Winter Sports - Rugby Union
Raymond Crosbie works full time as a
dairy farmer and lives quite close to the club’s grounds. Not only has he been involved with the club for the past twenty- two years, most of that as a player, Raymond has also looked after the grounds as a volunteer grounds manager for the past ten years. He has called on his experience in farming to help him look after the place - a post he holds after expressing his willingness at one point to help out. Raymond said: “I used to play for the
Accies, but injury forced me to give up my career as a player. I always enjoyed being part of the squad here in Omagh and wanted to continue being a part of the rugby club.” "As a farmer, I enjoy the great outdoors and, when the request was made to come and help look after the pitches, I jumped at the chance.” “I rely on my background gained in
farming to guide me in the job, but I also have expert help in the form of a professional grounds maintenance company who take on the more technical and physical aspect of looking after the pitches.” Raymond reports to the rugby club’s committee and ensures all expenditure is passed by them before he spends any money. The grounds consist of loamy soil and
are free draining, which comes in handy as the Fairy Water river passes just along the edge of the pitches. On one or two
occasions, the pitches have been susceptible to flooding which has hampered working on the grounds but, thanks to the soil profile, the water disappears quite quickly again. There was a change of tactics at Omagh
Rugby Club around four years ago, when the committee decided to improve the overall condition of the pitches and bring in some outside help to get the job done. Helping Raymond look after the grounds is Dimac Sports Grounds Limited, which is also based in Omagh and run by David Irvine and Martin Corcoran. Their company specialises in producing and maintaining high quality turf surfaces to many sports clubs around Ulster, including the Accies. David, with almost twenty years’
experience in the sports turf industry, was previously head greenkeeper at Newtownstewart Golf Club. Martin, a qualified quantity surveyor, has over twenty years’ experience in the construction industry. Raymond said: “During my time as a
player at our club, the grounds, whilst maintained adequately, did not move on with the increased demands being made on them. For years, all we did was cut the grass and apply some fertiliser and, on occasions, sand was sprinkled to some areas. Over time, we were playing on pitches that could not stand up to the demands and they were deteriorating rapidly.” “We had teams from the youth division,
PC APRIL/MAY 2016 I 59
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