Durant Cricket

Equipped for success

Jim Hindson caught up with former team-mate Cristian Durant, enjoying a road trip that reflected on the hard work that goes into cricket grounds throughout the year

Aday spent with Cristian Durant leaves you in little doubt that he is an expert in his field. It is not just the technical knowledge he has as owner of Durant Cricket – a leading cricket ground equipment supplier. Cricket is in the blood when you consider his near five decades of watching, playing and administrating the game from the village green to county 2nd XI and minor counties (Cristian was quite a player). And as a cricket person, he is great company.

The groundsmen we catch up with – in this instance at Oakham, Uppingham and Oundle schools – are all on hand to greet him with a brew and time for a chat. It’s not just about the first-class service, it’s having a yarn with someone who shares the passion for the game.

“We know so many groundsmen personally,” Cristian explained. “We go the extra mile for them, which is why we get the repeat business and why they want to deal with us. It means we listen to their needs and work to provide them exactly what they want, rather than just an off-the-shelf service.”

One of the reasons for this versatility is that Durant Cricket design, manufacture and install in-house. This sets them apart from other suppliers, something that is not lost on key decision-makers at clubs and schools across the country.

Cristian picks up the story: “The metalwork and all of the scoreboards are built and fabricated at our HQ and loaded into our vans before being installed onsite. Our office is onsite so you get to speak to the people who will be hands on with your project involved in the sales process. And we provide a comprehensive all-round service for ground equipment that includes all accessories including boundary ropes, flags, discs and clocks.

“Overseeing the manufacturing process from start to finish enables us to control quality and to tweak designs to come up with products that the market wants. Being a one-stop shop, if a club wants a boundary rope, some covers and a cage – we can provide that under one roof rather than having to make three separate sales. We run the whole process which sees clubs and schools coming back to us year after year.”

At Oundle School, Durant Cricket have delivered 4½ x 4-metre-wide sight screens with heavy-duty durable frames. The white lattes can be replaced with black for a white-ball game. This fully galvanised frame is popular with clubs and schools around the UK and is winter proof to boot. You can also remove the lattes and drop the sight screen down on its hinges to protect against high winds.

At Oakham School, Durant have supplied three mobile cricket covers with puncture-proof tyres. Cristian reckons they have delivered more than 700 sets of this popular cover across the UK. They are easy to move and do a great job of getting the game on in inclement weather with a side sheet attachment to connect flat sheets.

Our final stop was at Uppingham School where Durant Cricket have installed two mobile cages. These are 10 metres long with an extra section to stop the ball being driven into the path of players in the next net. Puncture-proof tyres and heavy-duty 3mm netting make this a robust cage for all conditions. The nets can be moved onto the square for middle practice, with the stabilising bar making them easy to move even for someone working on their own.

As our busy morning in the Midlands came to a close, we headed back to Durant Cricket headquarters, located just off the A1 between Peterborough and Leicester. Over another brew, Cristian signed off by looking to the future. “We’ve moved to this fantastic location, just off the A1 in the middle of England. Our vision is to continue to provide excellent customer service, to develop new products and to make the manufacturing process even more efficient. We want to be the go-to brand for all cricket ground equipment and to expand our operation across the UK and abroad too.

Walking out to the car park, a trailer was being loaded for a trip to Finland in another busy month that has seen Durant travelling all over the UK and to further climes. But as Cristian reflected, it’s not really work when you are so passionate about the job and our summer game.