Whitmore Cricket Club Driving Ground Improvements with Dennis FT610
At the heart of every successful cricket club is a dedicated team working tirelessly behind the scenes, and at Whitmore Cricket Club, that commitment is helping transform one of Staffordshire’s historic grounds.
For James Holdcroft, groundsman and long-time player at Whitmore CC, maintaining and improving the club’s playing surfaces is both a passion and a responsibility.
“I’ve been playing here for 16 years now and I’ve been helping with the ground for four years,” said James. “I started off just cutting the outfield, helping out and sweeping the wicket between innings. Now I cut the outfield four times a week and help out as much as I can on the square.”
Founded more than 150 years ago and situated on the historic Whitmore Estate, the village club continues to thrive both on and off the field. Whitmore currently fields three Saturday teams, two Sunday mixed teams and three women’s sides, with its first XI competing in the North Staffs Premier League.
Despite the club’s proud traditions, Whitmore’s volunteers are firmly focused on the future - particularly when it comes to pitch performance.
Raising Standards at Whitmore
Historically known for producing “slow and low” wickets, Whitmore has invested heavily in improving both pitch quality and consistency.
“Over the last few years, we’ve really tried to improve things and you can see the difference,” James explained. “It’s probably looking the best it’s ever looked.”
Working alongside advice from Staffordshire Cricket’s Paul Clarke, the club has introduced a programme of deep spiking, verti-draining and additional loam applications to improve the square profile and playing characteristics.
“The main challenge we’ve got down here is a lack of loam depth, which is why our pitches traditionally played slow and low,” James said. “We’re trying to improve that through investment over the off-season.”
The club’s efforts are already paying dividends.
“We’ve gone from being ‘Wetmore’ to ‘Dymore’ , he added. “You can’t put enough water on here at the minute.”
Whitmore’s ambitions extend beyond local recognition. With annual Premier League pitch inspections approaching, the club is determined to continue raising standards both on and off the field.
“I’ve got confidence in myself, the other grounds people and the club to exceed expectations,” said James. “Hopefully we can become one of the best grounds in the county within the next five years.”
Choosing Dennis and the FT610
A major contributor to Whitmore’s progress has been the club’s investment in the Dennis FT610 interchangeable cassette mower system.
“The club picked Dennis because we like to back British and local companies,” James explained. “With Dennis only being a few miles away in Derbyshire, it was a no-brainer.”
Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Dennis FT Range has become one of the industry’s leading interchangeable cassette mower systems for professional fine turf maintenance. Trusted across cricket, bowls, tennis and golf, the FT system combines precision engineering with exceptional versatility.
Available in 17”, 20” and 24” cutting widths, the FT Range offers 12 quick-change cassette options including verticutters, scarifiers, brushes, spikers, slitters and cutting cylinders — allowing clubs to perform a wide range of essential turf maintenance tasks using a single power unit.
Whitmore selected the FT610 model specifically for its versatility, reliability and time-saving capabilities.
“We went for the FT610 because of the interchangeable cassette system,” said James. “As a club with limited preparation time, it’s hugely beneficial. We can bring two cassettes out at once — a verticutter and a cutting cassette — and get jobs done twice as quickly.”
The quick-change cassette design allows operators to swap cassettes in as little as 30 seconds, helping maximise efficiency during busy maintenance periods.
Tackling Thatch and Improving Performance
One of the club’s biggest improvements has come through the use of the FT610 verticutter cassette.
“In previous years we had a lot of thatch,” James explained. “Since investing in the verticutter cassette, we’ve seen a huge difference in both pitch quality and drainage.”
By removing lateral growth and reducing surface organic matter, the verticutter has helped produce firmer, faster pitches with improved pace and carry.
“It stands the lateral growth up and removes it, which helps fast bowlers and gives the pitches more carry,” James said. “No one likes low and slow pitches.”
The Dennis FT Range also features a spring steel comb designed to tease up lateral growth prior to cutting, alongside a unique roller clutch drive system which provides smooth operation and an exceptional finish on cricket tables.
Built for Grassroots Cricket
For volunteer-led clubs like Whitmore, ease of use is critical and the FT610 has delivered exactly that.
“The height of cut adjustment is incredibly easy,” James explained. “It’s four clicks per millimetre and you don’t need any tools. I can go from cutting at 14 clicks to 20 clicks on the square quickly and easily.”
The machine’s simple controls and user-friendly setup make it ideal for clubs relying on volunteers and part-time grounds staff.
“We’re so busy here during the season,” James said. “There are only really two days a week where there isn’t cricket, and even then we usually have training or events on. So having equipment that’s quick and simple to use is massive for us.”
Whitmore also values the reliability of the Honda-powered FT610 engine platform.
“We’ve had experience with Honda engines before and we know how reliable they are,” James added. “The availability of parts through both Dennis and Honda is another big benefit.”
Four years after purchasing the mower, the club remains delighted with its investment.
“We’ve had absolutely no issues with it whatsoever,” James concluded. “The quality of cut is superb, the cassette system saves us so much time and honestly, there’s no better machine in our shed than this mower.”