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Race against time to get ground right for Saturday's Lady Dudley Cup

Jim Squires (right): in charge of preparing the course at Chaddesley Corbett
Jim Squires (right): in charge of preparing the course at Chaddesley CorbettCredit: Carl Evans

"It’s been a horrible spring," says Jim Squires, while mulling over the lot of ground staff who prepare Britain’s point-to-point courses.

Squires is a big man whose glass is always full, not even half full, but even his resolve has been tested this week as he prepared the ground for Saturday's Lady Dudley Cup meeting at Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire.

Speaking while driving a tractor, he says: “I’ve never known it this dry in April, and because it’s so cold nothing is growing. I’ve never watered a course wondering if it could freeze overnight.

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Point-to-point expert

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