League Groundsman of the Year for his work keeping the pitches green and well-maintained for the club.

The competition is an annual one for non-league groundsmen, awarded by the Football Association (FA), for the groundsman they believe has been the leader in their art.

One of the club’s directors, Paul Lerman, said: “Ever since the merger of the two clubs in 1991, we have made the playing surface our utmost priority, and it is no secret in non-league football that we always have a wonderful playing surface all through the year.

“Having a beautiful grass surface greatly helps our teams to have an attractive style of play, which influences the type of player we can bring through the ranks and also how we can coach and improve them.

“Andy works tirelessly to look after it and keep it immaculate and we are very proud of his award.”

The awards also honour groundsmen from other non-league clubs across the country, including the Southern and National Leagues.

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Ollie Deeming Shortlisted For National Award

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Ollie Deeming Shortlisted For National Award: The Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club groundsman has been shortlisted for a national award and will go head-to-head with a peer from a Premier League football club.

Ollie Deeming will contest the Toro Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year award with Manchester City’s Tara Massey at the Institute of Groundmanship awards in Birmingham on November 1.

Ollie, 20, from Great Barton, has only been in the groundmanship industry for two years after initially volunteering to help former club groundsman Andy Spetch while studying sports coaching at West Suffolk College.

The promising groundsman is a former player at the club, having started in the under 13s, and says looking after the pitches at the Haberden is the “next best thing to playing”.

Ollie said: “I’m really happy. I’ve only been in the industry for two years and to be recognised for the work I am doing is fantastic.

“I used to play and started with the under 13s, but had a few injuries so I started volunteering with Andy Spetch to help on the pitches.

“I did a little bit of coaching, but decided I really wanted to focus on being a groundsman. It’s the next best thing to playing really.”

Ollie said he was “surprised” to be pitted against a groundsman from Premier League football giants Manchester City for the student award.

He said: “It is quite surprising when you consider the size of their club and the money they have compared with us at the grass roots end.

“It will be interesting to see how the judges make their decision. But it shows I’m doing well to be going up against someone from such a professional set-up.”

Ollie, who has taken two IOG training courses in sports and amenity turf maintenance, is responsible for the six-acre site at the Haberden, and maintains the three main pitches and the artificial surface at the club.

Independent judging will now take place at each venue and Ollie will find out if he is a winner Oscars-style at the ceremony next month.

The IOG Awards, which highlight the high standards of volunteer and professional groundsmanship, from grassroots to professional stadia level, will take place at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham on Wednesday, November 1.

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Rasen Club’s Head Greenkeeper Retires

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Rasen Club’s Head Greenkeeper Retires: After almost four decades keeping Market Rasen Golf Club’s greens in tip-top condition, head greenkeeper John Hewson has retired.

His lifetime of dedicated service to the Legsby Road club was recognised by Club President Richard Holmes and the many members and friends who gathered in the clubhouse to mark John’s retirement.

 Mr Holmes made mention of the huge contribution made towards the success of the club over many years by John and his team.
On behalf of the club, he also expressed gratitude to John’s wife Shirley, children Nicola and Simon, as well as his wider family, for the support they have provided for John over the years.

Mr Holmes said: “John has played a massive part in the success of the club and in the enjoyment of playing golf here, experienced by members, guests and visitors alike.

“The course is recognised as one of the finest in the county and much of credit for our reputation should go to John and the team he has led.

“Without a course of such quality there would not be a club.”

John joined the greenkeeping team as an apprentice in 1968 and rose through the ranks to become Head Greenkeeper in 1978.

In recognition of his many years of hard work and loyalty, John has been granted honorary life membership of the club.

He was also presented with an inscribed glass bowl and monies donated by the club and its members.

Mr Holmes added: “We look forward to seeing John on the course during more sociable hours as he works at reducing his handicap.”

New Head Greenkeeper at Market Rasen is Ben Lowery, formerly of Elsham Golf Club.

He started working for the club in early September, allowing John to assist Ben to settle in.

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‘Giant tent’ Being Discussed To End Rain Delays In Cricket

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‘Giant tent’ Being Discussed To End Rain Delays In Cricket: Plans to stop rain delays at cricket matches by covering pitches with a giant mesh tent are being discussed by the sport’s governing bodies.

The Telegraph says an American company has approached the MCC and the English Cricket Board (ECB) with the idea.

The transparent mesh could be held up by wires attached to floodlights and a hot-air balloon in the centre.

An ECB spokesman told the BBC they were looking into “new technologies” but did not confirm any specific plans.

But the new MCC chief executive Guy Lavender says they are in conversation with ECB chief executive Tom Harrison in how they can partner up on the research.

Testing is at a very early stage and the technology is believed to be at least two years away from becoming a reality, with issues such as safety in high winds and water run-off to be considered.

“There are an enormous number of technical challenges and issues, but that’s not to say we shouldn’t look at it seriously,” said Lavender.

“It’s certainly not something that’s going to be viable initially but I think we have a role here at MCC to investigate and look at new technologies.

“It’s signalling our intent to think about new innovations and new technologies that can keep the game being played. This is the start of a journey of seeing what’s practical and what’s possible.”

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