Groundsmen receive trip to Lord's for lifetime award

Alan Hancock (left) and Mike Kettle (right) were nominated for the Groundcare Awards by peers at Mickleover Cricket Club

Two groundsmen at a Derbyshire cricket club are set to receive lifetime awards for their decades of service.

Mickleover Cricket Club's Mike Kettle, 80 and Alan Hancock, 81, will receive the Cricket World Magazine's Groundcare Lifetime Achievement award on 9 September, at Lord's Cricket Ground.

The Groundcare Awards were introduced to recognise the dedication and hard work individuals carry out and to raise the profile and awareness of ground staff across UK cricket clubs.

Mr Kettle, a former first class and international cricketer, said: "It’s a great honour and I’m terribly humbled."

Mike Kettle said he is "honoured" to receive the award

Mr Kettle played first class cricket for Northamptonshire between 1963-1970 and played internationally for Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe, in 1975.

Mr Kettle said he was rather emotional hearing the news he would be receiving the award on Monday.

"It’s a great honour to receive a lifetime award, it had me almost in tears", said Mr Kettle.

"I left school to play cricket, I went on to coach at Repton School and I have umpired throughout the years so I guess I have done everything there is in cricket."

Sir Garfield Sobers was been labelled the "finest all-round player in modern cricket"

Mr Kettle told BBC Radio Derby about his favourite cricket memory, which involved bowling out all-rounder, Sir Garfield Sobers, during a one day match for Northamptonshire against the West Indies.

"That was a boyhood dream to get the great man himself out in two separate innings" said Mr Kettle.

"In fact, that day we played West Indies was the same day as England's 1966 World Cup final win.

"We managed to bowl them all out and we watched the match on the television. A great memory of mine."

The pitch at Mickleover Cricket Club that Mr Hancock and Mr Kettle look after

Mr Hancock said it is "brilliant" he is being presented with the lifetime award alongside Mr Kettle.

"I didn’t believe it at first," said Mr Hancock. "I’ve been to Lord's before and had a tour but that’s the only time I've been."

"Groundskeeping is something I've done for a long while, around 40 years.

"For me and Mike it's just an interest, it's in our bodies. Cricket is our passion and it's what we want to do."