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Jersey Groundsman runner up at Groundsman of the Year Awards
The winners of the 2007 Cricket World Groundsman of the Year Awards were announced at a presentation ceremony at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London earlier this week. The awards, hosted by Cricket World Magazine and sponsored by Pitchcare.com, came under four categories: School and College, Local Authority, Cricket Club and European grounds. The European Groundsman of the Year title went to Karl McDermott of Clontarf CC in Ireland, who made the journey across the Irish Sea to pick up his award.
McDermott’s success comes after more than 16 years commitment to the club where he spends hundreds of hours tending his beloved ground which has 14 wickets required to host over 100 matches in a season.
McDermott was presented with his well-deserved award by ICC European Development Manager, Richard Holdsworth who has witnessed the top groundsman’s achievements at Clontarf first-hand this season in hosting the Ireland v West Indies ODI.
Holdsworth said, “It is a pleasure for me to present Karl with this award. The dedication and commitment that he gives to Clontarf Cricket Club are second to none.
“The improvements made to the ground during his time at the club have not only brought the pitch up to the ICC’s stringent playing standards for hosting One Day Internationals, but have made the ground and its facilities more enjoyable for both players and spectators alike.”
The improvements that Karl has brought to the cricket club include a new drainage system around the square, renewal of all the grounds equipment, installation of an artificial pitch and the additional of an electronic scoreboard.
Another fanatical groundsman and the runner up of the European award is Ian Vautier, who for the past 32 years has looked after the Grainville Playing Fields in Jersey. Like McDermott, Vautier dedicates his life to maintaining and improving the ground so that visitors will go away impressed.
Richard Holdsworth added “I am pleased that both Karl and Ian’s hard work has been recognized with these awards. These two dedicated men stand as shining examples of the challenging work that must be done behind the scenes to enable so many cricketers to enjoy this great game.”
The winners were selected by Laurence Gale of PitchCare.com who said that judging the awards was an extremely rewarding experience.
“Whilst judging the awards I had the opportunity to meet many dedicated groundsmen at their inspiring venues and it gave me the opportunity to see a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience being put into practice.”
Gale also said that selecting the four winners from the twenty finalists was a far from easy task.
“How do you compare a ground that has everything - plenty of resources, machinery and staff, to one that is managed by volunteers with little or no equipment?
“I believe it’s about the Groundsman himself and what he brings to the table in terms of commitment, enthusiasm and guile along with the ability to get things done with the resources he has at hand. Above all he must produce a playing surface that is both safe and consistent, while at the same time promotes the game of cricket.”
The Groundsman of the Year Awards 2007
School and College
1. George Alexander, Tonbridge School
2. Mike Rutherford Framling College
3. Ian Smith, St Albans School
Local Authority
1. Simon Lawrence, Colchester and East Sussex CC
2. Gordon Gill, Westbury and District CC
3. Glyn Dobbs and Ivor Parry, Borough of Blaenow Gwent
Cricket Club
1. Paul Tatton, Haydock CC
2. Andrew Clarke, Shenley CC
3. John Lawrence Plymouth CC
European
1. Karl McDermott, Clontarf CC (Ireland)
2. Ian Vautier, Grainville Playing Fields, (Jersey)
For further information on the awards and details of the winners and runners-up please visit the Cricket World Groundmanship pages: http://www.cricketworld.com/groundsmanship/article/?aid=13024
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