Educational Establishments
Cricket in the shadow of the cathedral
ryegrass mix for a while now; we find its drought and disease resistant
“We’ve plumped for a dwarf
qualities serve us well”
Rugby is a priority sport as the appointment of Alex Keay, former captain of London Saracens, as Senior Rugby Coach will testify
rely on nature to play its part.” Due to the restrictions with irrigation, the team must have the right seed for the job, stresses Steve. “We’ve plumped for a dwarf ryegrass mix for a while now; we find its drought and disease resistant qualities serve us well.” When quizzed over his brand preference, Steve opts to keep his cards close to his chest. “We’ve never shown a preference for one particular brand,” he says. “We tend to follow the BSPB rankings quite closely, which gives us an excellent breakdown of which products best suit the needs of the site.”
One of the university’s real strengths - and a key reason for its success in enhancing its sporting pedigree - is the recruitment of leading high-performance coaches, many of whom have strong links with the governing body structures of sports like rugby, football and cricket; making Durham an even more attractive prospect for students who excel outside the lecture halls. “Because we’ve looked to the
professional elite for our staffing, many of our coaches have performed at the highest level,” explains Peter. “Alex Keay - our senior rugby coach - played for Saracens over 500 times. He also coached at Manchester and Preston Grasshoppers before joining us.” Some of the other coaches on the
Durham roster include: Graeme Fowler, cricket; Wade Hall-Craggs, rowing; Lewis Butler, hockey - all of whom bring the elite level expertise that students want from their university sports coaches. Durham is also an LTA Development
Centre, a Junior Performance Centre for Hockey and holds First Class County Cricket status. It is also the only UK university whose women’s football team plays in the Super League (they will compete in the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) for the first time this year).
Steve Brown 92 PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013
University students good enough for the ladies first XI can take full advantage
of the link as the university season and Super League season don’t overlap, so those deemed good enough can play for both sides.
Their male counterparts also ply their trade at the highest level for university sports, fighting it out with the likes of Loughborough for the crown of the best university football team. Top league status sees Durham et al play against some of the top professional academy sides as well. Sports like lacrosse and fencing have also flourished in recent years, with lacrosse enjoying the highest levels of participation of any UK university. Durham is also home to the British Fencing centre in the north. Working with a university of such a high global standing has its own set of challenges, with the university fixtures and the many external events ensuring staff are kept busy all year round. The recent hosting of the annual week-long ESCA Bunbury Festival (cricket) is just one example of the prestigious nature of outside events hosted here. “In its history, sixty players who’ve competed in the festival have gone on to play for England, including the likes of Ian Botham and Andrew Strauss,” explains Peter. Bookings like this keep groundstaff on their toes; to deliver the standards that young players of high quality expect. “We do things a bit differently from other universities where maintenance is concerned,” insists Peter. “It’s always been my view that the grounds team should be part of the sports department, not estates. Paul and his team report to my team only; they’re an integral part of our department. Operating in this way allows for a smoother operation and budgeting, and planning is much easier as their work is intrinsically linked to the fixtures and our schedules.” “This arrangement also fosters a
greater team spirit, I believe. Paul and the team not only feel like a valued part of the sports team but, also, there’s more
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