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Curators Cry – Local Cricket Groundsmen Struggle In Face of Financial Challenges

January 13, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Despite weekly wages in the region of $6,000 and very little recognition, local cricket groundsmen are expressing their commitment to the craft, even if there has been a considerable falloff among their ranks in recent years. Local groundskeepers say that although they face financial challenges, they still remain dedicated to their jobs due to their […]

Dennis S500: The Riverside’s Best Kept Secret

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Tony Bell, head groundsman for Middlesbrough FC, has revealed that the secret behind keeping the pitch at the Riverside Stadium in such pristine condition is his unique and innovative approach to using the Dennis S500 PLUS ‘dual purpose’ machine. Tony, who has been at the club since 1997, not only oversees the grounds maintenance at […]

Curators Cry – Local Cricket Groundsmen Struggle In Face of Financial Challenges

January 13, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Dennis S500: The Riverside’s Best Kept Secret

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

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Curators Cry – Local Cricket Groundsmen Struggle In Face of Financial Challenges

January 13, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Local groundskeepers say that although they face financial challenges, they still remain dedicated to their jobs due to their love for the profession and the sport.

Lucas Cricket Club’s Travis Reid, who also plays for the outfit, says that despite the measly returns, he continues to carry out his duties because of love for the sport of the cricket and for his club.

“You have to love the game to be a groundsman because most men who are in it have been in it for years. They have dedicated their time to it,” said Reid, who has been curator for the past seven years.

“It is an underpaid job in Jamaica because nobody recognises the work that the groundsmen do,” Reid noted. “The main reason why I do it is because of my club Lucas, and so I will continue to do my work here.

“It is only when we have International and first-class matches you will make little money,” Reid said.

In fact, Reid said that many curators who have been in the profession before him are now walking away from the craft, because of the limited funds.

“Locally, there is no money in it, and because of this a lot of people are turning away from groundsman work in Jamaica,” he said.

Floyd Williams, who has been a curator at the Melbourne Cricket Club for 23 years, said that despite the lack of financial rewards, he, too, remains committed to doing his job to the best of his abilities.

“Cricket is my main sport, and so this why I continue to be a groundsman,” said Williams. “The money don’t’ matter to me because it may be small, but I just love doing my job as a groundsman,” Williams said.

Meanwhile, Lucas Cricket Club president Daniel Wilmot, said the lack of financial support at the club is hampering its ability to properly pay its grounds staff.

“The curators, or groundsmen, don’t earn that much money, and what they earn is not enough to keep doing that alone. This is partly because the clubs are struggling for money, and only maybe two clubs are doing well, and so they are able to pay their staff.

“However, generally, the clubs are struggling, and this is one of the reasons why cricket as a sport is struggling,” Wilmot said.

However, all is not lost as the University of Technology (UTech) is set to stage a curator’s course this year in a bid to create new opportunities for those with interest in the field.

Anthony Davis, UTech’s director of sports, said that the aim of the course is to improve the standard of Jamaican curators.

“I realise that we really don’t have a consistent formal way of training groundsmen because people learnt the trade as a ‘prentice’, and there is no scientific method of doing it,” said Davis.

“Looking around the world, we realise that it is a job in itself and a very distinguished job because if you are a curator in Sydney or Lords or any of the big places in the world, it is a serious job you have, but we don’t treat it that way,” he said.

He said that the university would be engaging the services of a well-known curator from Durham in the England to conduct the course.

To read the original article, click here

Dennis S500: The Riverside’s Best Kept Secret

January 10, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Tony, who has been at the club since 1997, not only oversees the grounds maintenance at the Riverside but also at the training ground in Darlington and at the club’s foundation site in Eston. Including the pitch at the Riverside, Tony and his team are responsible for maintaining thirteen grass pitches and two artificial pitches as well as 50 hectares of green space at the training ground.

Anyone would think that Tony would struggle to find enough hours in the day to ensure that the pitches and facilities live up to his extremely high standards. However, he still manages to find time once a month to overseed the whole pitch – using just the Dennis S500 Plus. Ever the perfectionist, Tony believes that this pedestrian machine with its quality and quantity of tines enables him to achieve the results he desires.

“Quite simply, I’m just not a fan of taking tractors on the pitch – as I don’t like any weight on the pitch whatsoever. We originally purchased the S500 to use it on the linesman’s runs, goalmouths and warm-up areas but then we got used to it and thought that we would use it to overseed the whole pitch.”

“Yes, it is a full day’s work but we can cope with it, and it does the exact job which we need it to. We use about four bags of seed, and it is probably a seven hour job, which admittedly is a little bit excessive – but this is why we have just taken delivery of another S500. Therefore, it will only be a half day’s job and in my mind it is absolutely worthwhile.”

Known as the ‘dual –purpose’ machine, the Dennis S500 PLUS has a 510mm (20″) operating width complete with interchangeable spiker and slotter reels. The spiker reel punches through the ‘surface pan’ allowing air, water and fertiliser to penetrate the root zone, while the slotter reel creates ideal seed germination pockets thus reducing seed wastages. Using the optional seed box attachment, as Tony does, will ensure grass seed is dropped onto the ground at the prescribed rate and brushed into the pockets.

“It just has the double advantage of aerating the pitch as well,” says Tony. “It allows a little bit of air and water into the top inch, which helps with oxygen, and at the same time we are putting some seed down – it’s a win-win situation.”

The S500 PLUS is not the only Dennis machine in Tony’s armoury; a long-term admirer of the Dennis G860 interchangeable cassette mower, Tony recently upgraded his existing G860’s to two brand new ones at the start of the season.

“I like to use the Dennis G860, and I use it on a daily basis,” says Tony. “I’m very impressed with the quality of cut it offers, and I would say that the smoothness of the machine is the G860’s best feature. It’s extremely comfortable to use and when I am walking behind it, it’s as if I am simply gliding along.”

“The interchangeable cassette system is also a massive advantage; in just a minute or so you can turn it into a brush or a verti-cutter – or anything else depending on the requirement.”

With the option of being able to fit a variety of heads including scarifiers, verticutters, brushes, spikers, and slitters as well as 6,8 or 11 bladed cutter cassettes, it is easy to see why the G860 is relied upon in stadium environments all over the world. In Tony’s case, he uses the 8 bladed cutting cylinder to keep the grass at a constant height of 25mm. After games he will apply the brush cassette to clean out all the debris and in the summer months he turns to the verti-cutting cassette.

“All in all Dennis have been helpful all the way throughout and have provided a first-class service. They are very flexible in what they can do – they listen to what we say and want we want to achieve and I think that is really important,” said Tony.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

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Curators Cry – Local Cricket Groundsmen Struggle In Face of Financial Challenges

Dennis S500: The Riverside’s Best Kept Secret

Curators Cry – Local Cricket Groundsmen Struggle In Face of Financial Challenges

Dennis S500: The Riverside’s Best Kept Secret

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Curators Cry – Local Cricket Groundsmen Struggle In Face of Financial Challenges

Dennis S500: The Riverside’s Best Kept Secret

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