Long Lee groundsman is pitch perfect

Long Lee Juniors' groundsman David Burlison has received acclaim from the the West Riding County Football Association.

County FA chief executive Hannah Simpson presented him with a certificate for coming third in their Groundsman of the Year competition.

Burlison, who owns Haworth-based Lawnorder, has made a big impression since taking over the maintenance of Long Lee School's football pitches.

"We have seen such a massive improvement in them over the past couple of years," said Kath Rickaby, secretary for Long Lee Juniors, who make use of the two 11-a-side pitches and a mini-soccer one.

"The visiting clubs all comment on how envious they are of our pitches and it's all down to Lawnorder. David is so conscientious and does such a good job."

West Riding FA chief executive Simpson said that to see pitches of such a high standard can only improve the quality and enjoyment of the game at a local level.

The Craven, Aire & Wharfe Lea-gue have held a cup final at Long Lee. Rickaby added that the pitches have held up well during the harsh winter weather.

Lawnorder predominantly work on school grounds and sports areas in the Keighley and Bradford area.

They currently maintain in excess of 25 hectares of grounds and this is growing on an annual basis. Burlison said: "We put our success down to the fact that we work closely as a small team with the schools and football clubs to give them exactly what they need.

"We have invested heavily in machinery so that we are big enough to cope and also cost effective without any compromise on quality."

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