New Lord’s head groundsman Karl McDermott begins role

He joins from Hampshire where he spent seven years and has taken over from Mick Hunt, who is retiring at the end of the 2018 after 49 years in the job.

^{Karl McDermott (Credit: MCC)}

Karl McDermott has begun in his new role as the Head Groundsman at the most famous cricket ground in the world – Lord’s.

McDermott joined from Hampshire and has taken over from Mick Hunt, who retired after 49 years in the job.

He joined Hampshire as Deputy Head Groundsman in 2009, becoming Head Groundsman in 2016, having spent seventeen years at Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin.

^{Mick Hunt is retiring after 49 years as Head Groundsman at Lord's}

There will be an initial bedding-in process where they work alongside each other before Hunt officially retires at the end of 2018.

With the Cricket World Cup and the Ashes happening during 2019 it will be something of a baptism of fire for McDermott, but one which he is ready.

“I am very excited about my new role and I am already looking forward to a busy and challenging season in 2019,” he said.

“Being Mick’s successor is a huge honour, and I aim to keep the extremely high standards that he has set at Lord’s during his long and distinguished career.”

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