Success in the making

Success in the making

By Inga Wells

Course: Sports Surface Technolgy
Student: Barry Dore
Present Role: Grounds Supervisor, Hurlingham Club, London

Barry Dore, a former greenkeeper and Deputy Course Manager, has come a long way from his home town in Donnegal, and is now well on his way to achieving his career ambitions in his new role as Grounds Supervisor at the highly prestigious Hurlingham Club in London. Prior to this, Barry had successfully completed his Masters in Sports Surface Technology at Cranfield University.

Now six months into his new role, Barry is enjoying every minute of it. He was recruited by Hurlingham's Grounds Manager, Peter Craig,
"I really wanted to employ someone who could bring some valuable technical and scientific sports surface technology skills to complement our team. I had already heard about the Sports Surface MSc programme at Cranfield, and obviously Barry's application was very well received."

Barry explained why he was so keen to work at the club, "I was attracted to the idea of working in an environment that would give me the opportunity to gain practical experience on a wide range of sports surfaces. At Hurlingham I have the chance to learn from Peter and his team about lawn tennis, bowls, cricket and croquet surfaces. With my former experience as a greenkeeper, this will provide me with the breadth of knowledge and skills I will need to achieve my ultimate goal to become a sports surface consultant in around five years time."

Barry is responsible for managing the highly-prized one hundred year old croquet lawns and bowls green, which involves supervising a small team of groundsmen. Barry is also very hands-on, he has recently assisted in restructuring the bowls area to create a wider walkway and installed new drainage guttering. He is also using his technical knowledge to assist in investigating a recurring winter drainage problem on one of the cricket squares.

"I now travel about an hour and half to get to work, but it's certainly worth it," said Barry. "The environment is wonderful and the club is extremely friendly and has a warm, family atmosphere even with over 10,000 members. I have lots to learn, especially as there are so many different events held during the year which require the sports surfaces to be in the very best condition. With the MSc I have the confidence to pass on the skills that I have learnt to my colleagues, so it really seems like a win-win situation."

Peter is certainly in agreement with this; he explained the benefits of recruiting someone with Barry's technical expertise, "The existing team hold a wide range of practical skills. With the new skills that Barry has gained through his MSc, such as optimising playability, understanding soil, water and vegetation mechanics and the technical aspects of drainage and irrigation, I feel that we will all benefit, as will the Club and its members."

Photograph:- L-R Peter Craig and Barry Dore.

To find out more about the MSc in Sports Surface Technology please contact Student Enquiries on 01525 863319