The home of Irish cricket F
CLONTARF
irst impressions count for a lot. There is nothing better than to
see a well presented sports venue that looks smart, sharp and tidy. One such venue I visited this summer was Clontarf Cricket Club. I was there to meet Head Groundsman Karl
McDermott who had been nominated for this year’s Groundsman of the Year awards promoted jointly by Cricket World and Pitchcare. I was met at Dublin Airport
by Karl and taken the short distance to Clontarf ’s ground, just four miles north east of Dublin. The ground is located on Castle Avenue, 100 metres from the significant local landmark of Clontarf Castle. Clontarf Cricket Club was formed in 1876, one year before the first ever England v Australia Test match. At the
44
time it was a junior club and had only one team. The original ground was at a site about one mile away from the present ground. In 1896 the club moved to its present location. Two years later the club gained its first trophy when it won the Junior Cup. After further junior success in 1905, the club was, in 1908, promoted to senior status and the present pavilion was built. The club has remained a senior club ever since and now fields five teams in various leagues of the Leinster Cricket Union’s competitions ranging from Senior A to Junior C and two Ladies sides. There is also a vibrant youth section comprising eight schoolboy teams, competing at ages from Under 11 to Under 19, and two schoolgirl teams at Under 13 and Under 15. In 1947 the ground at Castle Avenue was purchased
from the Vernon Estate in the joint ownership of both the Clontarf Rugby and Clontarf Cricket clubs. The site had a 99-year lease, with an option to purchase. At the time, it was used as allotments. It was gradually converted to use as a cricket ground between 1954 and 1958. 1964 saw the first International First-Class match played in Clontarf when Ireland played against The MCC. It is now the country’s most highly rated ground and is used by the Irish Cricket Union for home competitive matches in the Republic of Ireland.
KARL sets himself high standards. There is not a blade of grass out of place, no litter, a very prim and tidy ground. He has been with the club since leaving school and has now clocked up sixteen years service.
He began his career in
1991 and, after six years, was appointed Head Groundsman. As well as his time at Clontarf, Karl has gained a substantial amount of cricket experience from his time working overseas. In the early days Karl was only employed at Clontarf during the playing season. To fill up his time Karl arranged to work overseas on grounds in South Africa and Australia.
• Winter 1998/1999 - Worked at CBC Boksburg School in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Winter 1999/2000 - Worked at CBC Boksburg
• Winter 2000/2001 - Worked in Sydney, Australia at Mosman CC
• Winter 2003 - Worked at World Cup 2003 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa at St Georges Park
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104