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SERVING THE TURFCARE INDUSTRY
The turfcare magazine
from pitchcare.com
pitchcare
August/September 2012
Issue No. 44 £4.50
SPECIAL REPORT
TRAVELLERS
ARREST?
The travelling community
and sportsgrounds
proprietors have clashed
again this year in what is
seen as a growing issue
across the UK
THE KEEPERS
OF THE STONES
Stonehenge is regarded as
one of the most important
prehistoric monuments in
the world, and is the jewel
in the crown of English
Heritage
Purnell’s
Passion
Standing tall and proud inside England’s lastremaining operational toll village lies Dulwich College,
an independent school rich in tradition. Paul Purnell
and his team tend the extensive grounds
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PC/P3/08/2012
Say that again!
WELCOME TO
“I would recommend that
everyone in our industry
volunteers for a golf tournament
at some stage during their
career”
pitchcare
Sport for all,
or just the
elite?
IT’S the current debate, the Olympics
still fresh in many people’s minds, what
sporting legacy will be left behind? There
has been a fascinating thread on the PC
message boards about the provision of
sport within both state and private
schools. But, what should we be doing to
nurture the next generation of sportsmen
and women?
I agree with the many comments about
investing in schools and getting
competitive sport back on the school
curriculum. For too long now noncompetitive sport has been encouraged,
so as not to see the fat kid in the corner
get ridiculed. The trouble is that, now, we
have half a class of fat kids, who are lazy
and unable and/or unwilling to compete.
Competition is healthy. Why do the same
people who extol Darwin and his theory
on the survival of the fittest, fail then to
get to grips with an increasingly
unhealthy society and successive
generations of idle kids?
Governments have increased the costs of
running schools, along with the current
trends of target setting, based around the
core academic subjects (maths, english,
sciences), with little time allocated for
physical education.
We need to address the balance and
bring back opportunities for pupils to
achieve recognition in a sporting activity.
I always enjoyed participating in sport
when I was at school, and was able to
represent my school at local and county
levels; we were always encouraged to be
the best by our teachers.
We need to see a massive change in the
school programme to include more
physical activities. We need to bring back
the PE teacher and dedicate five hours a
week to teaching and giving pupils the
opportunity to shine in sport (they are
not all academic achievers). In America,
many kids earn scholarships to university
having excelled in sport. Perhaps we
should follow this example.
The opportunity for young people to get
involved in sport should start in Primary
schools, with the Government setting
aside ring fenced budgets to deliver
Simon Blagg, Roseville Golf Club
sports activities in all Primary schools.
The aim should be to introduce pupils to
a variety of sports and ensure they
remain active, interested and able to
compete against themselves and other
schools, and eventually progress to
playing sport at local sports clubs.
The benefits will be enormous in terms
of learning new skills, such as hand-eye
coordination, increasing fitness levels
and, above all, giving them a sense of
wellbeing.
For this policy to work, the Government
will have to enable the schools to invest
in their playing surfaces and provide PE
staff able to deliver several hours of sport
a week for every child.
Healthy competition between pupils is
the key to enrichment; the skills learned
and taken on board whilst participating
in sport are essential attributes for pupil
development.
Having run Pitchcare for over a decade,
we get to see many schools, and the ones
that stand out are the ones that have
invested in their pitches, providing
excellently presented sports surfaces that
are fit for purpose and encourage the
pupils to perform.
However, it is no good providing these
pitches if we have not got the
infrastructure in terms of having PE
/sports teachers who can inspire their
pupils to take part and perform.
The changes in Primary schools should
transcend into the secondary schools
system.
All the above said and done, we shouldn’t
understate the success of our athletes at
the London 2012 Olympics. Great
Britain finished third in the world, and
only behind the USA and China,
countries with populations 10x and 50x
greater than ours. Imagine how good our
sporting stars would be, if we gave sport
more emphasis again. Imagine the knock
on economic effect if we were a nation of
healthy people with healthy minds.
Cheers
Dave Saltman
“Last season we clocked up 305
official cricket fixtures making
us, officially, the site that plays
more cricket than anywhere else
in the UK”
Paul Purnell, Dulwich College
“It makes no sense to produce
grass seed in the US and spend
money and energy transporting
it back to Europe”
Simon Taylor, Eurograss BV
“They come armed with angle
grinders and mini diggers and
will saw through barriers and
dig through a bund or a bank”
Chris Bradley, Head of Parks and
Foreshore, Worthing Borough Council
“I have seen no demarcation or
snobbish behaviour wherever I
have worked, trained or
advised. It’s a feature of this
industry that does it credit”
Wayne Duggan ECB Pitch Adviser
“Another problem a facilitator
can help with is the tendency for
some people to deliberately delay
decisions out of self-interest”
Frank Newberry, Trainer and
Motivational Speaker
“I spent twenty happy years at
Sunningdale and, during that
time, ‘Big’ Jack McMillan had
a massive influence on me”
Mark Openshaw, North
Hants Golf Club
“It is just not acceptable for a
course to be waterlogged and
unplayable for long periods”
Steve Oultram, Wilmslow Golf Club
Contents
The PC team
DAVE SALTMAN
Managing Director
JOHN RICHARDS
Operations Director
Tel: 01902 440254
Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 01902 440256
Email:
[email protected]
Cover Story - Paul Purnell, Dulwich College
LAURENCE GALE
Editor
PETER BRITTON
Advertising & Production
Tel: 01902 440 260
Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 01952 898 516
Email:
[email protected]
Cover Story
Purnell’s Passion
Standing tall and proud inside England’s last-remaining operational toll village lies
Dulwich College, an independent school rich in tradition. Paul Purnell and his team
tend the extensive grounds. Pg86
CHRIS JOHNSON
Training Coordinator
DAN HUGHES
Sales & Marketing
Tel: 01902 440 263
Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 01902 440 258
Email:
[email protected]
Eddie Mills, Edgbaston Golf Club
Mark Openshaw, North Hants Golf Club
Golf
ALASTAIR BATTRICK
Web Monkey
SHARON TAYLOR
Company Accountant
Tel: 01902 440 255
Email:
[email protected]
Tel: 01902 440 261
Email:
[email protected]
No trouble at Mill’s course!
Chart toppers...
Eddie Mills tends Edgbaston Golf Club, a
stunning parkland course just one mile from
Birmingham city centre. He reckons this summer’s
weather has been a bit ‘inclement’. Pg14
This has to have been the wettest of wet summers.
Neville Johnson visited Chart Hills Golf Club, a
gem of a Kentish course, in a rare break from the
torrents to see whether water from the heavens is
a blessing or a curse. Pg34
Blagg’s blog - An Olympic effort
No part of this publication may be reproduced without
prior permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily
those of the publisher. Editorial contributions are
published entirely at the editor’s discretion and may be
shortened if space is limited. Pitchcare make every
effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents but
accepts no liability for its consequences. Images are
presumed copyright of the author or Pitchcare unless
otherwise stated. Pitchcare Magazine is printed by the
Gemini Press, Dolphin Way, Shoreham-by-Sea, West
Sussex BN43 6NZ
What had started as a dream twelve months
previously became a reality on the 9th June 2012.
This was when Simon Blagg arrived in the USA as
a volunteer for the 2012 US Open. Pg20
Pitchcare.com
Allscott Park, Allscott, Telford
Shropshire TF6 5DY
Tel: 01952 897 910
Fax: 01952 247 369
Email: [email protected]
Seeing the wood for the trees...
Preparing the Twenty Ten
Our editor joins the greenkeeping crew at The
Celtic Manor Resort as they prepare for the ISPS
Handa Wales Open. Not even a ‘faulty’ alarm
clock can dampen his enthusiasm. Pg24
Peter Britton return to an old childhood haunt just forty-seven years later - to meet up with the
North Hants Golf Club Course Manager, Mark
Openshaw. Pg28
The golfing gems of Biarritz
Golf de Biarritz ‘Le Phare’ was the brainchild of
Victorian British aristocracy who wanted to play
golf whilst on holiday in the upmarket French
seaside resort. Pg40
Schools & Colleges
Simon’s new challenge
Woodhouse Grove is situated on the outskirts of
Leeds in Apperley Bridge. It is a wonderful
setting, with the sportsfields providing an
impressive frontage for the magnificent school
buildings. Pg94
Also in this issue:
News .............................. 4
Travellers Arrest ............ 10
Dale Frith, Fleetwood Town FC
Winter Sports
Wayne Duggan, Port Talbot CC
Summer Sports
In Cod we trust!
Man on a mission
Jane Carley talks to Dale Frith, the award winning Head
Groundsman at Fleetwood Town Football Club, who are
newly promoted to the Football League, for the first
time in their history. Pg44
ECB pitch adviser, cricket groundsman and fine turf
maintenance contractor. Three occupations, all
undertaken by one man, Wayne Duggan, who is widely
known and respected across south west Wales. Pg76
You can’t stop the Village people
All in a day’s work ...
Whilst Manchester and rain almost go hand in hand, as
any cricket fan will tell you, the team at Leigh Sports
Village have had to keep a close eye on the weather
charts in order to meet the demands of a busy fixture
list. Pg48
Gordon Gill is the Head Groundsman at Bath Cricket
Club, a delightfully picturesque ground just a short
walk from the city centre. Here, he talks to our editor
about the progress made during his ten year tenure.
Pg82
Public Places
English Heritage - the keepers
of the stones
Peter Britton and Laurence Gale get up early to get an
inside look at how an influx of one million visitors a
year affects the grass areas around English Heritage’s
jewle in the crown, Stonehenge. Pg64
Shone shines
Mike Shone leads a small team of three looking after
the horticultural requirements of the fifty-five acre site
at Shrewsbury NHS Hospital. Here, he explains about
the working practices he has put into place to improve
the ambience of the site. Pg70
By Royal appointment
We speak to The Royal Parks Sports Development
Officer, David Ellis, about balancing recreation and
conservation, and look at two recent development
projects at Regent’s Park and Bushy Park. Pg72
Artificial Surfaces
The science behind AGPs
To date, scientific research into the maintenance of
artificial grass pitches has been rather overlooked. Save
for some notable exceptions, much of our accepted
industry wisdom has been formed by experience and
observation. Pg98
Simon Wood, Woodhouse Grove School
National Disgrace .......... 52
Beyond the call .............. 54
Towcestrians .................. 58
Grasscutter .................... 62
Monthly Diaries ............ 116
Pitchcare Training ........ 120
Equestrian
Burning ambition at Towcester!
Clerk of the Course, Richard Bellamy, and Head
Groundsman, Keith Bower, are the men charged with
looking after the UK’s most undulating course. Pg102
Frank Newberry .......... 122
Drainage Problems? .... 124
Carpet Contamination .. 126
Technical
A bright future?
Our editor looks at a new lighting rig system that is in
the early stages of testing with two of the country’s
leading groundsmen; Ed Mowe at Leicester City FC
and the SWALEC Stadium’s Keith Exton. Pg106
Seed at its best
Simon Taylor discusses how breeders are meeting the
challenges of ever changing European legislation to
provide high quality, weed free seed. Pg110
Green Speed ................ 128
Drill n Fill ...................... 130
Clay pipes - pulling power
Steve Oultram, Course Manager at Wilmslow Golf
Club, believes the ‘old boys’ had it right when they
talked about the pulling power of clay pipes when
used for on course drainage. Pg112
The Art of Cylinder Grinding
Tom Stidder, product support manager with Ransomes
Jacobsen, reviews the art of cylinder grinding from the
company’s perspective. Pg114
Ed Mowe, Leicester City FC
Saturation Point ............ 132
Leaf Spot ...................... 134
Turf Side Up! ................ 136
News
Advice for grassroots
groundsmen
Pitchcare.com teams up with Greenways Publishing, the UK’s
leading sporting newspaper publisher
Pitchcare.com have joined forces
with the UK’s leading publisher
of sporting newspapers,
Greenway’s Publishing, to offer
regular features on groundcare
advice for rugby, football and
cricket to the readers of The
Rugby Paper, The Non-League
Paper and The Cricket Paper
respectively.
Neil Wooding, responsible for
Trade Marketing and Partnership
Development adds, “I’m
delighted we are have joined
forces with Pitchcare.com to offer
our readers additional added
value and insight through regular
groundcare features. Certainly,
within grassroots sport, a lot of
groundcare at club level can be
undertaken by volunteers and
club officials with no direct
experience or qualifications of
groundcare. Whilst those
volunteers can be enthusiastic,
our regular Pitchcare.com
features will be able to guide
and inform, making for a better
sporting experience on the
ground.”
Pitchcare’s Operations Director,
John Richards said, “The
nationwide circulation of the
three titles gives us an
opportunity to help groundsmen
at all levels, but particularly those
connected with local and nonleague clubs. Whilst many will
already be Pitchcare members,
this target specific approach can
only be of benefit to
groundsmen.”
David Emery, MD of Greenways
Publishing, comments, “our
sporting newspapers offer
unrivalled coverage of the game
from the grassroots up to
professional game, and we think
that appeals to a lot of
passionate and dedicated
players, officials and fans of the
sport. With a paid-for annual
circulation of three million copies
and a highly engaged
readership, both in print and
online, we are the UK’s number
one dedicated sporting
newspaper publisher.”
“To celebrate our partnership
with Pitchcare.com, we are
offering 20% off our
advertising rates around the
Pitchcare.com features in our
newspapers.”
About Greenways
Publishing:
Greenways Publishing taps
into the UK’s passion for
sport with four national
titles: The Non-League
Paper, which covers all
football outside the Football
League down to grassroots;
The Rugby Paper with its
unrivalled coverage of Rugby
Union from elite level to county
leagues, The Football League
Paper, covering all seventy-two
Football League clubs, and The
Cricket Paper, which is devoted to
all areas from Test match to
village green.
The titles are the biggest sellers
in their field and offer advertisers
and sponsors unique
opportunities to reach a
committed market.
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News
Significant
legislation
changes needs
significant action
claims the
Amenity Forum
Support of action
plan urged by SUD
AFTER a lengthy consultation
period, the Government have
now passed the enacting
legislation to implement the
Sustainable Use Directive (SUD)
in our country. Detailed guidance
on the implications has been
produced by the Chemicals
Regulations Directorate (CRD)
and is available on their website
as well as others, including the
Amenity Forum. A national action
plan will shortly be consulted
upon seeking to clarify any
changes and the final plan will
be in place by November.
However, what does it mean for
those who sell, store, specify,
advise or use pesticides? Well,
those who are currently following
very best practice, using trained
and knowledgeable staff and
engaged in proper thorough risk
assessment, would seem to have
little to fear. There are some
significant changes though. One
example is in testing equipment.
The new guidance makes clear
that any sprayer mounted
equipment, whatever the size of
boom width, now comes under a
need for regular testing.
There are also new requirements
regarding spraying in specific
areas, and certainly in terms of
water pollution. In the latter
case, all involved must
demonstrate that every
precaution had been taken
before spraying, and that a clear
decision process can be
documented to show the right
chemical choice. These are just
examples, but important.
At the core is a real need to both
understand and follow best
practice, backed up with proper
training and a commitment to
continuous professional
development. Whilst the need for
the latter may not be an essential
requirement under the law, it is
clearly one of the best ways of
demonstrating best practice was
followed if anything was
questioned.
There may be those who feel that
they can continue to ignore all
such matters - not their problem,
as they say. However, they risk
serious consequences, not just
for themselves but for the
amenity sector as a whole. The
Amenity Forum has made
substantial progress in
demonstrating that a voluntary
approach can make the
difference in driving up standards
and best practice. However, this
could be threatened if everyone
involved does not step up their
game and commit to this
objective. The Forum has an
increasing membership but
needs everyone’s support in this
task.
With Local Authorities under
severe budget pressures, it is
easy to see savings in amenity
area maintenance - mowing less
frequently and driving down
contract costs for example.
However, the longer term
consequences need full
evaluation. Less amenity
maintenance in public areas such
as pavements will mean higher
overall maintenance costs. The
risk of things going wrong needs
to be evaluated, and a less
professional approach to contract
management has clear potential
consequences. At the end of the
day, those responsible for best
practice outcomes hold the
ultimate responsibility. So, these
are times when following best
practice must be high on
everyone’s thoughts.
On October 9th, the Forum is
holding its annual conference
where all current topics will be
discussed with a range of
keynote speakers and time for
discussion. It is an important
event and, with the help of
sponsors, the cost has been kept
as low as possible to ensure very
best attendance in these
challenging times. Also, in the
autumn and the winter, the
Forum, with support of the CRD,
aims to run a number of regional
workshops specifically focused on
those who specify and award
contracts in local authorities,
utilities and the like. They will
seek to clearly set out the key
risks and requirements.
For further information on any of
the issues discussed, please
contact the Secretary of the
Amenity Forum at
[email protected]
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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2012 PC 5
News
Anthracnose alert
issued by Bayer
Wet, humid conditions heighten risk of
Anthracnose, warns Bayer
GREENKEEPERS are being urged
to plan fungicide programmes
ahead of turf renovation in the
face of an increased risk of
Anthracnose foliar blight
infection due to pockets of high
temperatures following
rainstorms.
“This year, there is a high risk of
an anthracnose outbreak due to
the record rainfall,” says Bayer's
sales support manager, Dorin
Pop. “An outbreak of
Anthracnose foliar blight
infection is more likely to occur
on Poa annua, but can affect
bents and fescues. The greater
susceptibility of annual meadow
grass to anthracnose is probably
related to the prolific seed head
expression which can become
unsightly and affect playability,
but more importantly, there is a
significant depletion of the
carbohydrates from roots and
shoots just before the most
stressful time of the growing
season.”
Foliar blight can affect turf
surfaces and any stress could
increase the risk of a damaging
attack.
Anthracnose on turf is caused by
a fungus called Colletotrichum
graminicola. “This fungus can
persist in thatch or infected plant
material,” notes Dorin. “When
environmental conditions are
right, it can cause foliar blight
and basal rot which attacks the
turf blades and stems.”
Anthracnose is viral and can
spread quickly; Dorin warns that,
with end of the season
renovations about to commence,
turf maintenance activities will
put more pressure on plants and
further increase the chances of
an Anthracnose attack.
“The best way to control
Anthracnose is by avoiding
stressful conditions on turf by
paying attention to applying the
correct rates of fertiliser,
improving drainage, increasing
PlanetAir
PlanetAir’s shatter knife technology, combined with its
unique planetary gearing, creates a lateral and linear
blade movement.
The motion of the 48 blades
shatters the soil profile
creating pore space and
allowing water to connect
and percolate rapidly
through the soil particles.
This provides the oxygen
delivery system to plant
roots and soil microbes.
Picture 1
mowing
height and
having a
robust
fungicide
programme
in place.”
Dorin notes
that
Anthracnose
is very
difficult to
control when
the disease
has already
developed.
“It is,
therefore,
Picture 2
advisable to
plan ahead,
with an advance treatment
applied before autumn
renovation activities to give the
best possible protection against a
broad spectrum of diseases,
including Anthracnose.”
Turfcare professionals are
reminded not to mistake foliar
MINIMUM
Surface Disturbance
blight symptoms for drought. The
grass turns yellow in colour
which occurs in irregular patches
(see picture 1).
Eventually, infected plants turn
completely brown and die. (see
picture 2).
MAXIMUM
Subsurface Aeration
EIGHTEEN GREENS
in
in Under
Under Four
Four Hours
Hours
By allowing oxygen into a large percentage of the
rootzone, beneficial microbes which destroy the thatch
layer are stimulated and kept healthy.
PlanetAir is equipped with front and rear
rollers to follow undulations and firm up
the surface. Play is unaffected, as no
material is removed during the process.
There is no surface disturbance and the
only visible result on the greens’ surfaces
are rows of small incisions that look like
stitches from a sewing machine.
These clean cut incisions sever stolons
and stimulate vertical shoot growth in the
parent plant, resulting in greens with
finer texture and better colour.
PlanetAir can get through 18 greens in
under four hours and creates an amazing
ONE MILLION HOLES PER HOUR – giving
the lucky operator enough time at the end
of the job to put their feet up and have a
cup of tea – but don’t just take our word
for it, book a demonstration now.
YOU’LL BE AS AMAZED AS WE WERE!
News
Grandfather rights
to end in 2015
The Sustainable Use Directive has announced the
following Certification of Sprayer Operators guidelines
MANDATORY certification of
spray operators will continue
under new pesticide
regulations, whilst the
existing system of PA
Certification for sprayer
operators is to stay.
Existing City & Guilds
Certificates of Competence
for the Safe Use of Pesticides
will remain valid under the
new legislation. Anyone who
already has a certificate of
competence will need to do
nothing new.
New operators will be
required to attain a
Certificate of Competence in
the Safe Use of Pesticides.
Sprayer operators with
grandfather rights will need
to be certificated by 2015
After 26 November 2015,
those who previously relied
on “grandfather rights” must
hold a certificate of
competence.
The Plant Protection Products
(Sustainable Use) Regulations
2012 will implement
Directive 2009/128/EC on
the Sustainable Use of
Pesticides. The Directive
includes a number of
provisions aimed at achieving
the sustainable use of
pesticides by reducing risks
and impacts on human
health and the environment.
These include the
establishment of National
Action Plans; compulsory
testing of application
equipment; provision of
training for, and
arrangements for the
certification of, operators,
advisors and distributors; a
ban (subject to limited
exceptions) on aerial
spraying; provisions to
protect water, public spaces
and conservation areas; the
minimisation of risks from
handling, storage and
disposal; and the promotion
of low input regimes,
including Integrated Pest
Management (IPM).
A copy of the new
regulations, which came into
force on 18 July 2012, is
available at
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk
The new regulations maintain
the UK’s existing requirement
for those who work with
pesticides to hold a
certificate. All existing City &
Guilds NPTC PA and BASIS
certificates will continue to be
recognised under the new
regulations.
Certain certificates relating to
training in the use of
vertebrate control products,
or for food storage purposes,
will no longer be valid after
26 November 2013. A full list
of the recognised certificates
is available through
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk
Mowers for
Professionals!
Cash back?
Bridport case delayed for
another year
A LANDMARK tax case, that could allow
private members’ golf clubs to recover
thousands of pounds-worth of VAT paid on
green fees, has been sent to the European
Court of Justice (ECJ).
A tribunal has ruled that the legal definition
of a key phrase used in the proceedings
needs guidance from the ECJ, which will not
hear the case until the summer of 2013.
Last year, the First Tier Tax Tribunal ruled
that green fees at Bridport & West Dorset
Golf Club, which had previously been
subject to VAT, should be exempt, as they
did not represent ‘additional income’ for the
club.
This was set to mean that every private
members’ golf club could claim for a VAT
refund going back four years, with some
commentators believing that the recovery
could go back until 1990, generating, in
total, more than £300 million for some
British golf clubs.
However, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
appealed against the decision, and the
Upper Tier Tribunal has now heard that
appeal.
HMRC told the tribunal judge, Mrs Justice
Proudman, that the purpose of green fees is
to generate ‘additional income’ and the
restriction of the exemption to membership
fees is therefore required under European
Union law.
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News Feature
The travelling community and sportsgrounds proprietors
have clashed again this year in what is seen as a
growing issue across the UK.
Tom James talks to one cricket club affected and learns
what can be done to ensure that the needs of travellers
are not met to the detriment of our invaluable
sportsfields and pitches
Travellers
Arrest?
“We were notified
by locals that
traveller children
had been seen
surveying the area,
assessing our
locks at the main
entrance and
scoping out
possible
alternative
routes in”
Paul Baker, Chairman,
Chippingdale Cricket Club
s the 2012 cricket season beckoned,
amateur and professional clubs put
the finishing touches to their
squares and outfields, ready for the
rigours of summer play.
Preparations had been particularly tough
this year, with first intense heat then
perpetual deluge putting more than a
dampener on opening fixtures.
This was all challenging enough for
turfcare teams, but the last few years, in
particular, have seen the spread of a new
and, for some, deeply worrying threat.
We’ve seen them on television,
glamourised in shows such as Big Fat Gypsy
Wedding, but the reality is that the travelling
community poses a tangible and still largely
unsolved issue for many sportsgrounds those wide open spaces that the army of
caravans, panel vans and trailers needs to
park up in as travellers march on, searching
for fresh fields and summer work.
Space is the final frontier where club
owners, councils and travellers must find
common ground to resolve a highly
sensitive dilemma that’s impacting wide
stretches of Britain. Smaller clubs could
find themselves increasingly the first line of
A
attack as local authorities gear up to protect
their own land, leaving private
sportsgrounds particularly exposed.
Particularly badly hit is the south coast.
In Worthing and Lancing, West Sussex, for
example, travellers were issued with legal
notices to vacate grounds six times in the
space of a fortnight in July.
One of the most notable victims of
traveller trespass was Chippingdale Cricket
Club in Worthing, whose Rotary Recreation
Ground, rented from Worthing Borough
Council, was once again targeted by
unwelcome visitors this year, after first
falling prey to them in 2011.
“Last year proved to be a most
intimidating situation for all involved,”
states club chairman Paul Baker. “The
travellers accessed the site and the council
decided to open up the pavilion to
accommodate them and allow use of the
wash and toilet facilities. In hindsight, this
was a terrible mistake as they completely
wrecked the pavilion and damaged many of
our facilities, meaning we had to seek funds
to improve the facilities earlier this year.”
After this initial upsetting encounter, the
club was keen to ensure that history didn’t
News Feature
repeat itself, so when staff were alerted to
the danger this July, they were fast to act.
“We were notified by locals that traveller
children had been seen surveying the area,
assessing our locks at the main entrance
and scoping out possible alternative routes
in,” Paul continues. “We notified the
council and suggested that a number of
fluorescent jacketed security guards were
positioned around the site, to prevent the
travellers entering. Sadly, this action was
not taken and we turned up the next
morning to find they had gained illegal
access to the site, leaving us in a position
with little to do to remove the caravans.”
Anxious, Paul felt like “an expectant
father” as he awaited news on the travellers
and what, if any, damage they had caused.
Luckily, the damage was only minimal by
the time the travellers had been given legal
notice to vacate the site.
Chippingdale was fortunate this time,
says Paul, but he believes the incident
highlights a pressing need for more
concrete procedures to be put in place, so
that councils and private enterprises faced
with travellers on their land can act quicker
to prevent access.
“It could have been far worse for us,”
says Paul. “I heard horror stories from
locals about quad bikes driven across
wickets and all sorts. Luckily, none of our
new facilities had been affected as, this year,
the council chose to lock and secure the
pavilion and machinery shed.”
Clearly, the council had rethought its
strategy, and it was fortunate that it had as
the club had not long completed a £50,000
investment in new cricket nets, changing
rooms, wash facilities, kitchen and cricket
nets - money that was levied by the club
itself, with no financial input from the local
authority, which owns the land.
Funds were raised through a Sport
England grant of £10,000, £15,000 from
waste management giant Viridor, thanks to
the proximity of the ground to a landfill
site, and £21,500 (43%) was raised by the
club, through various fund raising activities
over a four-year period. The money funded
purchase of the cricket nets, whilst the
pavilion refurbishment cash came from
NatWest Cricket Force - a volunteer-centred
body that unites members of the
community to carry out development
projects - in this case to paint and
redecorate the pavilion interior.
Chippingdale also received help from
local firm, Manhattan Furniture, which
donated new kitchen furniture, sink, taps
and appliances. “The existing pavilion
didn't have the facilities we needed for the
amount of teams we run,” explains Paul.
“We only had one changing room for both
men and women. The improvements gave
us the space we needed, and the nets were
a valuable new addition, so we were
naturally concerned that these wouldn’t be
affected by travellers, and pleased that the
council didn’t make the same mistake as
last year and open the facilities up for use,”
he adds.
It was, in Paul’s view, the council’s
inaction, when suspicion was aroused, that
gave the travellers the chance to break in.
As the landlord, it is responsible for the
integrity of the facilities, as well as other
grounds within its boundary.
Clearly unhappy about the setbacks
caused by the travellers, not to mention the
media furore regionally following the illegal
access to the site, Adur and Worthing
Council’s believe they are making the right
moves to secure sportsgrounds.
News Feature
“Summer is the
migration period
for travellers - so
most of the trouble
is over these
months, when
travellers come
looking for work”
Chris Bradley, Head of Parks and
Foreshore, Worthing Borough Council
“Summer is the migration period for
travellers - so most of the trouble is
over these months, when travellers
come looking for work,” explains Chris
Bradley, Head of Parks and Foreshore
at Worthing. “We’re now expecting
them to come here, so have put
measures in place to help protect
council-owned grounds.”
This year, two traveller groups came
together to create added havoc for the
council, he adds. A Findon Valley
group of around twenty caravans,
which ended up at Northbrook
Recreation Ground, and the Lancing
contingent, which accessed the
Hillbarn Rotary Recreation Grounds,
Chippingdale’s home. Once the
Lancing group was moved on, it joined
forces with that at Northbrook.
Offering purely football provision,
and less contentious from a sporting
point of view, Northbrook was,
unfortunately, accessed from a side
entrance, Chris points out. “They’re
coming in the side door now, rather in
the front way.”
Grass sites are usually targeted, but
the staff mobilised to tackle travellers
camped on council-owned and
tenanted sites depends on the location,
Chris explains. “If the site chosen is a
car park, a different department will
be involved from when sports and
recreation grounds are affected, in
which case the parking section will
address the issue.”
Recognising that travellers are
regular visitors is helping councils
prepare for their appearance and
budget accordingly. Adur & Worthing
undertakes a rolling programme of
measures, setting aside “tens of
thousands of pounds” annually to take
steps to deter travellers. If such
budgets are viewed nationally, millions
of pounds may be being apportioned.
The council employs a battery of
physical deterrents to put travellers off
accessing a site. “We have installed
height and low level barriers, and have
undertaken landscaping measures such
as a tight bund of soil and stone at the
entrance to Hillbarn so that entry is at
90 degrees,” Chris reports.
“This makes it very difficult for
travellers’ vans and trailers to drive in.
“Of course,” he laments, “they can
always cut through perimeter fencing,
which they did this year at Hillbarn.
Sadly, we have to accept the fact that
travellers come prepared to enter a
Chippingdale CC’s entrance
should be enough of a deterrent
site. They come armed with angle
grinders and mini diggers, and will
saw through barriers and dig through
a bund or a bank. We have to place a
variety of deterrents in their way in the
hope that, added together, they
achieve their objective.”
Paul echoes this sentiment, as he
relays some of the more serious
problems the travellers caused the club
in 2011. “It wasn’t a nice experience at
all last year. The traveller children
would be very hostile to the
groundstaff and steal things out of the
back of vans. We had a particularly bad
bunch.”
He comments on the “balancing act”
between ensuring a site is safe, but still
making a ground attractive. “There’s
plenty of scope for creating banks and
soil to stop travellers accessing, but it’s
important that these areas are
landscaped and look attractive, with
planting and flowers perhaps,” he
explains. “It needs a bit of thought, as
fencing and gates, as we’ve seen, can
easily be broken into.”
Damage to property and wickets are
arguably a cricket club’s most pressing
concern when falling victim to
unlawful break-ins, but what shouldn’t
be forgotten is the impact such events
have on those using the facilities week
in week out - this proved the biggest
bugbear this year.
“We were lucky in many ways that it
didn’t cost us money for repairs or
replacements, but what it did do was
push our fixtures back for two weeks,”
bemoans Paul. “We lost ten fixtures in
total, with two weekends and six Colts
games written off. From a council
perspective, the longer the grounds
were out of action the more money
they were losing, and there was little
that could be done as the legal process
was going through,” he continues.
“The police were limited with what
they could do as well, as the law states
that it’s only classed as a criminal act if
they’re actually seen breaking in. The
law is still quite confusing, and our
case highlights the need for more
clarity on what clubs can do if in a
similar position.” Prevention is better
than cure, he insists, by properly
securing a site to ensure access of
vehicles is tricky for travellers.
That doesn’t come cheaply, as Chris
confirms. “It’s a costly process, when
you consider that a height barrier costs
£3,000-£3,500, and a low level barrier
“They come armed with
angle grinders and mini
diggers and will saw
through barriers and
dig through a bund or a
bank”
News Feature
Travellers on a cricket outfield in Brighton ...
around £2,500. Fixed metal posts filled with
concrete, or movable posts that can be
raised or lowered, can help prevent access
to a site. It’s the inconvenience factor that
might tell in the end.”
Traffic calming measures are a good idea
too, he adds, ideally on a driveway into a
ground. “Travellers loathe running their
caravans over these, especially if they are
angled to the line of the road. Curved
bunds are also useful.”
To ensure private grounds don’t fall
victim to break-ins, “vigilance is vital”, he
insists. “Equipment and machinery should
be removed when not in use, even if it is
kept in a pavilion, and we strongly advise
clubs to fit a shrouding around locks to
prevent a crowbar being used to force
entry,” he adds.
Once bitten, twice shy, Adur & Worthing
has changed tack since last year. “We
opened the Hillbarn ground pavilion so
that travellers could use toilets and
showers, but they trashed them when they
left, so the council’s attitude has hardened
now. This year, we gave them no access to
the facilities.”
As councils increasingly stand firm and
put deterrents in place, travellers will
search for softer targets for encampments
and that may well mean small, private
clubs, without the staff and money to put
up the barriers to keep unwanted visitors
off their grounds. The next few years could
prove a decisive time for them.
Adur & Worthing work closely with
Sussex Police, necessary to present a multi-
... and the aftermath on a football field, also in Brighton
faceted approach to what is a complex and
frustrating issue. Police and council
traveller liaison officers are on full alert as
summer approaches, Chris reports, while
up to the minute information about
traveller movements is posted on the
council’s website.
Parish council sites may be still more
vulnerable, as they have fewer resources.
“Travellers favour the Beach Green site,”
says Chris, "which comes under Lancing
Parish Council. They use our legal section
when necessary."
Previously, Adur & Worthing had
acquired a court order banning groups
from a site - applicable for three months.
This year, it gained a possession order,
which stands for six years. “We use a
process server to act on our behalf. They
are familiar with dealing with such cases. If
we went in ourselves, we wouldn’t be met in
the best spirit,” Chris says. “We want to
avoid physical conflict. Travellers know we
have to remove them - it’s a process we
have to go through. If travellers have not
vacated the site within twenty-four hours,
we have to go in - engaging a breakdown
company for the work.”
Private clubs that own their ground must
pursue the legal route too, largely at their
own expense. If they lease land from a
council, the authority will handle the legal
issues themselves, bringing their greater
powers to bear.
Knowing what the law allows can be
tricky and confusing, as Paul noted, and as
with Chippingdale and other cases, clubs
can be left in limbo, especially if it’s their
land.
As trespass is a civil matter, not a
criminal offence, prevention of trespass and
removal of trespassers are, therefore, the
responsibilities of the landowner and not
law enforcement agencies.
Police do have discretionary powers to
direct travellers off land where activity
contravenes legislation contained within
Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and
Public Order Act 1994. For this to happen
though, specific criteria have to be met, for
example, where travellers have with them
six or more vehicles or damage has
occurred to the property. Use of this power
will only be considered in cases of more
serious criminality, or where the
encampment is on a very sensitive site that
is likely to cause significant disruption to
the local community. School playing fields,
during term time, where the presence of an
encampment severely disrupts daily activity
of local schoolchildren, fall into this
category.
More information about ‘Gypsy Traveller
Liaison Officers’ and ‘Unauthorised
Encampments’ is available on, in this case,
the Sussex Police website, but guidance can
also be found on other local police
websites, especially if the area is one that
receives regular traveller visitors.
Guidance from national sports bodies is
patchy and may not yet reflect the
emerging issue of traveller trespass. The
ECB, for example, offers nothing by way of
specific advice to help cricket clubs
“The ECB, for
example, offers
nothing by way of
specific advice to
help cricket clubs
affected, although
its website does
explain how they
can seek funding
to replace
facilities”
News Feature
When the police can get involved
Guidance has been set out by
the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO) on when action
can be taken by the police. This
will give clarity to those who are
unsure whether their case
should be dealt with by police,
the local authority or through
the courts.
The lead role in the
management of unauthorised
encampments will be with local
authorities. Forces will consider
becoming involved in bringing
about a prompt and lawful
removal of unauthorised
encampments, including the use
of police powers under Section
61 or 62 of the Criminal Justice
& Public Order Act 1994 where:
“Local amenities are
deprived to communities or
significant impact on the
environment.”
This could include, for example,
forming an encampment on any
part of a recreation ground,
public park, school field, village
green, or depriving the public
use of car parks. The fact that
other sections of the community
are being deprived of the
amenities must be evident
before action is taken.
There is local disruption to
the economy; This would
include forming an encampment
on a shopping centre car park,
or in an industrial estate, if it
disrupts workers or customers,
or agricultural land, if this
results in the loss of use of the
land for its normal purpose.
There is other significant
disruption to the local
community or environment;
This might include where other
behaviour, which is directly
related to those present at an
encampment, is so significant
that a prompt eviction by police
becomes necessary, rather than
by other means.
There is a danger to life; An
example of this might be an
encampment adjacent to a
motorway, where there could be
a danger of children or animals
straying onto the carriageway.
There is a need to take
preventative action; This
might include where a group of
trespassers have persistently
displayed antisocial behaviour at
previous sites and it is
reasonably believed that such
behaviour will be displayed at
this newly established site. This
reasoning will take on greater
emphasis if the land occupied is
privately owned, as the
landowner will be responsible
for the cleansing and repair of
their property.
The mere presence of an
encampment without any
aggravating factors will not
normally create an expectation
that police will use eviction
powers. This should be
communicated to the public,
landowners, local authorities,
and other agencies.
In all cases, relevant human
rights processes must be applied
to all decisions made so that the
elements of S61 are satisfied,
and that it is necessary and
proportionate to use the powers.
Section 61 Criminal Justice &
Public Order Act relies upon
reasonable steps being taken,
by or on behalf of the
landowner, to ask trespassers to
leave in every case before police
powers can be used.
ACPO Code of Conduct for
unauthorised encampments
Behaviour that may result in the
eviction from a site includes the
following:
- Camping on any land
designated as a public
amenity, such as parks,
recreation areas, school fields
and similar locations
- Interfering with the rights and
freedoms of other members
of the public, including
interrupting the operation of
legitimate businesses
- Forcing entry to land, by
causing damage to any
fixtures, fittings or
landscaping (including
planted areas). This includes
digging away of earthwork
defences, which have been
placed at landowner’s
expense to prevent trespass
- Causing any other damage to
the land itself, or property on
it. Particular care should be
taken not to cause damage to
those features provided as
public amenities
- Driving vehicles along any
footpath, or other highway
not specifically designed for
road vehicles. This practice is
not only unlawful but is also
highly dangerous
- Parking vehicles or caravans
on any road, footpath or
other highway that causes an
obstruction to other people
wanting to pass by. This
includes parking immediately
next to footpaths
- Dumping or tipping rubbish,
waste materials or trade
waste such as tree cuttings,
and rubble. It is travellers'
responsibility to keep the site
clean and tidy. Council
Traveller Liaison Officers can
direct them to civic amenity
sites where they will be able
to pay to dispose of trade
waste
- Depositing or leaving human
waste openly in public areas
or abusing, intimidating or
harassing anyone lawfully
using the area
- Excessive noise or other forms
of antisocial behaviour
- Animals that are not kept
under control or that attack
persons lawfully on the land,
or nearby
- Interference with electrical,
water or gas supplies. Anyone
found abstracting electricity,
or wasting quantities of water
may be subject to criminal
proceedings
This year, the council refused to open the facilities to travellers
affected, although its website
does explain how they can seek
funding to replace facilities.
Paul Baker, though, is
confident that at both local and
national level, if support and
advice is needed, help is at
hand. “For us, I’ve always had
excellent dialogue with the
Sussex Cricket Board, who
would likely be our first port of
call, after the council, if
facilities had been damaged.”
The FA, meanwhile, can field
enquiries on its legal helpline,
set up a year ago, which can
address traveller as well as
other issues affecting Chartered
Status clubs.
“This is a very sensitive area,”
confirms Mark Pover, its
National Facilities and
Investment Manager. “There
are 125,000 teams playing on
38,000 pitches so, when
something happens, it can have
a significant impact. Our legal
helpline offers up to thirty
minutes of free advice from a
solicitor. After that, they charge
for the service, but at very
competitive rates.”
Local authorities usually deal
with travellers and tell them
which sites are best for them to
use, Pover says. “They may say
‘you can stay for two or three
days but any longer and we
move you on’. They’ll use
enforcement officers and
injunctions or court orders.”
He points out that 80% of
pitches rest in education, parish
council or local authority
ownership, which presents
private clubs renting land with
another issue. “Local
authorities are becoming better
prepared to deal with travellers,
some more than others, but
where they operate a zero
tolerance approach, the
presence of travellers in an area
could really have an impact.”
“Under the asset transfer
measures in the Localism Bill,
councils can pass on
responsibility for running
sportgrounds to clubs under,
say, a twenty-five or fifty year
licence, but the ultimate onus
of responsibility still rests with
the landlord, in this case the
local authority, not the tenant.
Within the licence, there is the
responsibility to remove
travellers, but it is the council’s
job to do this, not the club’s.”
Facilities damage can hit
clubs hard in the pocket, Pover
says. “Any criminal damage
should be reported to the
police to gain a claim number,
but usually only buildings are
insured, not land or pitches.
Reinstatement of pitches costs
money and is not covered.”
Visit www.thefa.com and search
for ‘Any Game’ for more
details.
Away from the south coast,
break-ins have been reported
most recently in Lancashire
where, in mid-July, travellers set
up a camp at a Burnley sports
venue, the council-owned
Prairie Playing Fields.
Dorset’s Bournemouth and
Poole councils have now formed
a united front to enlist a
government minister’s help in
tackling their traveller issues, as
this year alone has witnessed
sixteen separate unauthorised
encampments on Bournemouth
parks, playing fields, sports
grounds, open spaces and car
parks, whilst Poole has seen
eight on council-owned land
and three on privately-owned
areas.
In Plymouth, Devon, the
council has to deal with around
twenty-five illegal encampments
every year, in part because
there are no organised transit
sites in the city, which
highlights not only the need for
more concerted action, but for
travellers to have designated
sites to use in the summer
months.
The current legal guidelines
mean that each unauthorised
encampment can take between
ten days and four weeks to
evict, which could have a
drastic affect
if heavily
used sports
grounds are
out of action
for that
long.
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Golf
Having spent his earlier
career working in
Birmingham’s parks and open
spaces, our editor is well
aware of the landscape gems
within its confines.
The city can boast one of the
most diverse and tree
populated urban landscapes
in the country, with close to
six hundred parks and over
two hundred play areas. Add
in countless public schools,
private estates and several
golf courses and Birmingham
certainly belies its more
industrial heritage.
Laurence Gale MSc reports
n the suburb of Edgbaston alone,
several top flight sporting venues
can be found, including the
splendidly upgraded Test venue
home of Warwickshire County
Cricket Club, Edgbaston Priory Tennis
Club, Birmingham University
Sportsground and Edgbaston Golf Club,
along with some of the finest city parks Cannon Hill, Calthorpe Park,
Birmingham Nature Centre and
Birmingham Botanical Gardens - and all
within a five mile radius of each other.
One of the lesser known sites on that
list is Edgbaston Golf Club, a parkland
course that is a true hidden gem. It is not
easily seen from the road but, once
discovered, the extent of its value to the
city can be appreciated.
Established in 1896, the club pride
themselves on being one of the finest
private member golf clubs in the
Midlands. The 18 hole course, designed
by Harry S. Colt, is just two miles from
the centre of Birmingham. The course
includes an ornamental lake and plays
through extensive mature woodland with
small greens and tight fairways. The only
clue to its city position is the occasional
glimpse of a high rise building. The
magnificent clubhouse has wonderful
views across the course.
Having spent years driving past the
golf club, with no real excuse to pay a
I
visit, I was delighted to receive a call
form their course manager, Eddie Mills,
inviting me to pop in to have a look
around and possibly ‘do a story’. I was
aware of its reputation, but knew little of
its value to the city or the quality of golf
offered.
Eddie’s first love was football. He had
dreams of becoming a professional and,
in his teens, had trials at a number of
clubs, but was always told he was ‘too
small’ to make the grade. However, being
so sports orientated, working outdoors
seemed the next best thing to being a
footballer.
Eddie has worked at Edgbaston Golf
Club for nearly twenty-five years, joining
straight from school in August 1987,
initially on a short term contract up
until Christmas.
However, after this successful ‘trial
period’, he was put on a YTS scheme
(youth training scheme) attending
Warwickshire College of Agriculture,
where he undertook a three year sports
turf management course.
Under the guidance of Mike Hughes,
the then course manager, Eddie learned
many of the day-to-day basics of
greenkeeping, and was always
encouraged to improve his learning and
to take on more responsibilities as the
opportunities arose.
It was after the tragic death of the then
Eddie Mills
Edgbaston Golf Club
No trouble at
Mill’s course!
Golf
deputy course manager, Alan Cutler, in
a mowing accident in March 2000, that
Eddie had an opportunity to move up
the greenkeeping ladder.
Eddie says that it was a very tough
and emotional time for everyone at the
club. Even though the correct Health
and Safety procedures were in place
and ingrained into the staff, the
accident brought home just how easily
things can go wrong carrying out the
most basic of greenkeeping tasks.
In 2007, The head greenkeepers job
became available, giving Eddie the
opportunity to take over the top job, his
promotion coincided, with the
opportunity to install new drainage to
all nineteen greens. Eddie explains that
they had a huge thatch problem and
were really struggling and, after taking
professional advice, the club chose to
install a piped drainage system. So, in
the October of 2008 contractors, Delta
Golf, were called in and, by Christmas,
the work had been completed.
Following a survey of the the greens,
it was agreed to put in a herringbone
system which consisted of a 100mm
main drain at a depth of 550mm,
complemented by laterals consisting of
80mm pipes at a depth of 530mm,
between 2.5m and 3m centres,
depending on low spots on greens. The
drains were topped up with 2-6mm of
pea gravel covered with 300-350mm of
rootzone.
The in-house staff then re-turfed the
drain lines, leaving them slightly proud
to allow for sinkage. The results were
immediate and, since the work was
completed, Eddie hasn’t had to put any
of his greens on temporaries - even this
summer! To ensure the drain runs do
not cap over, they are sand injected
every year using the Graden to a depth
of 30mm.
Like many other golf clubs, this year
has been a testing time due to the
inclement weather, which has certainly
tested the drainage system. Without it, I
dare say they would have lost a lot of
income.
Greens are cut at 4mm in the summer
and 5.5mm in winter using their new
Jacobsen Eclipse 322 triple. For
competitions, they are hand mown with
Toro 1000 pedestrian greens mowers.
Data readings are taken every Friday
to measure moisture and the speed of
greens. Weather and rainfall readings
are taken every morning and recorded
as part of a greens monitoring
programme which Eddie has been
following for the last two years.
To complement the effectiveness of
the new drainage, the greens are
aerated, once a month, using a Toro
Procore fitted with 6mm solid tines.
“Like many other golf clubs, this year
has been a testing time due to the
inclement weather, which has certainly
tested the drainage system”
Golf
What’s in the shed?
Ransomes Jacobsen Eclipse 322
Ransomes G-Plex
Toro 3250 Greensmaster - used for aprons
and fitted with thatchaway units and
vibrating rollers
Toro HDX Workmans x 2 - one has Hardi
Boss sprayer permanently fitted
Toro Workman 4WD
Jacobsen R311 wide area mower - used for
rough
Toro zero turn mower
Iseki compact tractor
New Holland tractor
John Deere 955 tractor with front bucket
and Lewis backhoe
Wiedenmann XP8 Terraspike
Toro Procore
Graden Sand Injector
Propass topdresser
Tornando blower
Toro 1600 pedestrian teesmowers x 2
Toro 1000 pedestrian greensmowers x 3
Trilo leaf sweeper
Charterhouse slitter
Ryan turf cutter
Etesia rotary mowers x 2
Theta moisture probe
‘The Stream’ in calmer times
Eddie’s presentation skills were honed at Villa Park
Verticutting is undertaken throughout
the summer.
A feeding regime, centred around an
Everris programme, begins with
Invigorator 4:0:8 in late March,
followed by a liquid feed of 25:0:0
Blade, plus Effect and Primo Maxx.
Eddie has applied this formulae every
3-4 weeks with excellent results. Before
renovations in August, the team apply a
granular feed and a fungicide. The
greens are then gradened, hollow tined
and oversown with a Penn A4 and G6
mix.
Topdressing is carried out on a
monthly basis, with approximately 200
tonnes per year being applied. Wetting
agents are also used on a monthly basis.
The tees are cut twice a week at
11mm, using Toro 1600 pedestrian tees
mowers, and are kept at this height all
year round. They are divoted and
seeded on a regular basis to maintain
good grass cover and improve their
presentation. A granular 25:5:8 feed is
applied in March, followed by
applications of Primo Maxx to help
improve sward quality.
Aprons are cut at 8mm with either
the Toro 3250 or Ransomes G-Plex.
Fairways and surrounds are cut at
17mm with the Toro 5610.
The first cut rough is kept at 36mm
using either the Toro 6500 or Toro Zero
On June 28th 2012, EGC witnessed some of the worst rainfall they
had ever experienced. Flooding occurred all over the course,
however, on 29th June, the course was open as usual with the
greens playing ‘very nicely’
Turn. The rough is mown at 63mm
inches with the Ransomes R311.
Fairways are cut three or four times a
week and vertidrained throughout the
autumn and winter. Eddie has also
introduced members’ divot days where
they volunteer to help divot the
fairways. This has had a great response
and means that all the fairways can be
divoted in one morning.
Eddie employs contractors to spray
for weeds on the fairways in May and,
in November, they return to spray for
worms and leatherjackets.
There are six staff in total. Paul Smith
is Eddie’s deputy and has been with the
club eight years. Tim Hendy (13 years),
Mark Cutler (18), Mark Vickers (7) and
Gavin Hackley (3) complete the team.
All are qualified to spray and have PA1,
PA2 and PA6 certificates. They are also
qualified in chainsaw cross cutting and
are fully trained on every piece of kit in
the shed, so can undertake any task
required of them.
Eddie and Paul organise course walks
for the committee, which allows them to
keep them updated on what is
happening out on the course.
Since becoming course manager,
Eddie is mindful that the he is only as
good as his staff, and says that, without
doubt, it is a team effort to keep the
course looking and playing its best.
EGC’s greens are small and undulating.
Evidence of just how close the city centre
is can be seen through the trees
Golf
A spot of history
Harry Colt, the renowned golf course architect,
was commissioned to design and construct the
course on the current site, along with F. Harris
Bros of Guildford; the cost of which was £6,000.
Along with Ham Manor Golf Club in Sussex, it was
the last of his many creations at the age of 78. It
is a credit to successive committees that the layout
remained untouched, apart from an extension to
several tees to cater for the increased traffic on
the course and remodelling of some of the fiftythree bunkers to reflect Mr Colt’s wishes.
The new course and clubhouse were opened in
1937 by Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of
the day and Member of Parliament for the
Edgbaston constituency. However, the club’s
progress was temporarily halted by the onset of
the Second World War. Forty-three members
signed up, of which six were killed in action. The
course was not fully reopened until 1950, because
the park suffered more than its fair share of
damage from bombs because, it was thought, the
Germans mistook Edgbaston Pool for Cofton
Reservoir, adjacent to the Austin Motor Works at
Longbridge, where munitions were being made.
During World War II, the Georgian Manor House
was requisitioned by the War Office -the
apocryphal rationale being that if a typical
Birmingham resident did not know of the hall’s
existence, then there was less chance of the
Luftwaffe finding it! Of particular interest, the
cellars were used for initial research into the
atomic bomb by a team headed up by Professor
Zuckerman from Birmingham University.
The course, included in Peter Alliss’s book, ‘The
Top 200 Courses in the UK’, has hosted the
English Girls Championship plus many county
events. Whilst its modest length, in today’s terms,
restricts the par to 69, the professional course
record has not been bettered since 1961 when
Peter Butler, a Ryder Cup player, scored a 64.
L-r: Tim Hendy, Gavin Hackley, Eddie Smith, Mark Cutler and Paul Smith
On the personal front, Eddie is
always keen to learn new skills and,
for the last two years, has been
helping Jonathan Calderwood and his
staff - Paul Mytton and Karl Prescott on match days at his beloved Aston
Villa - Eddie is a season ticket holder
and has not missed a home game for
twenty-two seasons. He also helps out
at Wembley during match days. Eddie
says that he is impressed with football
groundsmen’s attention to detail, and
some of these skills have been
brought to the golf course, with
emphasis put on presentation to
ensure that mowing lines are straight.
This was evident during our course
walk. Every fairway, green and tee was
presented immaculately.
Edgbaston Golf Club is certainly a
hidden gem, and one that
Birmingham can be very proud of; a
club that offers so much
in terms of golf,
biodiversity and wildlife.
It is certainly a place I
would like to visit again
soon.
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the
Nixon: Titch can
stand tall for England
page 15
Hayter: Is Kallis the
r?
greatest all-rounde
page 9
Bumble’s good
beer and grub guide
page 7
Bopara’s still
in England
picture says
coach Flower
Issue No. 643
Sunday
July 22, 2012
£1.50
TheRUGBYPaper
Issue 201: Sunday,
a long time.
haven’t done that for
He
Swanny’s elbow is improving.
but it’s
has a chronic problem
By Ian Baker
improving.”
touted
Taylor, 22, has long beencoming
ANDY FLOWER insists
for an England call after
Ravi Bopara’s internaLeicesterthrough the ranks at
over
He is
tional career is not
shire and the Lions set-up.
does not
despite his withdrawal
just 5ft 5in but Flower
advantage
Test
consider his height an
from the second
or a disadvantage.
squad due to ‘personal
of your
“I think regardless deterand
reasons’.
to
height, your skill, nous succeed,”
Flower
The England coach refusedsaw Door open: Andy
that
and mination will see you James
elaborate on the issues out of through the academy system
he said. “I certainly hope
pull
really hard over the years can make six his spot for a
the Essex all-rounder
encounter worked chance.
the side for Thursday’s
to get his
has while.
out: Ravi
at Headingley.
“I think four bowlersso not
“I don’t know him Ruled walks
NottingBopara
very well for us
But he did confirm that
be that well. I watched
Taylor is worked
off after playhamshire batsman Jamesthe No.6 playing a sixth batsman will
him play against Sri
ing on in the
last
all-but certain to take
unlikely.”
out a Lanka at Derby
second innings
spot in the side.
But Flower did not rule on year. He looks like a
at the Oval
door on
courses’ selection
“It doesn’t close the
PICTURE: Getty
man that under“He’s ‘horses for
Images
Headingley pitch young his game pretty
Ravi Bopara,” said Flower.
stands
unavail- a pace-friendly
effectively made himself reasons by dropping injury-hit Graeme
knows how to
an extra well and he
able due to the personal
Swann and playing
score runs.
he described to me.
obvi- seamer.
him
option
for
an
is
attack
5>
“It’s disappointing
“An all seam
Continued on Page
we
door for
us,” he admitted. “But
ously but it opens the
has come for
another player who
Springbok-style kickchas
is killing our great gam e
e
Inside:
HATS OFF: Alex
Lawless scores
in Luton’s 7-1
win over AFC
Dunstable
PICTURE:
Gareth Owen
TICKETS
FOR EVERY
Rankin
SQ
battle Somerset over
BLUE
decide whether to
Warwicks must
BET CLUB
approach for
formal 28-daytoken
collect
contract at
Rankin who is out of
of the year
Edgbaston at the end
a new conand has yet to agree
tract with Warwickshire.
Rankin impressed Somerset
hostility
when he bowled with
pitch at
against them on a flat
and they
Edgbaston last season
the
now hope they can persuade
to his
SEE PAGE 3 FOR DETAILS
tall Ulsterman to move
earlier
fourth county following Derand
stints with Middlesex
byshire.
contract
Warwicks opened
earlier this
talks with Rankin, 28,
stalled
year but negotiations injury
foot
when he suffered a
the World
playing for Ireland in
t20 qualifiers in March.
to
The injury forced Rankin
of the
miss the first three monthsunder
season and he has come give
to
pressure from Warwicks
up his Ireland commitments.
for the
Rankin has also played
internaEngland Lions but his
receded
tional prospects have
7UDFWRU0RXQWHG
PAGE 7
8-PAGES Geech set
OF LIVE
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OLWUHWDQN
%RRPOHQJWKVIURPPP
>> Guscott: Quins have
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while he has been injured.
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Warwicks have 28
will try to
decide whether they
them
keep Rankin, who joined ago,
years
from Derbyshire four
be allowed
before Somerset will
player.
to open talks with the
START PAGE 15
DQGOLWUHWDQNV
%RRPOHQJWKVIURPPP
Rude calls force
Newport chief
Blight to resign
>> Cain: Dingo Deans
gets Lions headache >> BT set to
bid for rugby
PAGES
16-17
‘home’ to
Headingley
I
By PETER
JACKSON
WALES have won a victory
the right to stage their for
World Cup campaign at next
home
in the Millennium Stadium.
Cardiff’s city centre venue
has been cleared to
host as
many as eight matches
during
the 2015 tournament following
the revelation that all
opposition to the plan has
been
withdrawn. The Welsh
capital
will now play the chief
supporting role to Twickenham
in
England’s World Cup.
Ireland have abandoned
threat to veto an Anglo-Welsha
agreement. The IRFU
had
objected to Wales gaining
a
‘competitive
advantage’
during the event which
Irish claimed should the
been based entirely have
in England.
I
considering an offer from
the
Championship outfit
to work
with them in a part-time Bid: Ian McGeechan
Coach: Diccon Edwards
capacity.
The full details of the
are yet to be disclosed, role 30 years of that. What I was
Leeds’s ambition as a
club
how- keen to
has been questioned
in many ever The Rugby Paper other do was help develop
understands that, should
quarters since their
coaches and develop
relegahe playing
accept,
tion from the Premiership
groups. That’s an area
in tasked McGeechan will be where I
2011.
still think I can be
with reviewing
whole of Leeds’ operationthe useful.
on
and off the field.
“I’m looking forward
to
interesting next 12 months an
It is a broader role to
or
one he initially performedthe so.”
at
Bath before he reluctantly
Leeds supremo
Paul
took on the director of
Caddick, who has bankrolled
rugby
duties at The Rec following the club to the tune
of £10m
the departure of head
coach in the professional era, tried to
Steve Meehan.
recruit his former Headingley
McGeechan told
team-mate and
Rugby Paper:“I said after The friend a couple long-time
of years ago,
(the last Lions tour) 2009 only to be beaten
that I
to his
didn’t see myself as
signature by Bath.
a
coach again because head
I’ve had
Continued on Page
5>
PAGE 24
Wales get
all clear for
World Cup
matches
calls have led
MENACING telephone as chairman
to Chris Blight resigning
of Newport County.
under attack
Blight, who was also
message
on the club’s internet
three calls
board, said: “We received the fact I
that rather rudely reported
message
should be looking at the
EXCLUSIVE
board.
“They were all from withheldBy JON
I realised
NEWCOMBE
numbers, and suddenly in through
that the club was coming afternoon.
CARNEGIE
my front door on a SundayLEEDS
as
me, and
made
an auda“It’s not a paid job for have
I started
cious
bid to bring Sir
it started to inflame itself,
was hap-McGeechan
to take exception to whatIan
‘home’ to Headingley.
pening.”
McGeechan is currently
FULL STORY PAGE 4®
But by making a second
move for McGeechan,
who
has worked with Northampton, Wasps, Gloucester
Bath, not to mention his and
unrivalled track record
international rugby with in
British & Irish Lions and the
Scotland, Leeds are showing
a
clear sign of intent that
do not intend to languishthey
side of the elite for too outmuch
longer.
'HPRXQW
£1.50
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Brian Smith interview
N
WI
SEASON
By Paul Bolton
SOMERSET want Warwickshire’s
fast bowler
Ireland international
up their
Boyd Rankin to beef
pace attack for next season. a
Somerset have submitted
July 22, 2012
THE BEST COVERAGE
FROM ALL THE WEEKEND’
S RUGBY
>> BACK PAGE
THE ORIGINAL
AND THE BEST
Welsh on top:
Exiles’ star man
Aaron Myers tries
to
break from
Leicester’s Harrison
Lee-Everton
PICTURE: Getty Images
JP Morgan Sevens action - Page
8 >>
Peter Boyle, a senior
member of the IRB’s executive
committee, said:“The RFU
tendered for the World
Cup
the premise that it would on
place in England. Wales take
seeking to play matches there
an issue to be considered.was
“Ireland drew the attention
of other countries to that
fact. It
was an issue but it is no
longer
an issue. I don’t think there
are
any objections to matches
being played in Wales.”
Irish teams have won
Nations Grand Slam and a Six
European Cup finals three
at the
Millennium Stadium
in the
last six years. An
earlier
proposal
to
relocate
any Wales-Ireland pool
match
to Wembley has
been
scrapped. In the unlikely
Continued on Page
3>
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Last year, Eddie Mills had a severe outbreak of Microdochium (Fusarium) Patch on his Penn
A4 & G6 creeping bentgrass greens, which quickly took hold and proved difficult to eradicate.
Working with his Everris Technical Area Sales
Manager, Emma Kilby, they devised an iTurf
integrated turf management programme
that focused on improving the overall health
of the turf and preventing disease.
The programme combines SierraformGT
slow-release fertilizer, Greenmaster Pro-Lite
granular fertilizers, Greenmaster Liquid
fertilizers including Blade biostimulant and
Effect Iron Fe, and Primo Maxx plant growth
regulator to provide optimum nutrition
that meets the grass plant’s requirement,
encourages strong, healthy rooting, and helps
maintain a healthy rootzone.
To prevent disease, Eddie also took advantage
of Everris’s Maxximum Protection
packages, the first of which combines
Banner Maxx broad-spectrum fungicide tank
mixed with Greenmaster Liquid for proven
results.
New research undertaken at STRI
and supported by R&D at Everris
and Syngenta research facilities has
demonstrated that, where there
is a risk of Anthracnose attack, a
rapid response with fast uptake
fertilizer and fungicide inputs can effectively
minimise damage from infection. The trials
highlighted the synergistic effects of fastacting Greenmaster Liquid fertilizer and
SierraformGT®, Greenmaster®, Greenmaster Liquids®, registered trade marks of Everris Limited. Primo Maxx® contains trinexapac-ethyl, MAPP 14780, Banner Maxx® contains propiconazole, MAPP 13167, Heritage Maxx®
contains azoxystrobin, MAPP 14787. Registered trade marks of Syngenta Group Company. USE PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS SAFELY, ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND PRODUCT INFORMATION BEFORE USE.
“Our iTurf programme has helped us set
a new standard for our greens this
summer, despite us experiencing some
of the most challenging weather
conditions in the club’s history.”
Eddie Mills, Course Manager, Edgbaston Golf Club
rapid uptake of Banner Maxx. When used
together, the results produced excellent
control of disease and improvements in turf
health and quality.
This autumn, Eddie will follow up with
an application of Heritage Maxx systemic
strobilurin fungicide and SierraformGT with
slow-release nitrogen and potassium plus
Silica and trace elements. Data averaged
over a 17 month trial period showed that
disease reduction was increased by 46%
when combined with a SierraformGT
programme compared to a fungicide-only
treatment.
To discover what an iTurf programme
can do for your golf course, contact
your Everris Technical Area Sales
Manager or visit www.everris.co.uk.
Improved fungicide efficacy vs M.nivale
6.3
Conventional fertilizer + Fungicide
Slow release fertilizer + Fungicide
0
10
20
30
40
For more information about the Maxximum
Protection packages, visit everris.co.uk and
click on ‘special offers’. Offers end 28th
September 2012.
46.5
50
Additional control (%) vs Fungicide only treatment
Data averaged over 17 month trial period
Tel: 0844 8094470 | Fax: 01473 237128 | Email: [email protected] | www.everris.co.uk
Golf
What had started as a dream, twelve
months previously, for Simon Blagg
became a reality on the 9th June 2012.
This was when he and his colleague,
Stephen Mallyon, arrived in the USA as
volunteers for the 2012 US Open at the
Olympic Club. It was certainly a change
of scenery from their workplace Roseville Golf Club in Sydney, Australia
For those of you who haven’t heard of
the Olympic Club, it is a parkland style
course in San Francisco. The club is
approximately 150 years old. The three
courses on site were designed by Willie
Watson and Sam Whiting. It was hosting
its fifth US open; the others being held in
1955, 1966, 1987 and 1998.
The course measures 7,170 yards and is
a par 70. It features the longest par 5 in
US Open History; the 670 yards 16th
Blaggs blog
An Olympic effort
Golf
mmediately after touching down in
San Francisco, Steve and myself
myself headed to the golf course. We
were met by Patrick Finlen, Director
of Golf Maintenance, who is also
Vice President of the GCSAA. Within a
couple of hours, we were out on the
course to taking photos and familiarising
ourselves with the layout.
There are three golf courses at the
Olympic; the Lake - the tournament
course, the Ocean course (18 holes) and
the Cliffs course, a par three (9 holes)
out by the ocean.
The Ocean course is going through a
total greens reconstruction as well as
having, at the time a large number of
tents and US Open facilities built upon
it.
On the Sunday evening, all volunteers
were asked to attend a meeting at the
course at 4.00pm. Initial introductions by
Patrick and his crew were made. There
were around one hundred volunteers
from sixteen countries rostered on for
the week, to support the fifty permanent
staff members.
I
After dinner, we were issued with our
allocated roles, which we were to work on
for the entire week. We then went out
and performed a ‘dummy run’ to get
everyone familiarised with their roles.
My role was to move plastic boards for
the greens rollers out on the front nine.
Steve’s role involved bunker raking on
the back nine holes in the morning and
assisting with the driving range clean-up
in the evenings.
Monday through to Wednesday was the
practice rounds for the players. These
three days gave all staff enough practice
time to get our maintenance operations
in good order. It also gave us enough
time to really work on getting the greens
up to speed.
The Olympic Club has a contract with
Toro, so had been supplied with the
latest in pedestrian electric greens
mowers, as well as other equipment. The
Toro Eflex 2100 is a battery operated
machine. This was the first time the Eflex
had ever been used in a major
tournament.
We started work every day at 4.00am.
Morning maintenance was completed by
7.00am and then we had a break until
around 5.00pm when we would
undertake our evening shifts until
around 9.00pm. During the morning
operations of the practice rounds, the
greens were shadow cut to set angles.
Shadow cutting is achieved by cutting a
strip and returning along the same strip.
This method is used to avoid striping the
greens, and it also achieves a double cut.
After the greens had been cut,
moisture levels were recorded using a
digital moisture meter. Areas that
required water were marked with a red
flag. The USGA were looking for around
30% moisture at the beginning of the
week, which then decreased as we got
closer to the tournament. Any dry areas
were micro managed and light syringe
applications were undertaken. After
initial watering, the greens were then
rolled using Salsco rollers.
After the greens were rolled, they were
immediately stimped to check speeds. In
the afternoon sessions the greens were
single cut, small volumes of water were
“I would recommend that everyone in our
industry volunteers for a golf tournament at
some stage during their career”
Golf
Digital moisture meter
Olympic Club
Tournament Stats
Tournament history: US Open (1955, 1966,
1987, 1998 and 2012); US Amateur
Championship 1958, 1982, 2007; The TOUR
Championship (1993-1994)
Grass varieties: Tees - bentgrass/ryegrass/
Poa annua;
Fairways - bentgrass/ryegrass/Poa annua;
Greens - Tyee/007 creeping bentgrass
(70/30 mix);
Rough - Kentucky bluegrass/Perennial
Ryegrass
Tournament yardage: 7170 (6556m), par 70
Tournament stimpmeter: 12.5 -13.5 feet
Average green size: 4400 sq ft (408m2)
Average tee size: 2000 sq ft (186m2)
Acres of fairway: 22 (nine hectares)
Number of bunkers: 62
Soil condition: Sand-based
Greens mix: USGA (90/10 sand/peat)
Rounds per year: 32,000
Water source: Effluent water
Heights of cut
Tees - 8.5mm
Fairways - 10.5mm
Semi rough - 25.5m
Small Step cut - 31mm
Approaches - 7mm
Collars - 6.5mm
Greens - 2.3mm
Greens clean-ups - 2.54mm
Salsco Transformer Roller in operation
applied and then the greens were either
single or double rolled depending on
the speed. As we got closer to the event,
the double cutting continued, but the
water applications became very
minimal. Only old plugs and extreme
stress areas were treated with small
amounts of water.
Greens rolling was increased to get
them up to speed. During the week,
USGA Agronomists, Stan Zonteck and
Kimberley Erusha, worked alongside
the greens crew on the front nine. Stan
worked on stimping the greens and
Kimberley took clegg impact hammer
readings.
Steve’s role in the mornings consisted
of raking the bunkers out on the back
nine. The bunker bases were initially
raked towards the direction of the
pin/green, and then a clean-up rake was
used on the bunker faces. In the
evenings, he assisted with the driving
range clean-up. This was, at times, a
challenge, as a lot of the pro golfers
liked to stay and practice until late in
the evening. The main tee was cleared
using a blower and all the divots were
raked and collected. The tee top was
then cut using a Toro 5610. The rope
that marks out the teeing area was then
replaced with a brand new rope and
repositioned for the next day’s
professional golfers. The entire tee was
then hand watered.
The driving range has five target
greens, each with its own greenside
bunkers. The practice greens were cut
and bunkers raked. The fairway was cut
using a Toro 5410 fairway mower. There
were thirteen Toro 5410 fairway mowers
used out on the course. This meant that
fairways could be cut in one direction,
usually tee to green.
Minimal hand watering of fairways,
approaches and rough were completed
in the evenings with a large watering
crew. One of the great ideas I saw at the
Olympic Club during the week was the
number of quick coupler valves
available. Every other fairway sprinkler
had a quick coupler next to it, meaning
that you could hand water with ease.
The USGA wanted the course to be
firm and fast for the week so, in the
evening sessions, approaches were cut
and rolled, and even the fairways were
rolled using a new ‘toy’ called the Salsco
Transformer Roller. This was a model
that had three individual rollers
covering a width of 10ft. This allowed
us to get all of the fairways rolled in no
time.
Tees, collars and semi rough were all
cut in the morning sessions. The
approaches, some rough areas, light
bunker trimming and fairway divoting
were completed in the evening sessions.
Heading into the first round, the
comments that we we received about
the condition of the course were
outstanding. The pros were very happy
with the performance of the course
during the practice rounds, but knew
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Golf
Hand watering the 6th green
that the Olympic Club would not be an
easy course to shoot a good score.
All eyes were on Tiger Woods’
performance on day one. Steve and I
were lucky enough to stand behind Tiger
on the practice range the day before the
tournament, and we both had a great
feeling that he may deliver. Tiger
finished his first round at one under, tied
for second behind Michael Thompson,
who shot four under par.
The course would become much
harder as the tournament progressed
with greens speeds and firmness both
increasing.
The second round saw a lot of the pros
choke, and not able to make the cut of
seven over. However, Tiger hung in
there, finishing his round as co-leader
with Jim Furyk at one under.
Heading into the third round and it
was all to play for. The Saturday was a
fantastic day as we were allowed to have a
photo taken with the US Open Cup. I
was also selected for an interview with
the United States Golf Association about
my experiences. Co-leaders at the end of
the third round were Graham McDowell
and Jim Furyk, both at one under.
On the final morning, we went out and
completed our last roll on the greens. As
usual the week flew by. Before we knew it,
it was over.
The icing on the cake, for me, was
being able to work with the rolling crew
on the 18th green on the Sunday
morning. The moisture levels were
www.headlandamenity.com
Fairway to rough definition on the 8th
rather low, so a light syringe was applied
just to keep the surfaces fresh for the day.
This was followed by a single roll.
It came down to the last group.
Graham McDowell and Jim Furyk. G
Mac dropped a couple of shots, but came
back at times. So, too, did Jim Furyk who
remained one under throughout his
front nine and then fell away on the back
nine. It was the control of young
American, Webb Simpson, which enabled
him to seal the victory at one under.
As always, when you work a golf
tournament, it is a great opportunity to
network with others in the industry and,
of course, make new friends. It was great
to catch up with Mike O’Keeffe, the
organiser for the Ohio State University
programme, which I completed back in
2008, interning at Whistling Straits and
Doral.
Whilst there was a large Australian
contingent, I would also like to mention
a fellow British course manager - Paul
Jenkins from Westridge Golf Centre on
the Isle of Wight. Paul and I flew the
British flag, even though I now live in
Australia.
I would recommend that everyone in
our industry volunteer for a golf
tournament at some stage during their
career. It really is a fantastic opportunity
to experience turf maintenance at the
best golfing events in the world.
I would like to thank Pat Finlan,
Olympic Club Golf Course Manager, and
Celeste Repsher, Head of Human
Resources, for accepting our volunteer
application and giving Stephen and I the
opportunity to experience, what was, a
sensational event.
If you have any further questions about
volunteering for tournaments, then I
would be glad to hear from you. I can be
reached at [email protected].
Early morning work on the putting green
Grass Agronomics
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Golf
Anyone heading into deepest
Wales along the M4 can
hardly fail to notice the
imposing Celtic Manor Resort
Hotel set atop Christchurch
Hill overlooking the city of
Newport. It is a journey our
editor has made on
numerous occasions, his eyes
drawn longingly to the
entrance, for it is a venue he
had never before visited.
That is, until recently, when
he was invited to experience,
at first hand, the preparations
for the ISPS Handa Wales
Open.
Not even a ‘faulty’ alarm
clock could dampen his
excitement!
eltic Manor has achieved iconic
status since hosting the 2010
Ryder Cup. Anyone who watched
events unfold during the
competition will have marvelled
at the way the greenkeeping team, led by
Jim McKenzie, managed to keep the
course playable through some of the
most atrocious weather ever to hit Wales;
an effort that saw him being awarded an
MBE in last year’s Queen’s Birthday
Honours.
It is, of course, a tournament that
Team Europe won in dramatic fashion
and, later this year, they head off to the
Medinah Country Club in Illinois to
defend their crown.
The Celtic Manor Resort has hosted
the Wales Open since 2000. This year’s
event was sponsored by ISPS Handa, an
organisation founded by Japanese
philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa in
2006 to support charitable causes
throughout the sporting world.
The Wales Open is now considered to
be one of the leading events on the
European Tour schedule. Past winners
C
include Ryder Cup stars Graeme
McDowell, Robert Karlsson, Miguel
Angel Jiménez, Ian Poulter, Paul Lawrie
and Paul McGinley.
The resort offers three different
eighteen hole golf courses - Roman
Road, The Montgomerie and the newest,
the Twenty Ten which, as its name
implies, was built to stage the 2010
Ryder Cup. It was the first course to be
built specifically for golf ’s greatest team
tournament.
It is on the Twenty Ten course that the
Wales Open is now played.
Jim McKenzie has spent the last twenty
years developing the golfing experience
at Celtic Manor whilst, at the same time,
helping to raise its profile to become one
of the best tournament venues in the UK.
Jim started his greenkeeping career at
Haggs Castle Golf Club under Chris
Kennedy, before moving to Cawder Golf
Club to work under Alistair Connell. His
first head greenkeeper’s role was at
Renfrew Golf Club, where he took over
from George Barr. He moved to
Wentworth, rejoining Chris Kennedy, in
Jim McKenzie
Preparing the
Twenty Ten
Golf
1990, before moving to Celtic Manor in
1993 where he managed the
construction of three 18 hole courses
which, at the time, included Wentwood
Hills as the championship course.
He subsequently oversaw the
construction of the Twenty Ten course,
which involved nine new holes and the
remodelling of nine holes from the
Wentwood Hills course to take advantage
of the natural amphitheatre
characteristics of the Usk Valley.
This was to be Jim’s thirteenth Wales
Open and the fifth time the Twenty Ten
course had been used for the event,
which has also been played over the
Wentwood Hills five times and The
Roman Road course three times.
With water hazards on half of its holes,
the course presents many memorable
tests and risk-and-reward dilemmas. One
of the features of the course is its variety,
with many of the earlier holes having a
links-like feel with some long rough and
greenside swales, before the middle
section of the course reveals the full
extent of the lake-lined challenge. A
Toro machinery ready to go
tough finishing stretch culminates in a
real sting in the tail at the 18th.
The course’s signature hole is the par
four 14th, which brings classic risk-andreward dilemmas with lakes on both sides
of the fairway, but there are several other
holes which can be considered to be
equally memorable.
My plan was to join the team early on
the morning of the Pro Am event, on the
day before the tournament proper, to see
just how they go about setting up the
course, and also to capture some of the
atmosphere of the event. An overnight
stop at a local bed and breakfast, plus a
‘faulty’ alarm clock, meant that I
eventually arrived at the course at
5.30am, somewhat later than planned!
By this time, the team had already been
out on the course for half-an-hour going
about their various duties. A team of fifty
were tasked with mowing every green,
tee, fairway, approach and semi rough,
raking all the bunkers and changing all
the holes in under four hours.
My late arrival meant that I had to
find where the team was working and, as
Last minute instructions
this was my first ever visit, I had no idea
where the Twenty Ten course was.
Fortunately, one of the gardeners kindly
directed me to the course’s workshop.
Having grabbed my camera, one of
the mechanics took me out to where the
team were preparing the course. Here I
met Chris Heales, the resort’s acting
Workshop Manager, who showed me
around the course, stopping to catch
pictures of the various stages of work
going on. The weather was fantastic for
photography; bright and sunny, with
some early morning mist hanging over
the lakes.
Chris has been at Celtic Manor for
several years and was, for a numer of
those, understudy to Pat Callaby who is
now retired after eighteen years service
to the resort. He explained to me that
the working teams were split into two
groups; one working on the top half of
the course (front nine) and the other
down in the lower plateau (back nine).
Chris has three mechanics to help him
look after the colossal amount of
equipment required, which is shared
Jim McKenzie briefing the crew
Golf
Bunker raking
between the three courses, The majority
of the machinery is supplied by Toro.
Each of the three courses has a
designated team led by a head
greenkeeper. Paul Davies looks after the
Roman Road course with eight staff,
Colin Fulton heads up the Montgomerie
course, again supported by eight staff,
whilst Gary Connell manages the Twenty
Ten course with eleven staff. A team of
four gardeners are employed to look
after all the formal gardens and areas
around the hotel complex and
clubhouses. During the summer months,
additional seasonal staff are taken on to
support the greenkeepers.
A specialist irrigation team of Neil
Shepherd, Paul Green and Noel
O’Connell are responsible for
maintaining all the irrigation equipment
on site and ensuring it works perfectly,
However, this year, they’ve had little
need to use it, as there has been so much
rain - 120mm in April, 106mm in May
and 230mm in June - a staggering total
of 456mm (18.24 inches) in just three
months.
I spent the next few hours following
the greenkeeping staff around, watching
them prepare the course ready for the
start of the Pro Am at 8.00am. Wherever
Rolling the 18th green alongside the clubhouse
Fairway mowing
I looked there were greenkeepers
carrying out specific tasks.
The greens where being double cut at
a height of 2.5mm and doubled rolled
with turf irons. Tees were being
pedestrian mown at 9mm, fairways at
11mm and semi-rough at 25 and 50mm.
Chris explained that all the mowing
equipment had been serviced and, more
importantly, sharpened the week before
the tournament. A team of technicians
from Bernhard Grinders were on hand to
help set up the fleet of mowers.
After watching the highly organised
activity for a while longer, Chris then
took me to the 18th green, where I met
up with Jim, who was overseeing final
preparations near the clubhouse. As
always, he is the first to praise his
dedicated greenkeeping, gardens,
irrigation and workshop teams for all the
hard work they put in, not only for this
one event but on a daily basis to ensure
the resort's three golf courses and
associated areas always look their best.
He also commented on the fact that a
good number of his staff have been with
him for many years, several since the
first course was completed back in 1995.
This helps enormously, as each course
tends to have its own microclimate and
needs managing in a different way.
For most of the year, each dedictated
team of staff manage their own course,
However, on occasions, and especially
when there’s a big event on, the staff
come together and share equipment and
resources to ensure the chosen course is
seen at its best.
It was now 8.30am and virtually all the
course preparations had been completed.
It was time for breakfast. During the
competition, all meals are provided for
the greenkeeping staff - breakfast, lunch
and evening meal. It is important the
staff are well fed and watered, with
additional rest breaks planned during
play.
For the next five days the routine is
very much the same; an early start to
prepare the course, which has to be
completed by 9.00am. After breakfast,
Jim briefs the team on last minute
changes, latest golfing news and any
issues that have to be addressed. They
then split into three working groups one on duty during play, one resting and
the other keeping on top of work on the
other two courses.
The morning period allows Chris and
the mechanics to check over all the
machines and get them ready for the
Golf
The course nestles in the Usk Valley
evening maintenance run. As soon as
the day’s play is finished the team are
back out on the course, checking it over,
and giving a single cut to all the greens.
Tees, fairways and any other grass areas
may also be mown as required. A
number of staff are tasked with divoting
tees and fairways.
Once this work is completed, the staff
go home and grab some sleep, ready for
the next day’s early morning start.
I certainly enjoyed meeting Jim and
his staff who, without doubt, manage
one of the most successful golfing
resorts in the UK. The Twenty Ten
looked in prime condition, ready to
provide a demanding test of golf for this
year’s Wales Open.
Every member of staff I talked to said
that they particularly enjoy setting up
the course for prestigious events.
In being awarded his MBE, Jim
McKenzie joins a select band of
greenkeepers who have been similarly
honoured for their achievements. These
include Walter Woods BEM, Jack
McMillan MBE and Jimmy MacDonald
MBE.
I would like to thank Jim for allowing
me the opportunity to visit Celtic Manor
to see his team at work. If you ever get
the opportunity to work there, grab it
with both hands.
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Golf
At about the same time as The Beatles
were writing and recording the music for
their first feature film, A Hard Days
Night, I was a young lad looking to
finance my record buying.
One of the ways I would do this was to
cycle the four miles from home to North
Hants Golf Club, wade across a little
stream and search for golf balls in the
rough. These were then turned into hard
cash by selling them to a golfing
neighbour - thrupence for good ones and
a penny for average ones!
So, it was good to return to my old
childhood haunt - just forty-seven years
later - to meet up with Course Manager,
Mark Openshaw.
On the surface, apart from a thoroughly
modern clubhouse and a sprawl of
contemporary houses where once there
was heathland, little appeared to have
changed but, as I was to discover,
nothing could be further from the truth.
Peter Britton reports
Mark Openshaw
Mark Openshaw
Seeing the wood
for the trees ...
Golf
Aerial view of North Hants Golf Club showing the M3 (bottom),
mainline railway (top) and new housing development (right)
ark Openshaw is undecided
whether North Hants is a
heathland or parkland course,
as it shares the attributes and
ecology of both. Either way, he
is superbly qualified to tend the course,
having begun his career on the similar
terrain of St George’s Hill and
Wentworth, before rising through the
ranks at Sunningdale, under the wing of
‘Big’ Jack McMillan, to become deputy
course manager.
Sunningdale, and have benefitted from
working under many good Course
Managers, such as Jack McMillan, Brian
Turner and Murray Long. Jack and
Brian, in particular, having a massive
influence on the way I think about
greenkeeping,” says Mark. “But, the time
was right to move on and I needed a new
challenge so, when the Course Manager
position here became available, I
applied.” That was five years ago.
North Hants is surrounded, on all
sides, by modern life. When it was
founded in 1904, it was sculpted out of
the native heathland close to the small
town of Fleet in north Hampshire. Now,
M
it is bordered, on its south side, by the
M3, on the north by the mainline to
Waterloo, west the town of Fleet and,
more recently, on its east side, by a large
housing estate.
By modern standards the course is
relatively short at 6,450 yards par 70,
and now acts as a green oasis amongst
the urban sprawl. It is surprisingly
peaceful, considering its position.
Mark confesses to being horrified by
the condition of the course when he
arrived, and was presented with heavily
compacted fairways, huge areas of dead
grass, inconsistent greens, and worn out
tees, with trees smothering the life out of
the course. “It had been overfed,
overwatered and there was no root
structure, anywhere! And, I had, in the
main, a workforce that weren't
motivated.”
Two survivors from the old regime are
first assistant, Rob Schofield and Martyn
Shacklock, who have worked on the
course for nineteen and eight years
respectively. “I identified that, with the
right training and the necessary
enthusiasm, they could help me achieve
my goals, but the rest have gone!” says
Mark in a matter of fact way.
The other members of the team are
Mark’s deputy, Andy Reason, who joined
soon after Mark; Martin Shacklock, who
is the spraying and grinding expert; Kyle
Adams, and recent recruits, Dan
Partridge from Wentworth and Andy
Hallett from nearby Hartley Wintney
Golf Club. “We now have an excellent
team of greenkeepers who work very
hard and to a good standard,” says Mark.
Equally poor was the machinery
situation. “At my interview, I hadn’t
investigated the contents of the shed,
assuming that much of it was ‘out on the
course’ during my visit. So, I was
surprised to learn that the team were
working with the bare minimum.”
Investment had not been an issue at
North Hants even before Mark’s arrival.
The new clubhouse cost a pretty penny,
and £100,000 had been spent on new
workshop and mess facilities for the
greenkeepers. So, there seemed to be two
main priorities - get some air onto and
into the course and upgrade the
machinery.
The first was achieved by calling in a
specialist contractor to remove fifty
Sunningdale and, during that time,
‘Big’ Jack McMillan had a massive
influence on me”
Golf
How the course looked prior to Mark’s arrival ...
Toro 3250-D Greensmasters x 3
Toro GM100 pedestrian greensmowers x 5
Toro GM1600 pedestrian tees mowers x 3
Toro Workman 4300 spraying vehicle
Toro Workman 2000 sprayer vehicle
Toro Workman
MDX utility
vehicles x 2
Toro Workman
1110 utility
vehicle
Kawasaki Mule
utility vehicles x
2
Cushman Turf
Truck utility vehicle
Toro Procore 648 aerator
Toro 6500-D fairway mowers x 2
Toro 3500-D semi rough mower
Kioti DK50C tractor
Kioti DK55 tractor
Cas 4210 tractor
Kubota STV40A compact tractor
John deere 1600 rough cutter
Kubota mini digger
BLEC seeder
GreenTek slitter/aerator
Johnn Deere Aercore
Wiedenmann Terraspike
Ryan turfcutter
Belle Group Waca Plate
Trilo SG400 sweeper
Sisis Auto Rotarake
Turf Boss Greens Iron
Tru Turf Roller
GreenTek greens brush
Toro Transpro 1000 greensmower trailers x 2
Toro Transpro 800 greensmower trailers x 6
Tycrop dresser
GreenTek utility trailers x 2
Tornado blower
Stuil pressure washer
Kawasaki brushcutters x 6
Flymo hover mowers x 3
Husqvarna 136 chainsaw
Stihl MS441 chainsaw
Stihl BT121 post hole borer
Hayter Harrier rotary mower
Hunter Grinder
Various GreenTek attachments
... and how it looks now
“The 2nd and 3rd are a sand
construction. I wouldn’t call
them USGA though, it’s more
like a silty mud!”
percent of the trees from the course.
This was completed over two winters.
“The results have been fantastic,”
enthuses Mark. “The members were not
too happy whilst the work was being
carried out, but they have all come
round now that they can see the
benefits to the playing surfaces.”
“The course is now much more open
and we have seen a huge increase in the
variety of flowers and other wildlife
around the course. Heather is returning
naturally to places it hasn’t grown in
decades, which is very encouraging.
Some of the older heather does need
managing, and this is something we will
address soon.”
One of Mark’s bugbears is the
rhododendrons that grow around the
course. Whilst they are an invasive
species, and serve no benefit to native
A section of ‘The Jungle’
wildlife, the members love the splash of
colour they provide, so removing them
is unlikely to happen, says Mark. As I
take a photo of one of the offending
plants by the lake - they do look very
pretty - a family of coots wander out of
the water to greet me. “They think you
are going to feed them,” says Mark.
“One of our lady members feeds them
every day, so anyone who stands by the
edge gets a greeting from them.”
With the course now benefitting from
better airflow, Mark has been able to
tackle all the other problems out on the
course. £150,000 has been spent on
new machinery - most of it Toro - to
help him achieve this, along with a
Rainbird irrigation system to the
fairways, which was installed by M J
Abbotts. “We are also putting in a
reservoir over the next year or so, too,”
Coot family come looking for food
Golf
Thinned out trees have allowed air movement
and visual improvement to the course whilst
also allowing flowers to re-establish
confirms Mark.
“The underlying soil is typical
heathland, sandy and free draining, so
getting a decent root structure was
important. To achieve this we have
carried out extensive aeration
programmes on all playing surfaces. For
the fairways we call on the services of
ALS to do hollow core and collect, they
are quick and efficient and do a great job
- in and out in a couple of days. We also
had them apply Lebanon 30:0:0 this
year, the results have been really good
and it’s great to see the course with
plenty of definition and healthy looking
fairways. To my knowledge, it’s the first
time the fairways have ever been
treated.”
“To give you some idea of how bad
things were, when using the
Wiedenmann on the greens and tees, the
top three or four inches would just peel
off. There was simply nothing holding
them together,” he bemoans.
Mark calls on agronomist David
Stansfield for advice and, at his
suggestion, eight of the greens were
given the Ecosol Drill ‘n’ Fill treatment.
“Sixteen of our greens are soil push
up, whilst two, the 2nd and 3rd, are a
sand construction. I wouldn’t call them
USGA though, it’s more like a silty mud!”
says Mark. “They cause me no end of
Invasive rhododendrons
Bunkers have been reshaped and
repositioned to enhance definition
problems, but I’m slowly getting to grips
with them. We have put the Dryject
across them using material supplied by
Ecosol.” I offer that they don’t stand out
as looking any different to the other
greens, to which Mark replies, “yes, but I
know!”
As we drive around the course, Mark,
as well as chuntering about the
performance of his golf buggy - hardly
surprising, as it is transporting two
eighteen stone plus men - points out
areas of particular interest. We stop by an
area of thinned out trees which are now
home to campions, foxgloves, herb
robert and other flowers I don’t
immediately recognise. “Five years ago,
the trees came right up to the fairway.
Now, I have been able to introduce areas
of semi rough, rough and, as I call it,
jungle. The members aren’t keen on ‘the
jungle’, but I’ll win them round,” he says,
with a smile.
By improving root growth and,
therefore, grass cover, Mark has been
able to add definition to the course.
Fairways have been narrowed to
accommodate areas of rough and semi
rough, whilst thirty of the sixty bunkers
have been reshaped, enlarged and, in
some cases, moved to become proper
hazards again.
“The bunker work has been done in-
house, with the exception of the 15th
(four bunkers),” explains Mark. “In some
instances, they were so out of position as
to serve no purpose at all. It’s been a job
we have carried out over recent winters
and, visually, they look great. It was a bit
of trial and error to start with,” says
Mark. “We had completed one bunker
that just didn't look right to the eye. So,
one of the team suggested changing the
front to make it more ‘curvy’. That did
the trick. Another one had such a steep
entrance that anyone of advancing years
who went in would have needed a sherpa
to get back out of it!”
With the greens now performing
consistently across all eighteen, I ask
Mark about stimp readings and cutting
heights. “I’m not a huge fan of the
stimp,” he says, but then goes on to tell
me that they cut at between 2.5mm and
New heather establishing
The North Hants team l-r: Andy Hallett, Rob Schofield, Mark Openshaw, Andy Reason,
Dan Partridge, Kyle Adams and Martyn Shacklock
Golf
“Hopefully,
by the end of
2013, I will
also have
gained my
Master
Greenkeeper”
3mm in the summer, with an average
stimp reading of around 9.5 to 10.5, and
3.5mm to 4.5mm in the winter. “We hold
the Hampshire Hog tournament here
every year. It’s one of the top ranking
amateur events in the country,” he
explains. “For that, we do tweak the
speed. The fastest we have achieved is a
stimp reading of 13.”
Tees are kept at around 8-10mm
throughout the year, and the fairways
between 13-16mm. Semi rough is cut
once a week to 44mm and the rough is
kept at four to five inches. The jungle is
The ‘thoroughly modern’ clubhouse
flail mown once a year.
Mark started studying for a degree in
sports turf science online through
Myerscough College. “I’ve done seven
modules so far and hope to finish it over
the next couple of years. It’s hard work
and very time consuming, but will be
worth it in the end. Hopefully, by the
end of 2013, I will also have gained my
Master Greenkeeper Certificate.”
As a member of both trade associations
- he is a huge fan of their training
programmes - Mark is keen to put all his
staff through the relevant qualifications.
“We will, hopefully, have a staff of eight
by the end of 2013 who will have started
or gained NVQ Level 3 and will all have
their spraying qualification.”
Our final stop is a visit to the stream I
used to hop across as a kid. It now runs
alongside the practice area, which is next
on Mark’s list to get an upgrade.
As we head back to the shed, along a
now lush fairway, Mark stops to allow an
elderly member to play his next shot.
Once he has successfully hit the
green, he turns to Mark and
says; “can I just say how
excellent the course is looking.
It’s a credit to you.”
TWENTY Questions
Mark Openshaw - told to give up greenkeeping - thirtyfour years later and he’s still doing it!
What annoys you the most? Ignorant
drivers.
What would you change about
yourself? Have more patience.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? David
Cameron.
Favourite record, and why? I have so
many records that I like, but most Red Hot
Chili Peppers songs, I love their blend of
funk/rock.
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? My wife, she’s
a fantastic person and very good fun.
Who are you? Mark Openshaw, Course
Manager, North Hants Golf Club,
Hampshire.
Family status? Married, three children,
two step children, one granddaughter and
two dopey cats.
Who’s your hero and why? I don’t
really have a hero but, in my work life,
Jack McMillan and Brian Turner are
people I’ve looked up to and respected
very much.
What is your dream holiday? A world
cruise.
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Pay off all my
family’s mortgages then have a massive
party for a couple of weeks!!
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you
be and why? Some people would say a
guitar, because I'm highly strung!
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Give up greenkeeping!! I’m
still doing it though, thirty-four years later!
What’s your favourite smell? Being a
greedy so and so, it would have to be the
smell of Sunday roast cooking.
What do you do in your spare time?
Spend time with my wife and family,
watch as much sport as I can and dream
about being rich!
What's the daftest work related
question you have ever been asked?
So many in thirty-four years, but a couple
of years ago a golfer was baffled as to
why the fairways were so dry and brown,
bearing in mind it was in a hot spell with
temps up to 30ºC, no rain had fallen and
we had no irrigation at the time - it
seemed a pretty daft question!
What’s your favourite piece of kit?
Toro Procore 648, a really good machine.
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Kind, fair, loyal.
What talent would you like to have?
To be able to play the guitar to a high
level.
What makes you angry? Bullshitters,
liars and two faced people.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? Outlaw bullshitters, liars
and two faced people!!
Golf
This has to have been the
wettest of wet summers.
Neville Johnson visited
Chart Hills Golf Club, a
gem of a Kentish course,
in a rare break from the
torrents to see whether
water from the heavens
is a blessing or a curse
Chart
toppers ...
part from ‘come on Andy’, what
three words will most remind us
of summer 2012? How about
‘since records began’? In a year
that started with the single word
‘drought’ echoing the length and breadth
of the country, with water restrictions a
nailed-on certainty, weeks, nay months,
of non-stop rain have left pretty well
everywhere overflowing. Turf has surely
never been so verdant.
The Chart Hills course, at Biddenden
in the Weald of Kent, has been in the top
one hundred UK courses ever since it
was first constructed in 1993. It has
always been one to catch the eye, not
least because it was the first design
endeavour by Nick Faldo, whose aim was
to create an 18-hole championship
course with challenging pro tees and
tough yardage. There’s no denying that
this parkland style course, with open
aspect and tree-lined fringes, has the
A
The good weather went that way!
perfect combination of delightful views
and genuine golfing test. The cliché risk
and reward is never truer than when
playing a round here. That’s why many a
travelling golfer seeks it out.
The course, one of four owned by the
Leaderboard Group, spans 220 acres. It
is built on a predominantly clay base so
drainage is not the easiest and needs
help, especially over winter. These are
topsy-turvy times weather-wise though,
and last winter was the driest ever at
Chart Hills, so it was golf that flowed not
surface water. Twelve months earlier, in
the winter of 2010-11, snow and surface
water meant that the course had to close
for thirty-seven days. Catch basins
beneath the fairways flow into man-made
creeks then on to one of four man-made
lakes, which are both playing hazard and
irrigation source.
Dry winter or wet summer, top
greenkeepers like the Deputy Course
Golf
“It’s the semi-roughs that are causing the
biggest problem. Normally, we’d need only
trim it once every other week. This year,
we’ve been doing it once, sometimes twice
a week, just to keep on top of it”
Manager at Chart Hills, Ben Abbott,
have had to adapt, much like the turf
under their care.
“I’ve never known grass grow like it
has done this summer because of the
excessive rainfall,” said Ben. “We’ve
spent a lot more money on diesel and
man hours because of the extra mowing
that we’ve had to do. I’d estimate that
probably between thirty and forty
percent more than in a normal summer.”
“It’s the semi-roughs that are causing
the biggest problem. Normally we’d need
only trim it once every other week. This
year, we’ve been doing it once,
sometimes twice, a week just to keep on
top of it. There’s no question it’s an
absolutely necessary task in order to keep
speed of play at reasonably levels. Players
don’t want to spend too long searching
for balls, and the semi-rough grass would
put a real brake on play if we let it grow
at the speed it has been, since spring, for
more than a few days.”
“For tees and greens, cutting has been
pretty much as normal, perhaps a little
up on normal, but the growth inhibitor
we spray on the greens - PrimoMaxx has been a help. It shortens the plant
and thickens the sward, but the real
benefit to the golfer is that greens play
the same in the evening as they do in the
morning. You don’t get that fluffy
between cuts growth that can change the
speed.”
Very unusually, fusarium has become a
summer problem on the greens this year,
which can only be put down to the
excessive moisture levels and high
disease pressure over the last few
months. Ben says they have a
programme of preventative spraying in
place, using mixtures from fungicide
products called Heritage Maxx and
Instrata, which has three active contact
and systemic ingredients. He was
confident this would keep the problem at
bay.
The tees have suffered a bit over the
past couple of years, Ben also says,
though less specifically because of the
recent excessive rain. They’ve been
conducting a programme to improve
them by re-seeding with a denser
creeping perennial ryegrass, which
produces many plants from a single seed
and has a better recovery characteristic.
Results have been impressive.
“The topsy-turfy climate and
abnormally wet summer are having a
marked effect on the way we schedule
our work,” said Ben. “The extra mowing
work has meant that various renovation
programmes are on hold, notably for the
course’s bunkers. Cutting grass has taken
almost total precedence this summer.
The course looks amazingly healthy
though and it’s in fantastic condition.”
“You’d never know it was July. It looks
Golf
A rare bright spell in a dank July, and still they are mowing
more like May or September when, in
normal years, it’s the best time to play
golf here. It’s so lush everywhere at a
time when we should be irrigating to
keep it growing.
The golfers here understand that our
main task is to present the course to the
highest possible level and, this year, that
means mowing, mowing, and more
mowing. The constant rain can be quite
demoralising, but it’s my job to keep
everybody ‘up for the job’. The reward to
us as professionals is that many are
saying that the course is looking
absolutely marvellous, the best it has for
years. We have to thank the weather for
that.”
The Anaconda, 280 yards long and 493 tonnes of sand
and, this year, with built-in water features!
The mowing regime at Chart Hills is
generally, when time allows, to hand cut
the greens, and most definitely for
tournaments. Toro’s pedestrian GM
1000s, with grooming system, do this.
Four greenkeepers will take three hours
to cut all 18 greens each morning.
During the playing season, fairways are
cut every Tuesday and Friday, and
Jacobsen LFs are used for this.
As for the bunker work that’s on hold,
the main purpose of this is to renew sand
and drainage. “Ideally, we would aim to
do this on a rolling basis year on year,
but some of the bunkers have had no real
attention since they were first
constructed in 1993,” said Ben.
“Obviously, what we try to combat is
contamination by rain washing out the
sand and clay particles getting
introduced. The drainage gets blocked
with silt and this needs renewing. On
average, we reckon the revamping of a
bunker costs between £1,500 and £2,000
for labour and materials.”
Some of the bunkers are being filled in
to blend into the wild grasses because
they seldom come into play. The
upgrading programme was first begun
back in 2004 when the course staged the
Ladies English Open for the first time.
The aim, once the rain and the mowing
pressure have eased, is to refresh them
all.
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Golf
One of the four man-made lakes, brimming
with summer rain from drainage creeks
The Anaconda is the signature bunker
to end all signature bunkers, and very
much a design statement by Nick Faldo.
It’s a remarkable course feature and a
daunting hazard to say the least, going
on forever, nearly 280 yards in overall
length. It takes one of the greenkeepers
up to half an hour to rake it using a
SandPro. When you have to hand rake
and trim the edges for tournaments it
can be quite testing to say the least. The
honest truth is everyone that works on it
takes a real pride in making it look as
near perfect as possible. Like all bunkers
it has a way of capturing you, only much
more so.
All bunkers are raked daily in summer,
On hold because of the wet weather:
the renovation of the buggy paths
mostly by additional casual staff, whose
other duties include fairway divoting. An
extra nuisance to the bunker
maintenance routine are the rabbits who
perpetually disturb the sand by playing
in it.
Originally, there had been over 130
bunkers around the course, but now 122
are in play, which is still a lot of sand 3,212 tonnes is the exact figure Ben says,
493 of it in the Anaconda alone. Actually,
eighteen full time staff should be on
hand to cope with such a bunkered
course according to a formula based on
size of course and number of bunkers, so
they work pretty hard to keep it looking
so immaculate.
There are eleven full-time staff in the
maintenance department, which includes
irrigation technician and spray
technician as well as greenkeepers.
Ben has been at the course since
March 2003, when he moved from the
Ridge Golf Club, which is just fifteen
minutes away and where he was also
Deputy Course Manager.
One of his own project ideas has been
to let the rough grow along the back of a
number of bunkers, to add to their
character, and to reduce a little of the
maintenance work.
“This is a championship golf course,
not a pay and play,” he said. “Nick Faldo
designed it to be tough, yet beautiful. We
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Golf
Jacobsens double-up for the 18th fairway
Tractors and loaders
Kubota R410B
John Deere 855
New Hooland TC40
John Deere 5515
Fairway mowers
Stihl 044
Echo CS 3400
Stihl MS 200
Stihl MS 660
Hedgecutters
Jacobsen LF3400 x 2
Tanaka TPH230S
Stihl
Ride-on greens mowers
Spraying Equipment
Jacobsen G’King IV x 3
Jacobsen Tri-King x 2
Bargam Shrouded Unit
John Deere HD200
Fantini Mixer Tank
Knapsack sprayers x 4
Pedestrian mowers
Seeding Equipment
Toro Greensmaster 1000 x 5
Baroness LM56 GF x 4
Gill Seeder
BLEC Disc Seeder
Lesco Drop Seeder
Surrounds mowers
Semi-rough mowers
Lastec Articulator x 2
John Deere Batwing WAM
John Deere 1445
BRECO Disc Spreader
Scotts Acupro 2000 x 2
Utility vehicles
Toro Mounted
Tirfco
Ultra Disc Spreader
John
John
John
Club
Deere Gator (4x2) x 3
Deere E Gator x 2
Deere Pro Gator x 2
Car Golf Buggy
Bunker rakes
Topdressers
Leaf and Debris
Collection
Toro Sandpro 3020 x 2
Wessex Leaf Sweeper
Trilo SU60 Vacuum
Aeration equipment
Construction Equipment
Groundsman 8120 CTM
Groundsman 460SDR
Wiedenmann Terra Spike
Double Quick 6 Slitter
Cushman GA60
JCB 802
Stihl TS 400 Stonecutter
Wacker Palte VP1135
Belle 150 Cement Mixer
Gannon Box Blade HD315
Trailers
Other
Griffiths GCM 2.0
Warwick Tipping
Ifor Williams Easy Load
Highlift
Otterbine Floating Pump
Ryan Turf Cutter
Tractor mounted post hole
borer
12” Post Auger
24” Post Auger
AFT 845 Trencher
Sisis Veemo
Huxley Grainskeeper Brush
Thatchaway units x 6
Vibrating rollers x 6
Sarrel Rollers x 3
Dragbrushes x 2
Hover mowers and
strimmers
Allen 453 x 4
Allen 446
Blowers
Honda UMK x 8
Stihl Back Pack x 8
Chainsaws
Husqvarna 262
Bullrushes thrive in wet conditions. They look handsome, but hinder
drainage and need to be drastically reduced
are very proud of this and
determined to keep it that way.
We’re always looking for
improvements though.”
“Those that have been
introduced since I’ve been here
include better trafficking of
golfers and their carts by post
and rope guidance to keep them
from overdoing straight line wear
and tear. It’s important to keep
the fescue rough as unspoilt as
possible. It is pleasing to the eye
and everything we can do to keep
it that way is worthwhile.”
Ben says that £50,000 is also
being spent on upgrading the
buggy tracks around the course.
This is a two year project but,
again, behind schedule by two or
three months because of the
weather. This involves fresh
tarmacking of surfaces. Paying
over £2,000 for seven-day
membership, you expect
comfortable passage around the
course, and that’s the reason for
the upgrade.
There is also an ongoing
project to keep under control the
bullrushes in the creeks. They are
delightful to look at, but a
growing threat to drainage by
impeding water flow and need to
be kept in check.
Waterlogging can be a problem
in parts of the fairways from time
to time. The drainage set-up,
installed at construction, does
deal with most of the excess
water, but some thought may now
have to be given to installing
secondary drainage. The
estimated cost for this would be
upwards of £200,000 and involve
a certain amount of disruption,
so this is an idea rather than a
plan as yet.
“We are finding that the
wetting agent we use for greens
and surrounds - Revolution - is
serving us as well in times of
surplus water as in drought
conditions,” said Ben. “It does
just as good a job for us in the
wet as in the dry, helping to take
excessive water down and away
from the top few inches.”
All aeration and decompaction
work is done in-house,
Groundsman and Wiedenmann
Terra Spike being the equipment
used. Greens and tees are hollowcored periodically.
It seems a folly mentioning
irrigation this year, but there are
1200 heads around the course.
The Toro Site Pro system they use
allows individual operation for
each hole. This year, Ben says it
has only been used a dozen times
at most, which is a record low by
a long way.
Chart Hills’ records began in
1993. Some of the recent figures
make interesting reading. In June
this year, 85mm of rainfall was
recorded on the course and, in
April, 115mm, which was the
wettest April since the course
opened. Last year, by contrast,
April rainfall measured just
0.5mm. The total for the whole
of 2011 was 500mm. In the first
six months of 2012, 338mm had
been recorded.
The economics of the private
golf course is tough these days,
and it’s difficult to keep them
prospering. The recession hasn’t
helped and, with so many courses
offering cheap deals, retaining
membership levels is hard.
Courses like Chart Hills will
always have the bonus of
attracting the discerning,
travelling golfer bent on playing
the best, tough
courses.
Faldo’s aim despite the
weather - does
seem to be
holding up in
this corner of
Kent.
Golf
TWENTY Questions
Ben Abbott - great white sharks, ironman triathlon ... and
naming Rosie Jones just prior to the nuptiales - extreme!
Who are you? Ben Abbott, Deputy
Course Manager at Chart Hills Golf Club
in Kent.
Family status? Nearly married.
Who’s your hero and why? My dad.
He’s my dad.
What is your dream holiday? A safari
trip, then in a cage to see a great white
shark.
What annoys you the most? Dishonesty,
and people who drop litter.
What would you change about
yourself? I wish I had found triathlon
earlier.
Who wouldn’t you like to be? The
England football manager.
Favourite record, and why? Sex on fire
by the Kings of Leon - awesome live.
Who would you choose to spend a
romantic evening with? Other than my
girlfriend, Rosie Jones (we think he means
the model, not the American golfer! ed.).
If you won the lottery, what is the first
thing you would do? Take all my family
and closest friends on holiday.
If you were to describe yourself as a
musical instrument, what would you
be and why? A recorder - I’m easy to get
along with.
What’s the best advice you have ever
been given? Always make a good first
impression and give a firm handshake.
What’s your favourite smell? Walking
down the road and smelling a barbecue.
What do you do in your spare time?
Ironman triathlon and play golf.
What's the daftest work related
question you have ever been asked?
“Is the course going to be open
tomorrow?” It was covered with a foot of
snow at the time!
What’s your favourite piece of kit?
Jim, our mechanic!
What three words would you use to
describe yourself? Dedicated,
determined and positive.
What talent would you like to have?
To be able to play the drums.
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What makes you angry? When people
don’t do their job properly. When golfers
step over roped off areas.
What law/legislation would you like to
see introduced? A week behind bars for
people who don’t pick up their litter.
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Golf
Golf de Biarritz ‘Le Phare’ was the
brainchild of Victorian British
aristocracy who wanted to play golf
whilst on holiday in the upmarket
French seaside resort in the 1880s. A
century later, the first international
golf training centre opened, the
brainchild of the French Golfing
Federation (FFgolf).
The club is located on the cliff tops
just outside Biarritz, completing a
unique golfing experience in
southwest France.
Kevin Marks visited the Basque region
recently to speak to the man
responsible for the maintenance of
these unique facilities
Patrice Bernard
The golfing
gems of Biarritz
Golf
atrice Bernard has been the
Intendent du terrain (course
manager) at Golf de Biarritz ‘Le
Phare’ for the past twenty-nine
years, having joined the club in
1983 from Monte Carlo Golf Club where
he had been the assistant head
greenkeeper for a year. He has recently
retired as the chairman of AGREF,
Association Greenkeeper de France, a
position he held for twenty-five years.
He is steeped in the tradition of French
golf and, during his early days with
AGREF, was one of the prime drivers
behind the introduction of the country’s
major trade exhibition, Green Expo,
which he founded with the support of the
US equipment manufacturer, Jacobsen.
Today, he is responsible for two of the
most prestigious golf facilities in France;
the 18 hole, 5942 metre, par 69 Le Phare
course situated in the centre of the
famous coastal town, and Ilbiarritz, the
original national training centre of the
French PGA, which features sophisticated
practice facilities and a tough 9-hole
course, situated at Bidart, just 3 kms from
Biarritz.
The Le Phare Golf Course was laid out
more than 120 years ago by the brothers
Willy and Tom Dunn, and has seen
significant changes over time. However,
since losing its holes by the sea, numerous
tree planting has taken place, which
caused it to lose its links aspect. It has
become an attractive parkland course,
which is quite short but by no means easy.
It highlights the deep rooted tradition of
the origins of golf in the Basque country
and can be played by golfers of all levels.
In 1887, some British residents who
wanted to practise their favourite sport
during their holidays decided to create a
golf course on the ‘plateau du Phare’. By
March 1888, they had formed the British
Golf Club, which was inaugurated in the
presence of the Princess Frederika of
Hanover and consisted of an 18 hole Le
Phare course, a 9 hole course for the
ladies, a croquet pitch, another for cricket,
some tennis courts and clay pigeon
shooting.
In 1920, the committee called on Harry
S Colt, renowned course architect, to
redesign the golf course. These changes
P
added significant length and the revised
design was inaugurated in February 1924.
Not long afterwards, the clubhouse was
altered and extended having become too
small for the number of members using
the facilities.
The intervention of World War II and
the occupation of France by the German
forces saw part of the course fronting the
sea requisitioned by the German army,
and the twelve holes situated in Anglet,
away from the coast, were converted into
18 holes.
At the end of the conflict, the
requisitioned site was very badly damaged
and left in a state of disrepair before
being sold off for development.
Continuing the philosophy and the
architectural principles of H. S. Colt, the
club employs Stuart Hallett, an architect
specialising in the restoration of old Colt
courses, to adapt the course to the current
golfing demands.
I was invited to take a partial course
walk with Patrice and, as we walked down
the first fairway, we began by discussing
the maintenance of the golf course.
“We have a large number of rounds of
golf annually at Le Phare, with 800
playing members and 17,000 visitors last
year. This requires substantial
maintenance to ensure that our customers
play on a high standard course.
Therefore, we close each facility one day
every week in order to perform routine
maintenance operations and use all of my
seventeen staff to maximum effect,
especially when it comes to aeration and
topdressing.
“Because we have so many rounds, we
have to be out mowing at 6.00am, ahead
of the golfers. Being in the town’s suburb,
we are situated in a quite densely
populated area and this has caused some
issues with our neighbours,” explains
Patrice. “But, we’ve overcome that in the
past couple years following the purchase
of a new greens mower, the Eclipse 322,
which has fully electric systems and only
uses a small, and therefore relatively
quiet, diesel engine to generate the
electricity. It has really done the trick!”
“You will see that most of my
equipment is from Jacobsen; we have an
exclusive supplier agreement with them,
and we’ve been relying on the services of
the Ransomes Jacobsen France distributor
now for many years and have an excellent
working partnership with them.”
With the heavy workload required of his
team, I ask Patrice how he keeps them
trained and fully motivated. “We are very
committed to training here at Biarritz,”
he said. “I’m a board member of a
government backed vocational training
initiative, called La Commission
Nationale Paritaire-Emploi and, every
year, together with the course manager
Claude Rousseau, we map out a training
schedule for every member of staff.”
My next question, as we walk the first
fairway, was about his greenkeeping
practices. First, I enquire about his
regulation heights of cut and he confirms
that the greens are cut to 2.9mm in the
summer increasing to 3.4mm from midOctober to late April. Tees will be 8-9mm,
fairways 11mm all year round, semi-rough
at 30mm and rough at 55mm.
Topdressing is carried out little and
often; deep aeration is usually undertaken
in early September with heavy topdressing
brushed in. Patrice's preferred option for
aiding growth is soluble fertiliser.
Watering is a major challenge in this part
of France, so in the summer season the
greens are irrigated between 11.30pm and
4.30am to ensure maximum benefit is
achieved. This narrow window allows for
rounds very early in the morning and very
late at night.
There are seventy bunkers on the
course, but they are not the only obstacles
that need to be negotiated. The course
has some huge natural indentations in the
fairways, some of which are hidden from
the tee. These have been skilfully
integrated into numerous holes, thereby
making the game more strategic and
technical.
During July, France’s oldest amateur
golf tournament, the Biarritz Cup, will
have taken place on the Le Phare course.
This is a key event and has been taking
place almost every year for over a century.
Many countries will be represented and
approximately 450 players will take part.
This event, which lasts a week, counts
towards the world amateur rankings, and
its reputation is such that it regularly
View across 13th tee on the Le Phare course
Golf
14th green at Le Phare, guarded by natural
land depression and large bunker
Le Phare clubhouse complex
draws crowds of over 5,000 spectators.
“This is a very prestigious event for the
club,” Patrice added, “so it is vitally
important that we have the course in the
very best condition for the first two weeks
of July. As I said earlier, we have a very
special working partnership with
Ransomes Jacobsen France; Laurent
Proupin and his team are working with
the top level clubs across France - Golf
National, Evian, the Blue Green group.
We use a lot of their equipment, including
the new hybrid Eclipse greens mower,
which was the first one in France. Their
tournament support, when we hold the
Biarritz Cup or the European Ladies Tour
events, has always been superb.”
Completing the course walk, we
returned to the clubhouse to be joined by
Claude Rousseau, Directeur Generale of
La Societe des Golfs de Biarritz. Over a
very convivial lunch, he explained the
rationale behind the creation of the
Ilbiarritz Golf training centre, which was
our afternoon venue.
“The Ilbarritz International Golf
Training Centre was designed and
constructed in 1988 by the architect
Pierre Thevenin. This project was
conceived, following the decision by the
National Technical Department within the
French Golfing Federation, to
revolutionise the method of golf training.
It coincided with the centenary of the Le
Phare golf club.
“The site, just three kilometres from the
centre of Biarritz, was chosen for its
beautiful location on top of the Atlanticfacing cliffs with its unique scenery. It was
the first European golf training centre to
SPORTSTURF DRAINAGE
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be built in the same style as those in
Japan and the USA. It is a fourteen
hectare complex, allowing amateur or
professional players to train and to
perfect their short game techniques.”
“It has been designed to replicate all
the possible difficulties and obstacles that
can be found on a golf course. There are
thirteen different practice areas organised
in progressive stages of difficulty and
featuring different types of slopes,
bunkers, water hazards, bushes and trees,
plus ground variations with different types
of rough and greens.”
“All the practice areas are connected by
a circular pathway, with some areas
covered for all weather use. We also offer
golf tuition of the highest standards with
professional teachers from France, USA,
Germany and Spain to meet the needs of
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Golf
View across practice area
from Ilbiarritz clubhouse
Looking back at the 2nd tee on Ilbiarritz with
the Spanish coast in the background
our international customers. This can be
for groups or individuals; those who are
new to the game or for those who want to
improve various aspects of their game. We
also have sophisticated video equipment
for analysing stance and swing. We also
provide other services, such as fitting or
workshops on making and repairing
clubs.”
Originally, the plan was to build
another 18-hole course, but planning
restrictions, due to environmental
constraints, required a rethink. The
concept was four years in the planning
stage and it took a further three years to
get the necessary approvals. The facility is
the property of Intercommunity
Syndicate, a cooperative venture between
the towns of Biarritz and Bidart. From the
elevated position of the clubhouse, one
AgriMetal
can admire a huge roundel with various
golfing amenities dotted around the
perimeter.
The various workstations around the
training centre provide unrivalled practice
facilities, from the short game to full
swing, on synthetic grass or perfect turf,
on flat or hilly lies, everything has been
conceived to work on every aspect of a
golfer’s game.
“We have 45,000 visitors a year, 30,000
come to practise and around 15,000 come
to play the 9-hole course,” said Veronique
Irigoyen, Claude Rousseau’s manager for
the golf course of Ilbiarritz. “It’s an
excellent and testing course set on two
levels with an upper plateau following the
cliffs and a lower section behind the cliffs.
We have a free cart system to connect the
two levels of the course. The signature
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hole is number 4, which is reminiscent of
courses on the west coast of the USA,
requiring a drive over a ravine between
tee and green.”
“At 2,176 metres, with a par of 32, the
Ilbiarritz course is a hidden gem and one
that pleasantly surprises many visiting
golfers,” adds Nathalie Larigauderie,
Patrice’s head greenkeeper at Ilbiarritz.
I didn’t really know what to expect
when I was given this assignment, but it
has been a very pleasant and edifying visit
to southwest France. The history of Le
Phare and the vision of Ilbiarittz combine
to make this an attractive golfing
destination, which is
maintained to the
highest standards by a
dedicated team of golf
and turf professionals.
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Winter Sports
Fleetwood Town
Dale Frith
Jane Carley talks to
Dale Frith, the award
winning Head
Groundsman at
Fleetwood Town Football
Club, who are newly
promoted to the Football
League, for the first time
in their history.
She discovers that, on
and off the pitch, the
club are investing in
their future
In Cod
we trust!
sense of pride and anticipation is
palpable at Fleetwood Town
Football Club, newly promoted to
the Football League after winning
the Blue Square Bet Premier, and
with its Highbury Stadium looking
pristine after a recent facelift, both on
and off the pitch.
The club, whose chairman, Andy Pilley,
runs his blossoming BES Gas and Electric
business from new, high tech offices next
to the pitch in the Parkside Stand, is a
symbol of hope and progress in the
Lancashire town which has seen the
fishing industry that was once its
lifeblood all but eroded.
And the developments have come thick
and fast, as the club has risen through
the footballing ranks. Fleetwood Town’s
players only became a full-time
A
professional squad for the 2010-11
season and, until Dale Frith was engaged
in 2010, contractors looked after the
pitch.
“Our chairman is committed to
investing in the club and to driving
forward its success,” comments Dale,
“and it is so important to the local
community. The turnout for the victory
parade when we won the Blue Square Bet
Premier was incredible.”
The Highbury stadium has been home
to the club since 1934 - its name is not a
nod to Arsenal, but to the Highbury
Avenue which runs along its length.
Historic photographs show the odd shed
and a few grass banks as the only
spectator facilities. That’s a far cry from
what today’s supporters can enjoy, with
the Percy Ronson stand completed in
Winter Sports
Fleetwood Town’s new Parkside stand ©Darren Clarke
“With the sea on two sides and the river on
another, we do have an odd climate, which
sometimes bears no relation to what is
happening elsewhere locally!”
2007, the Memorial and Highbury stands
completed in 2008 and the plush Jim’s
Bar where home and away fans will
mingle this season and can watch
matches and other sports on big screens.
Not to mention the new Parkside Stand
which, as well as the club and BES
offices, also provides ultra-modern
changing rooms, hospitality boxes and
the control room.
The pitch has not been left out either,
as Dale explains: “Prior to 2009, it was a
typical non-league pitch, rather unlevel
and poorly drained. Consultants TGMS
(TurfTrax) and contractors Danvic were
engaged to regrade it and install
drainage, plus a pop-up irrigation
system. A 100mm rootzone carpet was
added using Rufford TurfStart in an
80/20 mix with lignite and Everris slow
release fertiliser.”
He comments that the club has not lost
a game to waterlogging or frost since
and, on two wintry occasions, was the
only club in the bottom divisions not to
cancel.
“We have also invested in a full set of
frost sheets - the chairman is happy to
spend money in order to save money,
and the sheets have already paid for
themselves.”
Last winter two inches of snow fell on
top of the frost sheets before a fixture,
but Fleetwood Town’s supporters - known
as the Cod Army in deference to their
fishing heritage - board and
management joined forces to sweep the
snow and the game went ahead.
“The weather this year has been a
challenge,” admits Dale, “and, with the
sea on two sides and the river on
another, we do have an odd climate,
which sometimes bears no relation to
what is happening elsewhere locally!”
Ironically, the summer’s early heatwave
came just as renovations began. The
pitch was koroed off on 16th May before
4m lateral drains were installed, and
sand spread to address levels, before
cultivating and finally seeding on 29th
May. “We needed a bit of water straight
after seeding, but the rain soon took
over!” says Dale.
After the initial renovation in 2009,
the pitch had been seeded with Rigby
Taylor R14, and Dale then swapped to
Johnson Premier Pitch in 2011, which,
he says, gave better results.
“But, I work closely with Simon
Hardcastle at Everris, and I wanted to try
Winter Sports
©Darren Clarke
The Memorial stand was completed in 2008
Everris Pro Select 1 this time. It was very
quick to establish, as all ryegrasses are,
but has also developed a good root
system. Its qualities of colour and vigour
also appeal.”
Everris 8:12:8 pre-seed fertiliser was
applied, and Dale continues through the
season with slow release Sierrablen and
liquids as the sward develops.
PrimoMaxx is also applied to thicken up
and reduce mowing frequency, essential
with Dale’s small team and busy
workload.
Overseeding will follow in September,
and then again in March, to maintain
quality on the hard-working pitch - which
will host 40-odd fixtures over the winter for prestigious late season matches.
Although some changes to the stands,
turnstiles and crowd management
arrangements were needed to reflect the
standards required in the Football
League, no additional work was needed
to bring the pitch up to scratch, bar
realigning the fencing in one corner to
enlarge the run-off area.
The renovation window gets ever
shorter, with the first fixtures at the end
of July, and an early home League Cup
match against Nottingham Forest on
13th August, but Dale was able to start
mowing with the rotaries in June.
“Once the pitch is established, we mow
three times a week with a Dennis G860,
Dale poses with the Cod Army flag
increasing in frequency during match
preparation periods,” he explains. “We
double or quadruple cut and always mow
with string for presentation. The blades
are set a height of 25mm initially and
then 30mm in the winter to protect the
sward.”
He praises the Dennis mower,
commenting that it is ideal for smaller
clubs as it can be used with maintenance
cassettes as well as the mowing reel,
avoiding the need for additional
machines.
“We have a verticutting reel, and I use
the brush a lot in the winter to stand up
the sward for mowing and take out
debris, although it needs some care as it
can have a scarifying effect,” he says.
“I’d love a second Dennis now that I
have a full time assistant. We have a
relatively small fleet of machinery, but
I’m not keen to have tractors on the
pitch anyway, so anything we buy would
be pedestrian.”
The one exception to this rule is a
Verti-Drain, operated by Danvic every six
weeks or so in the season to keep the
surface open and get air into the
rootzone.
“I’d like our own Verti-Drain and we
may need more kit if we get our own
training ground,” Dale comments. “At
the moment, we rent a pitch locally from
Fylde Rugby Club, although we do
maintain it ourselves.”
Dale has taken on a full-time assistant,
Nick Hyndman, who has recently
completed his sports turf course at
Myercough college, the same place where
Dale studied. Coincidentally, the newly
appointed apprentice, sixteen year old
Ashley Roche, is just embarking on a
similar course at the highly regarded
college.
Dale himself is a local lad, having been
brought up in neighbouring Blackpool you can see the tower from the stadium but was working on the other side of the
world, preparing pitches for the World
Cup in South Africa when the call came
to say that a position at Fleetwood Town
was available.
He won the FA’s Conference
Groundsman of the Year Award in 2011,
having gained the approval from the
judges - Tottenham’s Darren Baldwin
and West Ham’s Dougie Robertson - and
is undaunted by the extra attention the
club, and its pitch, is likely to get in the
Football League.
“I don’t feel any pressure! It’s great for
the club to get national recognition and
TV coverage; I can’t wait to see
Highbury on the BBC every
other week and we will get
the odd game on Sky. I’m
looking forward to the
chance to show the club off.”
Another Dennis would be nice!
Winter Sports
Greater Manchester, like
many other parts of the
country, has suffered the
wettest June for decades,
with areas that had never
previously flooded before
finding themselves
underwater.
Whilst Manchester and rain
almost go hand in hand, as
any cricket fan will tell you,
the team at Leigh Sports
Village have had to keep a
close eye on the weather
charts in order to meet the
demands of a busy fixture
list.
eigh Sports Village is run and
managed by Wigan Borough
Council. The venue consists of a
main stadium arena, a sports
pavilion, an athletic stadium, a
full size floodlit 3G synthetic pitch,
five natural grass pitches, three
synthetic pitches, indoor sports centre
and a six lane swimming pool, along
with residential housing, a retail park,
conference facilities and the 135 room
Radisson Park Inn.
The stadium has an 11,000 capacity,
with a state of the art Desso
Grassmaster pitch, conference and
banqueting facilities and high tech
offices. The stadium hosts many
events, from community fixtures to
internationals, as well as being home
to both Leigh Centurions Rugby
League Club, Swinton Lions Rugby
League Club and Blackburn Rovers
Reserves.
Keith Porter, who previously worked
at Wigan Athletic and Manchester
United, has been head groundsman
for four years and, in that time, has
built up an experienced team of staff.
It is quite a family affair, with his sons
Martin and Matthew, along with Alan
Todd and Malcolm Sargent, making
up the team.
Both of his sons have qualifications
in sportsturf, and have spent several
years working in the industry - Martin
in the roles of head, deputy and
assistant greenkeeper, plus a spell at
Field GB, and Matthew as an assistant
greenkeeper.
The stadium pitch alone had
already held over sixty fixtures and
training matches by the end of June.
The team’s remedial work was
featured in issue 39, so I won’t go over
old ground here, suffice to say that
they continue to improve the quality
of the playing surfaces, in part due to
a Desso Grassmaster pitch being
installed at the stadium three years
ago; a request made by Keith due to
L
You can’t stop the
Village
People ...
Winter Sports
the number of fixtures.
Keith had asked me to visit again to
experience the ‘delights’ of preparing for a
home game. After consulting the busy
fixture list, we settled for June 7th, a live
game on Premier Sports featuring an
evening Championship match between
Leigh Centurions and Sheffield Eagles.
Kick off was at 7.30pm, so I arrived early
to sample the pre-match activities and see
what goes on behind the scenes. As always,
the weather dictates what Keith and his
staff can do prior to a match. I arrived just
after lunch with the intention of observing
Keith mowing and marking out the pitch.
However, our wonderful summer monsoon
weather put paid to that. Weather warnings
had persuaded Keith to mow the pitch the
previous day, and the following morning,
before the forecasted rain arrived.
He also decided to mark out the pitch
on the morning of the match; it was a
good call as, for the remainder of the
afternoon, it rained cats and dogs until just
before the match started.
However, there was still plenty to witness.
Keith took me out in the rain to see
Salford City Reds Rugby League Club
training on one of the outer grass pitches.
Both Leigh Centurions and Salford City
Reds use these pitches two or three times a
week, with other teams playing matches on
them at weekends.
Keith showed me some new equipment
they had just invested in - a Wiedenmann
Super 500 Scarifier, which they intend to
use on the grass pitches to clean out the
sward on a regular basis, and a
Wiedenmann Terra Seeder. Keith is
currently building up his equipment to
enable him to carry out more of the
renovation work in-house rather than rely
on contractors.
During a much needed and refreshing
tea break (as a particularly heavy shower
passed over), I met up with Chris Tiplady,
from Myerscough College, who was
meeting with Matthew about his college
work. Matthew has just completed his
Level 3 Diploma course online, and Chris
was compiling some final evidence for his
portfolio.
Matthew enrolled onto the Advanced
Apprenticeship scheme last year, which
comprises the following components; Level
3 Diploma, Emergency First Aid and Key
Skills/Functional Skills. There are
approximately seventeen units (some
mandatory and some he chose himself)
that make up the diploma.
Each unit is made up of practical
performance criteria and knowledge
evidence. Matthew was keen to explain
how Chris had shown him how to use the
Leigh Sports Village is fast earning a
reputation for providing top quality
playing surfaces, with many local
sporting club sides wanting to use
the villages excellent facilities.
The village came about from the
collaboration of many sponsors,
government funding and local
planning gains. £83 million was
invested in building the village that
saw the provision of several sporting
facilities on one large site. The
development has transformed Leigh
into one of the finest hubs of sport
activity in the north west.
The following partners are active
members and subscribers to the
facility, Wigan Borough Council,
Leigh Centurions Rugby League
Club, Swinton Lions Rugby League
Club, Salford City Reds Rugby
League Club, Leigh East Amateur
Rugby League Football Club, Leigh
Harriers Amateur Athletics Club,
Leigh Sports Trust, Wigan and Leigh
College, Wigan Leisure and Culture
Trust, Park Inn Hotel, Ashton Leigh
and Wigan PCT, Intrahealth,
Blackburn Rovers Football Club,
Wigan and Leigh Disability
Partnership and Inspire 2
Independence.
The LSV Stadium marked out for England Women’s football training
Keith decided to mark out the pitch on the
morning of the match; it was a good call as, for
the remainder of the afternoon, it rained cats
and dogs until just before the match started
Winter Sports
Hayter Harrier 56 pedestrian petrol
rotary mowers x 2
Charterhouse Verti-Core 2100
Corer/Spiker
Charterhouse Verti-Drain 7521
Charterhouse Verti-Groom
Dakota 525 trailer
Landquip demounted boom sprayer
Trillo SG200 vac/sweeper
New Holland 10LA compact tractor
deck
John Deere Pro-Gator 2030A
John Deere 2653B ride on triple
cylinder mowers x 2
Stihl BR500 leaf blowers x 2
Stihl FS100 strimmers x 2
Sthil FS50 strimmers x 2
LSV TerraRake
Dennis G860 pedestrian cylinder
mowers x 2, complete with brush
and verticutter cassettes
Makita leaf blowers x 2
Sthil SH86 leaf vac/blower
Honda Pro HRH-536 pedestrian
petrol rotary mowers x 4
Weidenmann Terra Rake
Weidenmann Super 500
scarifier/brush
Allen rotary hover mower
Fleet Beam Rider laser linemarker
RCM Go Floor scrubber/dryer
Trimax rotary roller mower
Murator 300 fertiliser spreader
Lewis snow plough
Foster slurry scraperk
Fleming linkage box
New Holland 10LA compact tractor
c/w loader bucket
Snow EX Vee Pro 3000 grit salt
spreader
Hardi shrouded pedestrian sprayer
Fleming heavy duty roller
Raycam 3m rubber drag matt
Schmidt Swingo road sweeper
Karcher power washer (petrol
driven)
Sweep EX Brush
Matabi 20lt knapsack sprayer
Scotts Acu Pro 2000 pedestrian
spreader
Small crowd, but a big win for Leigh Centurions
electronic e-portfolio system and how
effectively it all worked. His presentations
were set up on Photostory, an easy to use
software programme that allows the
candidate to show video and photographic
evidence of his specific daily work
routines. Narrating the photographs and
using video assessment was a quick and
easy way for Matthew to prove his skills.
But, back to the main purpose of my
visit. That Keith had completed the
marking out and mowing in the morning
proved a good decision. The weather in
the afternoon was simply appalling.
Persistent rain swept across Lancashire,
and it was impressive to see just how well
the pitch coped.
At 4.00pm, Keith attended a pre-match
staff briefing, which I was allowed to
attend. The meeting was chaired by Simon
Toon, the stadium’s chief executive, and
his assistant James Ditchfield. Around the
table were representatives from the various
departments that are involved on match
days - catering, Health & Safety, stewards,
PR, finance, technicians, electricians and
coaches. The discussion centred on the
running order of the evening’s event,
clarifying times and requirements in terms
of pre-match entertainment, catering,
signage, photo opportunities etc. Keith
gave an update on the condition of the
pitch. A detailed running programme was
given out showing times of the activities,
opening and closing of turnstiles and bars.
Supervisors and stewards final briefing
was held at 5.15pm with the ground being
opened at 6.00pm.
Keith and his staff put out post
protectors and corner flags for the curtain
raiser game, an under15 match that
kicked off at 6.15pm. The game finished
at 7.00pm, allowing Keith and his staff
time to change the post protectors and
corner flags to the main event sponsors,
and check over the pitch.
Both teams spent twenty minutes
warming up, practising handling drills
and contact work. Considering all the rain
and previous activity, the Desso pitch was
holding up well, with very few divots or
water lying on the surface.
At 7.30pm, the match kicks off. Keith
and his staff make their way to their seats
in the south stand to watch proceedings.
At halftime, they are back out on to the
pitch to replace divots and to check
everything is okay.
There wasn’t a particularly large crowd
on the night, probably due to the heavy
rain and the fact that the game was being
televised. However, the ones who did turn
up were treated to great game of rugby,
with the home side beating Sheffield
Eagles 40 points to 12, rattling up 28
points in the second half, with the win
taking them to the top of the table.
After the game, Keith commented how
well the pitch had held up considering the
conditions, with very little damage to the
surface. Now, it was simply a case of taking
down the post protectors and corner flags,
and going home after a very long day.
With more heavy rain forecast, Keith
said that he had little option but to allow
the pitch to recover overnight and the
following day and, once the weather
improved, they would then repair any
scarring whilst giving it a brush to stand
the grass back up.
There wasn’t a particularly
large crowd on the night,
probably due to the heavy rain
and the fact that the game was
being televised
Winter Sports
Salford Reds in training
L-R Martin Porter, Malcolm Sargent, Keith Porter and Matthew Porter
Keith has been very pleased with the
performance of the pitch at the LSV
Stadium, his tailored maintenance
regime of the new Desso pitch is centred
around good cultural practices; regular
mowing, brushing, scarifying, aeration
and feeding. Pedestrian rotary mowers
are used to clean up the pitch and keep
the sward standing upright.
As with most free draining pitches, the
application of fertilisers is essential to
maintain turf vigour and colour.
Concoctions of liquid products from Paul
Benson Growing Solutions, and granular
products from Everris (Scotts) are used,
along with some biomass sugars and
seaweed solutions. A monthly liquid
fertiliser programme is carried out to
keep the sward in good health.
Keith did not have long before the
next scheduled group of matches, which
included a four day training session on
the pitch by the England Women’s
football team, followed by the next rugby
league match against Batley Bulldogs.
Renovation of the stadium pitch took
place on July 12th, being scarified using
their own spiral rakes and a
Wiedenmann Terra Rake. All debris was
cleaned up using Trilo vacs. The pitch
was then vertidrained, topdressed with a
light dressing (40 tonnes) of 70/30
rootzone, and oversown with Johnsons
Premier pitch grass seed.
It goes without saying that Keith and
his team have done a fantastic job of
improving the quality of the playing
surfaces at the Leigh Sports Village. The
combination of hard work, innovation
and investing in essential equipment has
enabled Keith to achieve his aims and
objectives of hosting top flight fixtures.
Dennis G860
& Premier
The proper tool
for the job
For more information or a
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call 01332 824777
or alternatively visit
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Croquet/Tennis
Football/Hockey/Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Lawns
Amenity
Winter Sports
National game
Paul Lowe
Symbio’s Paul Lowe has a
bit of rant about the state
of grassroots football
pitches, and suggests that
it is time to have a
coordinated plan in place
to allow youngsters to
develop their natural
talents
National
Disgrace
fter the fantastic achievements of
Team GB at the London 2102
Olympics, national pride has
been restored. In fact, you could
say that pride was at an all time
high as the medals kept on rolling in. All
that investment; lottery funding,
Government initiatives, training and
dedication paid off, big time.
Just look at the Manchester Velodrome;
this training camp produced an array of
medals for the cyclists. We also did well
in rowing, boxing, equestrian etc; all of
which received substantial funding, and
the future looks great in these sports. It’s
no coincidence that we do well when we
have the proper facilities. So, why don’t
we have the same success with our
A
national sport, the richest sport, football?
This is a true story of a young kid who
lives in Spain. Playing sport and, in
particular, playing football is this kid’s
passion. He is a very good footballer; his
skills are, dare I say, Spanish in style. He
has flair, control, and can pick the most
majestic pass. However, this kid is not
Spanish, he is, in fact, English.
His parents moved to Spain when he
was a baby and, at the age of ten, with all
his footballing skills, he moved back to
England. Of course, this kid wanted to
join a football team, so he joined the
school team and the local football club.
There’s a huge debate at the moment
about youth development in football, and
why countries like Spain dominate the
Winter Sports
world of football. How do they possess so
much skill and talent? Why do English
players play with such a lack of finesse,
when other countries pass and play with
real flowing football? Why don’t we teach
our English kids to play this flowing
style?
There is a lot of talk at the moment
about who is to blame; coaches, teachers,
the FA, even the sports minister and our
Government are being blamed for the
lack of success and footballing skill in
our nation. Well, I am not convinced that
any of them are totally to blame. Not yet
anyway, not until we can get the
fundamentals right. And excuse the pun;
we need to get to the grassroots of the
problem, the playing surfaces, the local
park pitches that our kids play on.
Let’s go back to this young kid who
started playing football in Spain, and has
moved back to England with all his skill
and flair and delicate touches. He now
plays on wet boggy pitches with long
grass that is cut once a week, if they are
lucky! What is the point in this kid
possessing such skill when the ball is
being caught up in long grass, held up in
puddles and mud, or being bounced
about on our awful local pitches? He can
no longer use his silky skills, no flashy
step-overs or tricks. He has adapted to
the conditions, he can tackle like an
Englishman, he can hoof the ball like an
English defender; this kid is now playing
English style football. He has adapted to
the conditions and, because of these
poor conditions, he has lost his Spanish
flair, he now plays English style - keeping
the ball away from the grass, and playing
the ball in the air.
This kid is my nephew. I watch him
every weekend and I am dismayed by the
poor conditions at grassroots football. Is
it any wonder that we, even as a nation
of football lovers, are not producing
skilful players?
So, what do we need to do? How much
investment would it take to improve our
local pitches? How much would it take to
improve our state school sports pitches?
How much investment would be needed
to make our playing fields playable, to
make them good enough so that the
future kids can dribble, pass and use
their skills on a firm, level, free draining
pitch that is cut to a good standard?
The big question that the authorities
will ask is, how much? I am certain there
will be a number of excuses why we can’t,
but let’s get to the point, it’s not that
difficult. It’s not even going to be that
expensive, we need to change.
We must do more to improve the
conditions if we want our national sport
to be producing kids with confidence to
use their skills.
If we get together with our governing
bodies, the experts and the powers that
be, we can make it happen. We all want
our kids to possess better footballing
skills, to encourage kids to get fitter,
reduce obesity, to get off the streets and
onto the sports pitches, and our future to
be trophies and footballing pride. Let’s
look at it this way, it will be much easier
to spot kids with real footballing talent
when they play on better pitches, playing
better football.
How difficult is it? Well, we certainly
have the experts. All we need is an
infrastructure, better drainage, better
quality and frequency of cut, more
maintenance and aeration, renovation
and some proper quality control. In the
UK we have some of the best pitch
advisers, groundsmen, contractors and
companies. The elite facilities have
funding and they are truly fantastic, but
the gulf between the top and the local
playing fields is enormous. We need a
strategic plan, some proper investment
and get some pride back in our local
pitches.
So, to summarise, how much sport is
being played on the ground? How much
skill goes unnoticed because our kids
don’t have the facilities to express the
skill? How many kids get the opportunity
to play on great pitches? When do the
footballing scouts get the opportunity to
see the kids express themselves with
flowing football on good pitches?
Let’s get better conditions for our kids
to enjoy, encourage them away from the
streets and help them get fitter and
healthier, help the youth to develop
passion, teamwork and dedication. There
is a very old saying; “Show me the child
of seven and I will show you the man”.
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Winter Sports
Newport Rugby Club
Our editor talks about his
involvement with his local
rugby club, and how a ‘needs
must’ mentally gets the job
done, even if, sometimes, it
goes against the grain
Beyond
the call
of duty!
Winter Sports
unning a sports clubs comes at a
cost - gas, water, electricity,
ground rates, rents, facility
maintenance, players and
coaches, coaching courses, first
aid, travel expenses, insurances and
membership to the relevant governing
bodies are all a huge drain on finances.
Whilst most sports clubs are judged by
the success of their first team, where
winning matches, gaining promotion and
doing well in the leagues certainly gives
them a high profile, the reality is that
success is down to how well the club is
run behind the scenes.
A strong junior section is, quite rightly,
viewed as the future of any club yet,
equally, the provision of seconds, thirds
and veterans teams keeps the financial
arteries flowing, bringing in much
needed income.
A club’s income generally comes solely
from the ‘spending power’ of its
membership, with monies raised via
subscriptions, bar takings, events and
local sponsorship (often from members’
own companies) providing the main
income streams. Occasionally, additional
funding is available from governing
bodies, the national lottery and other
agencies, but this is generally to finance
specific projects.
So, it is vitally important that, when a
R
player hangs up his boots, he or she
remains involved in the club in some
capacity. This is, generally, not too
difficult as the club will have become part
and parcel of the player’s life and ‘giving
back’ becomes a natural progression coach, secretary, chairman, club
president, fixtures secretary and
groundsman roles are always up for
grabs! These dedicated volunteers are
the mainstay of any club, giving
something back, at little or no cost.
When I moved to Shropshire, back in
1990, I joined Newport Rugby Club,
playing for their first team for a number
of years, before gracefully retiring and
taking on a coaching role within the club.
I confess that the enjoyment I got from
progressing youngsters through the
various squads was almost as satisfying as
playing - and certainly less painful!
Like most clubs, Newport RFC are
driven by the fact they want to do well,
progress up the leagues and be a large
part of the local community.
In recent years, the club has been
successful on the playing front, rising
through the leagues to be currently
playing the highest level of rugby in
their history - Level 5 National 3,
Midlands.
The first XV holds the Shropshire Cup
and were runners up in the North
Midlands Cup in 2012. They have a very
strong mini and junior section, with
teams from U7s to U18s. Last year, the
U15s won the North Midlands Cup.
Newport’s facilities are set in the idyllic
surroundings of Newport Agricultural
Showground at Chetwynd Deer Park.
They have recently secured a long term
lease agreement with the Newport and
District Agriculture Society, who own the
land, which gives them the opportunity
to secure much needed funding from the
RFU and other funding agencies to
extend and improve their facilities.
The club are currently busy raising
funds to pay for a clubhouse extension,
and has recently secured a £50,000 grant
from Sport England to assist with this.
The extension will provide much needed
extra space to cope with the numbers of
people who are involved in the playing
and running of the club.
Along with club members Andrew
Watson Jones and Stephen Murphy, I was
involved in raising much needed funds
this summer, by organising a rock festival
- NewFest 2012 - an all day music event.
Following a number of meetings last year,
the club finally agreed to run the event
and, after much planning by all
concerned, we saw the fruition of the
event in May. We were blessed with
fantastic weather and the commitment
“Giving back’ becomes a natural
progression - coach, secretary,
chairman, club president, fixtures
secretary and groundsman roles are
always up for grabs!”
Winter Sports
... resulting in some surface damage
Amazone on New Holland tractor with ag tyres ...
from ten local bands.
Many of the club’s members helped
run the festival, culminating in a very
successful event that raised over £10,000.
Also, this year, the club were keen to
improve the quality of their pitches,
especially their training areas. They
approached me for some advice and,
after some discussions with the club’s
volunteer groundsmen, Andrew Watson
Jones and Neil Furniss, both ex-players
and local farmers, some extensive work
was carried out on the training pitch.
Neil and Andrew have, for a number of
years, been looking after the club’s
pitches. using their farming skills. The
WITH NEW
pitches are naturally very free draining as
they are laid over sandstone.
Being farmers, they had all the
equipment at their disposal to undertake
a full reconstruction of the training
pitch, killing off the top vegetation,
ploughing up the pitch, power
harrowing, relevelling and overseeding.
They bought twenty bags of perennial
sports rye grass seed (from Pitchcare
obviously), and completed the work in
May.
My biggest concern, at the time, was
the weather. Once the seed had been
sown, and having no irrigation available,
it was a case of praying for rain. I think
TECHNOLOGY
we all prayed too hard, as it didn’t stop
raining for several weeks!
Germination was succesful and growth
strong, so Neil borrowed some ride-on
rotary mowers to undertake the first few
cuts. With the grass firmly established, it
was now a case of mowing on a weekly
basis to promote tillering. Feeding and
stone picking, to remove any large stones
from the playing surface, was also carried
out. A selective weedkiller will be applied
in September to kill off any weeds that
may have sprouted in recent weeks.
As for the first team pitch, this year’s
renovation programme was centred on
an oversowing of the pitch followed by
Winter Sports
The youth are the lifeblood of any club
regular mowing and feeding.
It is important that clubs invest in their
pitches and find the appropriate
resources to undertake the necessary
maintenance work to keep them in good
condition. Well maintained and
presented pitches will encourage better
play and will also act as a catalyst to
attract players to the club.
I have been keeping an eye on the
pitches and, whilst it would be nice to see
more attention being paid to them in
terms of more frequent mowing, the
reliance on farmers being available at
their busiest time of their year often
compromises what can be achieved.
NewFest raised £10,000
I also had some concerns with the use
of large and heavy tractors fitted with
agricultural tyres, which resulted in some
surface damage when applying fertiliser.
Being farmers, they used an
agricultural, high nitrogen based
granular fertiliser product, basically
because it was ‘cheap and cheerful’
compared to using specialist sportsturf
fertilisers. An appropriate sportsturf
fertiliser, designed to promote steady,
longer lasting growth would have been
my preferred choice, but it’s difficult to
argue with the maths... and the farmers!
If all goes to plan, the club will be back
training on the new pitch in October.
Both Andrew and Neil will be keen to see
the pitch back in play and, hopefully, will
have gained enough confidence to
undertake the same operation next year
on the first team pitch with the same
encouraging results.
It goes without saying that the success
of any sports club comes from within,
making good use of the resources
available which, in the main, are its
members. Andrew and Neil are a prime
example. Their drive and passion makes
a difference to the club’s success, both on
and off the pitch.
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Winter Sports
Towcestrians Sports Club
The 400 Club!
For a town with a
population of just over
10,000, how do you judge
the success of its main
sports club?
Certainly, if its junior rugby
section is a gauge, then
Towcestrians Sports Club,
based in the south
Northamptonshire town of
Towcester, is a roaring
success. Add in various
other sports disciplines,
plus a new clubhouse
extension, and here is a
club going from strength to
strength - and all on the
back of an army of
volunteers.
had called in to Towcestrians Sports
Club ‘on spec’ after visiting the
town’s racecourse, my eyes drawn by
the expanse of grass, the rugby posts
and the sheer number of children
seemingly enjoying their time in the
sunshine.
My intention was to find out who the
head groundsman was and return, at a
later date, to ‘do a story’ on him (or her).
I made my way out onto the pitches
and introduced myself to one of the
coaches, Lewis Barker, a past Towcestrian
player, currently playing for Coventry
RFC. He introduced me to the rugby
team’s First Team coaches, Robbie
George and Steve Yuill, also former
players at the club and now keen to put
something back following their
retirement from the game, a decision no
doubt helped by their respective sons
now playing for the club. They were all
involved in a week-long summer
coaching clinic for children.
Robbie was keen to explain how
successful the club has been in recent
years due to a number of on and off field
activities. A solid coaching policy has
been put in place and this has seen an
increase in the juniors/youth section to
I
record levels, with over four hundred
children playing and training at the club
each week.
The rugby club has a proud record of
achievements, with a number of their
players moving on to play for
Northampton Saints, with some
achieving England honours. The first
team now play national league rugby
having gained promotion, last year, to
Midlands 1 East.
Another of their old boys, Chris
Spackman, is the club manager. He is
currently overseeing a £250,000
clubhouse extension which will provide
vital extra space and facilities for players
and other end users, such as the Ladies
Hockey Club who use the clubhouse as a
base.
The work is being carried out in two
phases. The first phase is to extend the
main function room and build new toilet
facilities, whilst phase two will see the
upgrading and extension of changing
rooms and showers.
Regular events and fundraising days
have helped to finance the improvements
to the clubhouse and grounds.
As well as managing the club’s affairs,
Chris can often be found working on the
Winter Sports
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grounds, cutting and marking
out the pitches along with
another long-time club
servant, John Woolley, who
has been associated with
Towcestrians over fifty years.
The grounds boast three
senior rugby pitches, training
areas, a five pitch cricket
square that sits between two
of the rugby pitches and four
artificial tennis courts.
Over the past ten years,
Chris and John have made
big improvements to the
quality of the pitches.
Localised drainage has been
installed on the first team
pitch, whilst more thorough
end of season renovations, in
the form of topdressings,
aeration, overseeding and
selective weedkilling to get
rid of broad leaf weeds
(especially plantains), has
seen the playing surfaces hold
up much better through the
season.
The pitch drainage was
centred on the wettest parts
of the first team pitch, with a
number of lateral primary
drains installed at five metre
centres, linking into a main
carrier drain around the
perimeter of the pitch. This,
along with the regular
aeration, has cured the
problems, with the pitch now
able to cope with heavy
downpours.
The club has also
purchased new equipment
thanks to grants and funding
schemes from the RFU and
South Northamptonshire
Council. These include a
Kubota tractor, a BLEC
Groundbreaker, a large rotary
mower, a sprayer and a
Ransomes triple mower, the
latter producing both a better
cut and presentation on the
pitches and cricket outfield.
Two members of the cricket
club, Terry Richards and
Tony Roberts, are solely
responsible for maintaining
the cricket square and
preparing all the pitches. Just
Winter Sports
John Woolley and Chris Spackman
Robbie George and Steve Yuill
Shed shared by rugby and cricket club
The £250,000 clubhouse extension nearing completion
five strips have to cater for two senior
sides and four junior teams, so the task
is not an easy one.
The square is cut at 13mm with
pitches prepared over a number of days
to accommodate what is, mainly, a
junior cricket section.
There used to be conflict between the
two different sports having to share one
facility. However, both the cricket and
rugby sections have now managed to
coordinate their requirements without
upsetting one another too much!
The cricket club have their own
equipment for maintaining the square,
but share storage facilities.
Rugby pitches are mown on a weekly
basis during the summer, keeping the
cricket outfield at 30mm, whilst leaving
more grass on the other pitches, cutting
at 50mm.
The club also recently invested in selftravelling sprinklers to help promote
essential grass growth during the
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6 H H W K LV P D F
summer months. Part of the new
clubhouse extension has a built-in water
recycling plant to capture rainwater for
use on the pitches.
A granular fertiliser is applied in
spring and summer to help promote
growth for the forthcoming playing
season.
The club’s ongoing relationship with
Northampton Saints means that they
can call on their long-standing
groundsman, Piggy Powell, for advice.
Chris says this is freely and
enthusiastically given, and has been a
tremendous help over recent years as he
and John strived to improve the quality
of the playing surfaces.
The club also enrolls the help of
members to tidy up the grounds,
organising working parties throughout
the year.
Fundraising plays an important role,
with a number of events, some rather
quirky, organised throughout the year.
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Winter Sports
View across the rugby and cricket pitches
This year, as well as a Jubilee Ball, Chris
and the team organised a brand new
event - the Sausage and Cider Festival featuring live music, a hog roast and a
range of gourmet sausages.
Members are also ‘encouraged’ to
purchase a house brick as part of their
Buy A Brick campaign which, as the
name implies, is used to help with the
clubhouse extension.
The club are well aware that, once the
clubhouse improvements have been
completed, they will need to put in
place a long term development plan to
improve their pitches and, more
importantly, look at the feasibility of
acquiring more land - up to four
hectares - to provide additional playing
surfaces for the ever increasing amount
of teams.
Chris had hoped that, as part of the
development, this would include an astro
pitch for the Ladies hockey team, but he
explains, with some regret, that the local
Vintage cricket pavilion
council are planning a brand new full
size artificial pitch on the outskirts of the
town as part of a new borough housing
development. Should this happen this,
of course, it will mean that the ladies will
play their matches at this new facility.
However, Chris has been reassured that
the team are happy to continue using
the club’s facilities as they have built up
a good relationship with the members.
For an on-spec visit, it was very
pleasing to see all these positives. They
are only ever achievable when a team of
dedicated people come together to
make a difference, and it seems
Towcestrians are making good use of all
these committed club members who are
inspired to keep the club moving
forward in more ways than one.
Cricket square
The cricket club have their own machinery
C-Range
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Winter Sports
AS the summer begins to wind down
and the football season gets into full
swing, I have memories of a great
holiday during June, touring around
Florida to keep me warm through the
coming English winter.
If you are like me, even on holiday, you
are keeping an eye out for sportsfields,
just to see what Johnny Foreigner
Groundsman is up to. Sad, I know.
GRASSCUTTER
ViewPoint
Mr AKA Grasscutter, our
anonymous football league
head groundsman, takes a
holiday in Florida and
discovers that, even out
there, the weather is an
issue for turfcare
professionals!
I must, at this point, commend the guys
that look after the Major League
Baseball playing surfaces. There seems
to be at least three games live at any
part of the day on TV in the States, and
the grass is always the deepest green
with some great cutting and rolling
patterns.
After a few days in Naples, Florida, Mrs
Grasscutter had run out of shops to
check out and suggested we moved on
to Miami where a friend had told her
the outlet mall, called the Dolphin
Centre, was awesome. I took out the
map and decided Interstate 75, also
known as Alligator Alley, was the route.
Now, do not get into thinking that
Grasscutter goes along with all this
shopping. Oh no, whilst Mrs
Grasscutter is perusing handbags and
make-up, I like to find a golf course. As
we drove down I-75 and got closer to
Miami, I was on the lookout for a
course for the next day. I did not spot
anything obvious, but logged onto the
hotel Wi-Fi with my phone that evening
to see what was about.
As in this country, a lot of the courses
are private members clubs and, sadly,
have the same attitude to non-members
playing their course. Understandable, I
guess, as they pay a lot of money for
the privilege.
As I browsed through the various
country clubs’ in the Miami area, I
came across Grande Oaks Golf Club
with the tag line on the website ‘Home
of Caddyshack’.
For those of you not familiar with
Caddyshack, all I can say is it is a
feature length film concerning the
comical goings on at an exclusive golf
club. All the members are wealthy and
eccentric, and all the staff are poor and
slightly less eccentric. The main
character is Danny; he’s a caddy who
will do almost anything to raise money
to go to college. There are many
subplots, including the assistant
greenkeeper’s pursuit of a gopher
which is threatening to ruin the lush
fairways and greens of the fictional
Bushwood Country Club.
The appeal of Caddyshack lies in its
magnificent cast of characters, and the
way they clash with each other. The
club is riddled with the usual petty
disputes and social conventions that
can be found at any archetypal golf
club.
Winter Sports
“Do not get into thinking that Grasscutter goes
along with all this shopping. Oh no, whilst Mrs
Grasscutter is perusing handbags and make-up, I
like to find a golf course”
The club’s best player, supercool Zen
playboy, Ty Webb, played by Chevy
Chase, is constantly spouting
meaningless psychobabble like “be the
ball”. Rodney Dangerfield is cast as the
ultimate crass loudmouth (and loud
dresser), Al Czervik, whose huge golf bag
contains a built-in sound system, miniTV, phone and beer tap and comes out
with such great lines as “Hey everybody,
we’re all gonna get laid!”.
commentary, “Cinderella story, outta
nowhere, a former greenkeeper now
about to become the Masters champion”.
Absolute classic, well in my world,
anyway.
These guys are golf course stereotypes,
elevated to comic absurdity, but my
favourite is, without doubt, Carl Spackler,
the deranged assistant greenkeeper
played by Bill Murray, who wages an
explosive jihad against the gopher,
fantasises about lady members and golf
glory. In one of the funniest scenes from
the film, Spackler takes a small scythe to
the dahlias in a flower bed. He slowly
walks down the row of flowers,
decapitating the flower heads with the
scythe as he mutters an imaginary
Unfortunately, but understandably, I
could not play the course, but bought a
tee-shirt and chatted to some of the
course workers who told me all the
greens are walk mown, planted with Tift
Eagle, an ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass,
and that the Grande Oaks fairways are
planted in Bermuda 419 - which I am
sure means something to the
greenkeeping fraternity out there.
impressed with the layout and upkeep of
all of them.
I also had some very interesting chats
with various course workers and one
Superintendent, as the Head
Greenkeeper is called over there. They
have the same gripes and moans as we
do over here; mainly long hours, low
wages and, believe it or not, the weather!
Several times I was told they were having
an awful summer. If 30OC everyday and
the odd shower or thunderstorm in the
afternoon is an awful summer, I hate to
think what they would have made of our
spring and early summer this year.
This film is one of my all time favourites
and, when I found out the course where
it was filmed was only twenty miles up
the road from my hotel, I decided I had
to try and get a round there and buy
some Caddyshack apparel.
A footnote to this piece is that Bill
Murray triumphed in the Pebble Beach
National Pro-Am with his professional
playing partner, D.A. Points, last
February. Not quite the Masters, but
certainly a Cinderella story.
I did get to play on a few courses over
the duration of my stay and was very
Keep the faith; and keep cutting the
grass, after all that's all you do.
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Stonehenge is regarded
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As far as visitor numbers
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It is also the site that
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Laurence Gale get up
early to get an inside
look at how an influx of
one million visitors a year
affects the grass areas
around the site
s recently as May of last year, the
Daily Telegraph’s Charles
Spencer labelled Stonehenge “a
national disgrace” and, on the
surface, it would appear, with
some justification. He bemoaned the
visitor facilities especially, and this has
not been lost on the site’s governors,
English Heritage.
Laurence and myself are here to meet
with English Heritage’s Senior
Landscape Manager, Alan Cathersides,
and Chris Bally, their Landscape
Manager South West.
The site occupies a triangular plot of
land, bordered on two sides by main
roads, the A344 and the A303, the latter
being the major arterial route to the west
country, and one of the busiest roads in
the UK. On the third side of the triangle,
National Trust land that contains ancient
barrows, the odd sheep and a bridleway
offers a more open view of the
prehistoric monument.
From the A303, casual observers might
wonder what all the fuss is about but, up
close and personal, the magnificence of
the stones can be truly appreciated.
Stonehenge attracts in the region of
one million visitors a year, with as many
as 9,000 a day during the height of the
summer. It is one of the ‘must see’
attractions for tourists from home and
abroad. This amount of foot traffic could
have serious consequences if not
A
managed correctly, and it falls to Chris
Bally to manage the landscape
maintenance contracts, not only for
Stonehenge but across all the English
Heritage sites in the south west.
Alan Cathersides provides professional
and technical support to Chris and his
four collegues spread around the country.
Alan previously worked as a Grounds
Maintenance Officer for the Property
Services Agency (PSA), overseeing
Ministry of Defence landscape contracts
in various parts of the country. When
that department closed in the 1990s,
Alan joined English Heritage.
English Heritage’s landscape contract
specifications are modelled on the old,
yet tried and trusted PSA Schedule of
Rates tendering system for procuring
and managing landscape contracts. The
length and value of any contract will be
dependent on the size, location and scale
of the operations required. In the case of
Stonehenge the document, is twenty
pages of solid text!
Laurence and I had arranged to meet
Alan and Chris very early in the morning
to allow us to get inside the stone circle,
whilst also seeing the work the
contractors were undertaking prior to the
gates opening to the public at 9.00am.
An immediate impression of the
facilities would have me concurring with
Charles Spencer’s view, as they are
modest to say the least, but we are soon
English Heritage
The keepers
of the stones
Public Places
to discover that, despite Government
cutbacks to funding for English Heritage
- currently £35m has been swiped of
their budget - work has begun on a new
visitor information centre, about a mile
away and out of sight of the stones, that
will include all the usual modernity for
21st century visitors, along with a display
of artifacts discovered on the site.
Visitors will be transported to the stones
by land train, but will also be able to
walk the route along an ancient
processional avenue. This new visitor
centre is due to open in 2013 and will
require the final section of the A344 to
be rerouted to link back up with the
A303. The old road will then be returned
to nature by sowing native grasses.
Sadly, the proposed 2.1km long A303
tunnel to bypass the monument was
shelved back in 2007, and traffic
pollution will remain a threat to the
stones. Alan hopes that the scheme
will be revisited once the economy
has recovered.
In our present austere times,
such expenditure is clearly out of
the question but, if the economy does
start to recover, I
believe the tunnel
project should
become a
priority. The
present
situation is
little short of a national scandal as
Stonehenge is one of the most important
prehistoric monuments in the world.
Two of the busiest times at Stonehenge
are the solstices. This year, 15,000
people had the chance to celebrate the
summer solstice on 21st June. They
begin arriving at 7.00pm the day before
and leave soon after sunrise. The site is
usually clear by 8.00am. Alan vividly
remembers when English Heritage
changed their views on the midsummer
celebrations. Up until 1999, celebrating
the solstice within the stone circle was
prohibited. This required heavy policing
as there were various religious sects and
other groups who claimed, nay
demanded, an historical right (or should
that be rite?) to be there. So, in 2000,
English Heritage agreed that the rules
should be relaxed and access allowed to
the stones - over 25,000 attended that
first event, and one of them was Alan!
“It was a magical
time,” says Alan, “and it’s one of the few
times visitors have actually seen the
sunrise since we changed the rules - it’s
generally been overcast in subsequent
years!”
As new theories about the original
purpose of the stones keep cropping up one of the latest is that it was a centre for
healing - the winter solstice has taken on
increasing importance and, on 21st
December last year, around 5,000 people
turned up to see the sunrise. It was
cloudy!
This year, as part of the Salisbury
International Festival for the London
2012 Festival, an event called Fire
Garden was held on 11th July. This
required the lighting of fires around the
stones, evidence of which can still be
seen. Stonehenge also played host to the
Olympic Torch with gold medal winning
athlete Michael Johnson.
Whilst the majority of visitors are kept
away from the monument,
“2000 was a magical time, and it’s
one of the few times visitors have
actually seen the sunrise since we
changed the rules - it’s generally
been overcast in subsequent years!”
Public Places
Inside the inner sanctum
The remains of Radio Caroline!
Alan Cathersides and Chris Bally
special bookings allow groups to enter
the inner sanctum outside opening
hours. The previous evening had seen
three groups, totalling around one
hundred people, all adding additional
wear in sensitive areas.
Chris Bally explained that access to
the centre of the stones does cause
problems. “Seventy-seven different
species of lichen have been identified
on the stones,” he explains.
“Stonehenge is, therefore, of national
importance. If you look carefully, you
will see that, on many of the stones, the
fruticose growth on the lichens does not
start growing until about six feet off the
ground. This has been caused by visitors
touching the stones.”
In another area, Chris points out a
yellow lichen that is growing in a
pronounced ‘DI’ formation. “Back in
the mid-sixties, when the site was
unsupervised, the stones were
vandalised when someone sprayed
‘Radio Caroline’ across them,” explains
Chris. “Various solutions were tried to
remove the graffiti and, whatever was
used to remove the D and I from radio,
this particular variety of lichen seems to
thrive on it!”
General visitors are shepherded
around the monument on, in the main,
roped off grass walkways. The ropes are
moved regularly to avoid excessive
compaction.
During our visit, Parsons Landscapes
Ltd, a family run firm from Taunton in
Somerset, were carrying out their
weekly maintenance regimes. A Gianni
Ferrari ride on mower was cutting the
larger areas of grass, whilst a Kubota
G2180 mid mounted tractor, with
attached spiker, was attending to the
grass walkways. The contract specifies
that the grass around the monument is
kept between 25-50mm; in reality, it is
generally cut at 35mm.
The depth of spiking is restricted to
100mm to avoid any damage to subsurface archaeology that may be in the
ground; special permission is required
to go any deeper.
Strimming around the stones has to
be undertaken carefully so as not to
damage either the stones or the lichen.
Blowers are used to remove clippings. A
ditch that runs around the monument is
cut on a less frequent basis to maintain
a long grass policy that provides a
habitat for wildflowers, insects and
butterflies.
A portable bridge access pathway has
been constructed to allow visitors to
gain full access across an
archaeologically sensitive area known as
‘The Stonehenge Avenue’. Discovered
Lichen growth is affected by
visitors touching the stones
Scorch marks following
the Fire Garden event
The bridge walkway over the Stonehenge Avenue is
moved on a regular basis to reduce compaction
Public Places
SPORTSGROUND SPECIALISTS
Parsons Landscapes at work
Natural & artificial sports surfaces
in the 18th century, it
measures nearly three
kilometres and connects
Stonehenge with the River
Avon where, it is believed, the
smaller bluestones arrived
from Wales. The avenue is
aligned with the sunrise of
the summer solstice.
At the end of the avenue, a
similar ring of bluestones,
now known as
Bluestonehenge, was
discovered in 2009.
The bridge is moved two or
three times a week to prevent
wear in key pinch point areas.
Other areas of the site are
grazed by sheep to control
growth. Chris admits that the
farmer hasn’t quite grasped
the concept of summer
growth though, preferring to
put his sheep on the land in
autumn and winter!
Other areas of the site - car
parks and grass verges - are
mown and strimmed on a
weekly basis. Again, blowers
are used to collect clippings
and to ensure that the area
remains as tidy as possible for
visitors. Chris points out a
small area of worn grass
where, for a number of
months, Chief Druid, Arthur
Pendragon, had chained
himself to a fence in protest
at the ‘deformation of a
religious site’. However, it
appears that even druids
don’t like three months of
torrential rain, and he has
now departed the site!
Rather like the Tower of
London, corvids have nested
on the stones for centuries. In
this instance it is not ravens,
but their smaller cousins,
jackdaws. The famous
ecologist, Gilbert White,
recorded in 1788 in his
‘Natural History & Antiquities of
Selborne’, in a series of letters
written following visits around
the area, that; “Another very
unlikely spot is made use of by
daws as a place to breed in, and
that is Stonehenge. These birds
deposit their nests in the
interstices between the upright
and the impost stones of that
amazing work of antiquity: which
circumstance alone speaks the
prodigious height of the upright
stones, that they should be tall
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Public Places
Jackdaws have nested on
the stones for centuries
A natural grass meadow has
returned to Woodhenge
Concrete markers indicate where the original
wooden posts were at Woodhenge
enough to secure those nests from the
annoyance of shepherd-boys, who are always
idling round that place”. “We still have the
jackdaws, but the shepherd-boys are long
gone,” exclaims Alan.
In recent years, there have been a
number of controlled archaeological digs
around the stones, with the aim of
uncovering more evidence to help
conclude the age and meaning of the
stones. There are also a number of other
historical sites locally that are managed
and promoted by English Heritage.
Parsons Landscapes are responsible for
the maintenance at several of these sites
as part of their maintenance contract
with English Heritage.
One of these is Woodhenge, another
ancient monument just a few miles from
Stonehenge. Dating from about 2300
BC, concrete markers now show where
the original timber posts used to be.
Again, it is not clear what the original
purpose of the site was, but it possibly
supported a ring-shaped building.
It is a much smaller site than its more
famous neighbour and, until the early
1990s, the whole site was simply cut
short. Now, the grass is cut between and
around the monument at a height of
30mm on a weekly basis, with a visitors
pathway included. Outside of this, a
natural grass meadow area has been
allowed to develop which has encouraged
the return of local flora and fauna to
stunning effect. These areas are left to
grow throughout the summer, with a cut
and collect carried out in late August.
Alan has advised on over four hundred
English Heritage sites and has written
contract specifications to cater for all the
different landscape environments.
The length of any contract depends on
the nature of the specific site but, in the
main, they vary from five to seven years.
As Alan says, it is important to support
the successful contractor as he has to
invest in machinery and people, so
having a minimum five year contract
helps sustain a good working
relationship between client and
contractor.
As we only had a short time to enjoy
being amongst the stones, Laurence had
run around like a kid on blue Smarties
getting as many photographs as he could
- some of them in focus!
Whilst he was discussing compaction,
aeration, spraying et al, I wandered over
to talk to a security guard who had been
one of three on the night shift. I asked if
there were any security issues with the
site. He replied that the biggest threat
was the occasional interloper who wanted
to play their flute or guitar to the stones,
and they were asked, politely, to leave.
It would seem that Stonehenge will
retain it’s magic for centuries to come.
Who knows, maybe the truth about it’s
construction will be uncovered in
that time. Or, maybe, the
spaceship will return to tell us?
The building of Stonehenge
STONEHENGE was constructed in three
phases. It has been estimated that the three
phases of the construction required more
than thirty million hours of labour.
Speculation on the reason it was built range
from human sacrifice to astronomy.
Stonehenge is probably the most important
prehistoric monument in the whole of
Britain and has attracted visitors from
earliest times. It stands as a timeless
monument to the people who built it.
The stonehenge that we see today is the
final stage that was completed about 3500
years ago
The First Stage
The first Stonehenge was a large earthwork
or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the
Aubrey holes, all probably built around
3100 BC. The Aubrey holes are round pits
in the chalk, about one metre wide and
deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms.
They form a circle about 284 feet in
diameter. Excavations have revealed
cremated human bones in some of the
chalk filling, but the holes themselves were
probably made, not for the purpose of
graves, but as part of the religious
ceremony. Shortly after this stage
Stonehenge was abandoned and left
untouched for over 1000 years.
The Second Stage - The Arrival of the
Bluestones
The second and most dramatic stage of
Stonehenge started around 2150 BC. Some
eighty-two bluestones from the Preseli
mountains, in south-west Wales were
transported to the site. It is thought these
stones, some weighing four tonnes, were
dragged on rollers and sledges to the
headwaters on Milford Haven and then
loaded onto rafts. They were carried by
water along the south coast of Wales and
up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being
dragged overland again to near Warminster
in Wiltshire. The final stage of the journey
was mainly by water, down the river Wylye
to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west
Amesbury.
This astonishing journey covers nearly 240
miles. Once at the site, these stones were
set up in the centre to form an incomplete
double circle. (During the same period the
original entrance of the circular earthwork
was widened and a pair of Heel Stones
were erected. Also the nearer part of the
Avenue was built, aligned with the
midsummer sunrise.)
Third Stage
The third stage of Stonehenge, about 2000
BC, saw the arrival of the Sarsen stones,
which were almost certainly brought from
the Marlborough Downs near Avebury, in
north Wiltshire, about twenty-five miles
north of Stonehenge. The largest of the
Sarsen stones weigh fifty tonnes and
transportation by water would have been
impossible, the stones could only have been
moved using sledges and ropes. Modern
calculations show that it would have taken
five hundred men, using leather ropes, to
pull one stone, with an extra one hundred
men needed to lay the huge rollers in front
of the sledge. These were arranged in an
outer circle with a continuous run of lintels.
Inside the circle, five trilithons were placed
in a horseshoe arrangement, whose
remains we can still see today.
The Final Stage
The final stage took place soon after 1500
BC when the bluestones were rearranged in
the horseshoe and circle that we see today.
The original number of stones in the
bluestone circle was probably around sixty,
these have long since been removed or
broken up.
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Public Places
Mike Shone leads a small
team of three looking after
the horticultural requirements
of the fifty-five acre site at
Shrewsbury NHS Hospital.
Here, he explains to our editor
about the working practices
he has put into place to
improve the ambience of the
site
often wonder how many people pay
attention to the landscape features in
an around their local hospitals, or
indeed care about what it has to offer
in terms of horticulture excellence,
probably because, quite often, hospital
visitors have more pressing things to worry
about!
However, a lot of thought goes into
planning and landscaping hospital
grounds. One of the most essential reasons
to landscape the area surrounding a
hospital is for aesthetics. This not only
promotes wellness for patients but makes
for a pleasant environment for staff and
visitors alike.
Landscaping does a lot more than cater
for aesthetics though. It can be used to
counter the negative effects of the
environment. For example, trees will
provide clean air, help reduce the cold
winds in winter and provide much needed
shade and a cooler environment in the
summer.
Bedding and natural planting in and
around courtyards, quadrangles and wards
offer tranquil settings for the patients to
enjoy. Carefully planned landscaping
around a hospital helps to route foot
traffic, promotes wildlife and adds value to
property.
A recent visit to Shrewsbury NHS
hospital gave me the opportunity to see all
the merits and benefits of a well designed
landscaping scheme in a hospital
environment.
Some hospitals tender out their work to
local contractors, however, in this case,
Shrewsbury NHS hospital still employ
their own direct labour gardening team
who are responsible for looking after
everything green within the grounds.
Mike Shone is the Head Gardener, who
I
Shone
shines
Public Places
took up his post two years ago. He came
with a wealth of experience having
previously worked as a plants man at
Dingle Nurseries for seven years and,
prior to that, worked for himself for
several years has a landscape gardener.
Mike is very much a hands on
gardener; mind you, he does not have
much choice as he only has a small team
of two to help him look after the fifty-five
acre site!
His assistants are Fiona Sands and
Russell Rogerson. Between them they are
responsible for cutting all grass areas,
maintaining all the shrub beds, tree
plantations and summer bedding
schemes.
Mike took up the job because he saw
the potential of the hospital grounds and
what could be achieved if the correct
planting materials were used to bring
colour, shape and form to enhance what
was, at the time, quite a bland landscape.
In the two years he has been there, he
has revitalised many areas with some
dramatic and colourful planting schemes.
In the summer months, grass cutting
takes up the lion’s share of the work load.
The grass is cut using a trusted Hayter
LT324 triple cylinder and Hayter Condor
pedestrian mowers.
All the grass areas are cut on a fourteen
day cycle. He would like to increase the
frequency, but resources and budgets
dictate the quality of cut at present. As
Mike suggests, cutting on a fourteen day
cycle is not too bad when you get dry
periods, however, this year, with so much
moisture in the ground, cutting every
fortnight does cause problems.
Like most hospitals, car parking is
often a nightmare, with cars parking on
every available bit of open space. There is
simply not enough parking areas for the
amount of cars that come on to the site,
so it is inevitable that, at times, cars tend
to park on areas of grass that require
cutting. It is a constant battle to keep the
grass areas tidy.
The mowers are set to cut between 3035mm. Mike would like to get a rotary
triple mower to complement the cylinder
mower, which would give the team more
flexibility and help speed up cutting
times.
One of the most time consuming jobs is
litter picking. Every morning, come wind,
rain or shine, all three staff have to do a
litter pick run, emptying litter bins
outside the front of all building
entrances.
With Mike being such a knowledgeable
plants man, the hospital has benefitted
from his new bedding and shrub schemes
that are bringing a new look to the
hospital, in terms of colour, scent and
shape. Mike has been instrumental in
designing many new bedding displays
and replacing a lot of old tired plants.
Salt splash is a common problem on
many of the shrub beds. When the local
contractors salt the roads in the winter, a
lot of salt finds it way onto the shrub
beds. Over the years, this has resulted in
die back and stunted plants, so Mike has
completely replaced the beds with new
soil and plants or simple used plants that
are more salt tolerant.
He has also replaced many of the grass
verges with new bedding schemes, one to
provide colour but also to control foot
traffic.
Mike was keen to show me around
some of the seventeen quadrangles that
are situated between the hospital
buildings, these provide a welcome break
between corridors and wards.
He is in the process of pruning and
clearing out some of these areas. Mike
enlisted the help of one of his friends,
James Eccleston, to provide some hand
carved wooded sculptures to enhance the
look of these areas. One of these is a
large bear carved out of a giant redwood,
and weighing in at over a tonne and half!
It now sits proudly in one of the
quadrangles.
These quadrangles have become a
haven for wildlife, particularly nesting
birds that like the security of them. Ducks
are a favourite, with as many as sixteen
pairs of ducks regularly nesting in these
areas. Despite putting signs out, patients
and visitors still insist on feeding the
birds, with all manner of foodstuffs,
including chocolate! This causes the
ducks to become ill, which is a constant
frustration for Mike.
During the winter months, Mike and
his staff allocate time to looking after the
trees on the site. Mike and Fiona have
chainsaw certificates and carry out all the
light pruning work, crown lifting trees
and shrubs that overhang grass areas to
enable better access for the mowers.
The hospital has employed the services
of a tree survey company to tag and
record the condition of every tree, using
GPS technology to map out the results.
Once this information has been collated,
the relevant tree work will be prioritised
and carried out by an approved
contractor.
Other work carried out during the
winter months is the refurbishment of
shrub beds, cleaning out old material and
replanting with new.
Mike is delighted with the progress he
and his team are making, especially on
the new planting schemes. However, he
admits it would be nice to have another
member of staff and some additional
mowing machinery to help improve the
quality of the grass cutting around the
hospital grounds. It is, as he points out, a
very busy site, with not enough hours in
the day to get all the work done.
Like most hospitals, they are always
evolving and changing so there will
always be new challenges for Mike and
his staff to face in the coming years. It
was certainly an eye opener seeing the
sheer scale and size of the task such a
small team undertake on a daily basis.
From what I saw, the hospital grounds
are in good hands and will continue to
improve under the leadership of Mike.
So, the next time you visit any NHS
hospital, spare a thought for the
gardeners who work hard to keep the
grounds looking their best.
Public Places
overing some 5,000 acres and
attracting over 40 million visitors
a year, London’s historic Royal
Parks provide oases of green
amid the bustle of our first city.
Responsible for the management of these
green spaces is The Royal Parks; an
executive agency of the Central
Government Department of Culture,
Media and Sport.
The Royal Parks works to balance
demands for the parks to be accessible
for visitors’ recreation, whilst also
preserving them for future generations.
The agency has its own nursery to keep
the parks well stocked with trees and
other plants, with a dedicated team of
plantsmen ensuring they look their best
all year-round. The Royal Parks also has
its own Green Housekeeping Committee
and an Ecology Officer who advises on
habitat management, sustainability, and
biodiversity.
With all eight city parks
and other open
spaces within
its portfolio including
C
David Ellis with ‘for charity’ beard
Brompton Cemetery, Grosvenor Square
and the gardens of number 10 and 11
Downing Street - designated as grade 1
listed landscapes, stringent conditions
apply to the development and
management of visitor facilities.
The development, management and
funding of sport and related facilities
within the parks is the responsibility of
David Ellis.
What does The Royal Parks aim to
offer its visitors when it comes to sport?
“Fundamentally, we are all about
encouraging participation in sport in our
parks - especially among underrepresented groups. In most cases, sports
facilities are managed under licence by
third party organisations - for example,
Will 2 Win manage the tennis centres in
Regent’s Park, Hyde Park and Greenwich
Park. Glendale Golf manages two golf
courses in Richmond Park, and the
established cricket clubs in Bushy Park
have long-standing licences in place with
The Royal Parks.
“However, at Regent’s Park, which
offers the biggest outdoor sports facilities
in central London, The Royal Parks has
hands-on management and we offer a
comprehensive seasonal sports
programme from cricket, softball and
boules in the summer through to
football, rugby and lacrosse in winter.”
In this Olympic year, sport is truly synonymous with London’s
Royal Parks - no less than eleven Olympic and Paralympic
events took place in six parks over the course of the games.
However, sport and the provision of facilities to encourage
community participation have long been a key consideration in
the management of London’s historic ‘lungs’.
Here, we speak to The Royal Parks Sports Development Officer,
David Ellis, about balancing recreation and conservation, and
look at two recent development projects at Regent’s Park and
Bushy Park
By Royal
appointment
Public Places
What facilities are on offer at
Regent’s Park?
“The sports facilities at Regent’s Park are
based around ‘The Hub’, a unique multisports facility in the centre of the park
that offers sports pitches, exercise classes
and children’s activities. Our pitches
include five adult and one junior cricket
pitch, seventeen softball pitches, two
boules strips, ten adult and eleven mini
football pitches, one football pitch for
under-16 play only, one lacrosse pitch
and two rugby pitches.”
“The pitches are available for hire by
individuals, clubs and schools, and we
also play host to several sporting leagues;
including In2Touch summer rugby, Last
Man Stands short-format cricket, the
London Softball Federation, Aussie Rules
football and GO Mammoth Volleyball
league, so the range of sports on offer is
really diverse. Last year, The Hub was
used by some 250,000 people; 150,000
of whom were under-16s.”
As Sports Development Officer,
what does your role involve?
“My role was established in 2004, when
funding amounting to £5.5 million was
accessed to build ‘The Hub’, and
completely renovate the fifty plus sports
pitches in Regent’s Park, with the goal of
engaging under-represented groups in
sport and physical activity. From 2005 -
2008 we successfully shattered Sports
England targets - our three-year target
was 105,000, with the actual throughput
more like 350,000.”
“The government grant to The Royal
Parks has decreased from £28.08m in
2003/4 to £16.6m in 2011/12. Therefore,
The Royal Parks must raise income
through other means to maintain the
eight diverse and well loved open spaces
we manage. My role is now more
involved with generating the income to
offset the costs of maintaining the sports
pitches in Regent’s Park, whilst keeping
the facilities accessible to underrepresented groups.”
“Income is generated from various
streams; including local authorities,
sports governing bodies, schools,
community groups, junior sports clubs,
leagues and events for which I manage
and oversee all bookings, licensing,
invoicing, credit notes and debt
management.”
“I also set up and still oversee Regent’s
Park Cricket Club which, this season, has
ten age group teams playing league
fixtures in the Middlesex Colts League
and over 150 members aged six to
seventeen.”
How many grounds management
staff are employed by The Royal
Parks and how many specialise in
The Hub is a multi-sports venue and community sports centre
the management of sporting
facilities?
“Grounds maintenance and landscape
contracts are sub-contracted, with the
size of contract varying across the parks,
depending on their size and the
horticulture involved. Veolia has the
contract for Regent’s, Enterprise looks
after St James, Green, Hyde and
Kensington Gardens; Fountains has the
contract to oversee Richmond and Bushy
Park, and Turfsoil is in place at
Greenwich Park. Also, established clubs
and other licensed holders for sports
facilities are responsible for the upkeep
of the facilities as part of the licence with
The Royal Parks.”
“In the case of Regent’s Park, there are
fifty staff on the landscape contract, and
three directly responsible for the sports
pitches.”
What grounds management
equipment do you use in the
maintenance of the pitches at
Regent’s Park?
“For the squares and wicket preparations
we use three types of pedestrian cylinder
mowers, including two 13-blade
Ransomes Super Certes, one of which is
fitted with scarifier attachment, and one
Ransomes Mastiff. Outfields are cut with
ride-on machines including a Ransomes
Commander 3520 or Hayter 324G. For
Specialist provision for horse riding in Hyde Park
Greenwich Park staged the Olympic equestrian events
Public Places
end of year renovations, we use a Blec
Uni-seeder for overseeding and, for
aeration, a John Deere Aercore.”
When it comes to developing new
sports facilities within the parks,
what is the application process?
“Any project would have to go through a
consultation process, including full
stakeholder engagement, funding
applications and planning permission.
With all of our parkland being Grade I
listed, aesthetics are important, so we do
take this into account when our tenants
look to upgrade facilities. However, the
final decision would ultimately lie with
the local authority. Once this procedure
has been completed, all works must be
planned meticulously to ensure that they
do not compromise the running of the
park or the safety of visitors, so
contractors, The Royal Parks and clubs
need to work closely to ensure that
everything runs smoothly.”
“The last major project at Regent’s
Park was the development of The Hub
itself. Alongside this, we completely
refurbished the fifty plus non-turf
pitches, which had originally been
constructed in the 1950s on a sub-base of
World War II bomb rubble, which caused
drainage problems. The works took place
over eighteen months and cost
£2.2million, but we are now in a position
where we are maintaining and
refurbishing facilities as we go - like the
work this year to refurbish non-turf
cricket match pitches.”
first lifted and removed the existing
Project Profile: Cricket pitch
playing surface carpets and shock pads.
refurbishment
The surrounding grass was trimmed back
Location: Regent’s Park - originally
and the top and sub soil removed to
one of Henry VIII’s hunting grounds,
allow the existing stone sub-base to be
Regent’s Park’s 410 acres is home to the
agitated and re-levelled. A new pitching
largest grass area for sports in central
shock pad was then installed to the full
London, as well as London Zoo and a
length (30m) of each pitch, and a new
host of other attractions.
Wilton Woven carpet laid to provide a
Brief: To refurbish four non-turf match
completely fresh playing surface.
pitches originally installed as part of a
The verdict: “We chose total-play based
project funded by a grant from the Lord’s
on the combination of their ECB
Taverners back in 2007, with the aim of
accreditation, the impressive knowledge
helping The Royal Parks to meet Sports
shown during the site visit and a
England targets to engage under 16s,
competitive price for the project. Since
BME groups, women and girls, people
they were installed, the pitches have
with disabilities and people from
certainly seen a lot of play due to the
deprived areas.
fact that we have been unable to
Having helped The Royal Parks to exceed
prepare the grass wicket in the wet
its targets for inclusion, the match
weather, and the feedback has been
pitches have seen significant use since
excellent - they play well, and the carry
installation, with over one thousand
and bounce has been consistent.” David
cricket matches played in in the park in
Ellis, Sports Development Officer, The
2011. In early 2012, four suffered
Royal Parks.
significant wear and
tear, so refurbishment
was required ahead of
the summer playing
season and to
accommodate the
growing popularity of
short-format Last Man
Stands cricket, which
is played on a nonturf match pitch.
The solution: To
bring the match
pitches back up to
Wilton Woven carpet at Regent’s Park
standard, total-play
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Public Places
Project Profile: New cricket practice
facility
Location: Bushy Park - Another of
Henry VIII’s hunting grounds, lying North
of Hampton Court Palace and covering
some 1,099 acres, Bushy is the second
largest of London’s parks. It is home to
several sports clubs, including Teddington
RUFC, Hampton Cardinals FC, the Rising
Sun Pub FC, Teddington Hockey Club,
King’s Field Tennis Courts and NPL
Sports Club, whilst its five cricket squares
are licensed to various local clubs, each
with pavilion facilities.
Teddington CC holds the licence for two
of the five squares in Bushy Park, which
the club has called home since the
1860s. One of London’s premier cricket
clubs, in addition to a 1st team that has
finished second for the past four seasons
in the Middlesex Premier league,
Teddington prides itself on offering
something for all ages and abilities, with
a thriving junior section, growing girl’s
side and busy social calendar.
The brief: To improve the club’s worn
training and coaching facilities. With a
diverse range of ages and abilities
playing at the club, the new facility
needed to be suitable for everyone from
the 1st XI to beginners. To fit within The
Royal Park’s requirements, the nets
framework was finished in green, as
opposed to black, to minimise the
facility’s visual impact on the
surrounding landscape.
The process: To secure permission for
the project, the club had to work closely
with both the local council and The Royal
Parks. Richmond Borough Council’s
Sports Development Officer provided a
letter of support for the project, whilst
The Royal Parks provided a letter of
comfort for the grant providers regarding
the security of the club’s tenure, and
funding was secured from sources
including the SITA Trust, Sport England,
Hampton Fuel Allotments, and Middlesex
County Cricket Club.
The solution: total-play Ltd was selected
from a number of prospective contractors
based on its ability to meet the bespoke
nature of the project; in particular
supplying a system that would blend into
its surroundings.
Before any works started a series of
meetings were carried out with staff from
The Royal Parks, permits were
successfully applied for, extensive risk
assessments and method statements
were produced to ensure that works
could be carried out with minimum
disruption to the day-to-day running of
the park.
Once everything was in place, the club’s
original and ageing system was removed
and the site cleared for the installation of
a four-lane cricket practice system with
large Multi-Use Games Area. total-play
then installed a new non-turf playing
surface based on its ECB-approved
tp365 system; specifically designed to
offer a balanced game between bat and
ball and to encourage turn.
A bespoke green batting cage was
erected over the facility and special
Teddington CC’s ‘old’ net facility
Teddington CC’s new net facility
green netting curtains hung to the
batting lanes, using the company’s
Protection Tunnel system, which forms a
‘cocoon’ of net in each lane to help
avoid injury from flying balls from
adjacent lanes.
The verdict: “Everyone is very pleased
with the new facility and it is being well
used by adults and juniors, which is the
biggest vote of confidence,” said Tim
Woodcock, Treasurer, Teddington CC.
The
cricket pitch
specialists
We deliver a complete range of pitch
solutions including:
· Natural pitches, squares and outfields
· Non-turf pitches, including the ECB
approved tp365 range
· New ground developments,
refurbishments and repairs
For a free, no obligation site visit, or for assistance with
funding and planning applications, please contact us.
Telephone: 01604 864575 l Email: [email protected]
Website: www.total-play.co.uk
Summer Sports - Cricket
ayne Duggan is a man on a
mission, one that has been a
passion to him for more
than twenty years. It’s a
passion that Wayne shares
with countless other turfcare
professionals in striving to create the
best possible playing surfaces for those
who use them to play sport week in,
week out in competition, for exercise or,
simply, for fun.
Although he has owned and run, for
the past seven years, his own fine turf
maintenance contract business based in
Port Talbot, south Wales, Wayne wears
two other hats, one as an ECBappointed pitch adviser for south-west
Wales, the other as head groundsman at
Port Talbot Town Cricket Club.
Like many others who help prepare
sports surfaces in an amateur or
professional capacity, Wayne started off
by playing the sport himself, in this
case, cricket.
“My father took me as a lad to the
British Steel Sports Club, now called
Tata Steel, where I started playing
W
Wayne Duggan
regularly for the second eleven, there
being no junior teams back in the
1970s,” he explained. “In 1982, I
joined nearby Margam Cricket Club,
which rented a ground within Margam
Country Park from the local authority.
The council’s mobile team prepared the
wickets and cut the outfield. It was not
a very high standard, but it gave us
reasonable pitches on which to play.”
In early 1992, Margam Cricket Club’s
ground rental agreement came up for
renewal. Due to budget cuts, the
council advised the club that it would
have to arrange its own maintenance
from then on or lose the ground.
Having unsurprisingly chosen the
first-mentioned course of action, the
committee looked for someone to take
on the job. That someone turned out to
be first-team player, Wayne Duggan.
“I had trained and was working at the
time in the engineering industry, but
had always had in interest in soils, turf
and the creation of great playing
surfaces,” he said. “I was asked if I
would like to take on the job, and I took
ECB pitch adviser, cricket
groundsman and fine turf
maintenance contractor.
Three occupations, all
undertaken by one man,
Wayne Duggan, who is
widely known and
respected across south west
Wales, a status that is
spreading increasingly
wider year by year. Mike
Bird meets a man with
three hats
Man on a
mission
the plunge with the promise that I
would not be expected to do it all on
my own.”
Although the council had left the
club a few hand tools and other items of
ageing machinery, there was
insufficient equipment on-hand to
prepare wickets and mow the outfield
for the coming season.
That first year, Wayne says that he
literally begged and borrowed whatever
equipment he could lay his hands on to
get the weekend’s wickets completed by
Saturday morning.
“The machinery fleet did grow over
time,” he said. “Never new kit, always
second-hand, but it did the job and that
was the important thing. It was a very
hands-on role and I learned a
tremendous amount in a relatively short
time about turf and the way it reacts to
different treatments and weather
conditions.“
Taking his new responsibilities
seriously, Wayne attended specialist
training courses in machinery
operation, turfcare and spraying,
among others, all in his own time as he
was still employed in engineering.
“The pinnacle of my early career
within turf maintenance came in 1997
during Margam Cricket Club’s
centenary year,” he recalled. “We had
managed to arrange a commemorative
match against Old England, welcoming
to the ground former Test players
including Derek Randall, John Lever
and Jim Parks. Not only did I captain
our team, but I opened the batting and
prepared the wicket. It was a great
experience.”
One of the early valuable contacts
made by Wayne during his time as
groundsman at Margam Cricket Club
was George Balmer, the head
groundsman at King’s School,
Gloucester, who sadly passed away in
late 2009.
“I bought a used machine from
George and he offered to help me out if
I ever needed some fertiliser, weed
killer or the loan of a specific
machine,” explained Wayne. “I took
him up on his offer a few times, which
was a great help to the club and to me
whilst I was learning the ropes.”
“George’s willingness to help a fellow
groundsman, albeit at a much lower
level than him, is an attribute I have
experienced time and time again across
the turfcare industry. I have seen no
demarcation or snobbish behaviour
wherever I have worked, trained or
advised. It’s a feature of the industry
that does it credit.”
In 1999, Wayne was asked by Corus
Steel Cricket Club - the successor to
British Steel - if he would take a look at
the club’s square which had been
suffering, for several years, from a
succession of niggling turf and
compaction related problems.
“I told them they needed someone
looking after the ground with previous
experience in cricket,” commented
Wayne. “Knowing my background with
Margam, Corus Steel’s sports and social
club chairman offered me the job
straightaway and I accepted, deciding
also to leave Margam Cricket Club after
more than fifteen very happy years,
“I have seen no demarcation or
snobbish behaviour wherever I
have worked, trained or advised.
It’s a feature of this industry that
does it credit”
Topdressing the renovated cricket square at Bideford Cricket Club. The square is said
to be one of the best in Devon outside the county’s Premier League
Wayne (centre) and two of his part-time grounds assistants
at Port Talbot Town Cricket Club, Dai Williams (left) and
John Rees, who also helps look after Wayne’s machinery
“It is important
that the club
achieves and
maintains the level
appropriate to the
league in which it
is playing, and
that’s one of my
important tasks”
Cricket pitch ends being relevelled by Wayne and his two subcontract helpers, Stuart Clarke and Richard Davies, who join
him every year to assist with autumn square renovations
becoming both the groundsman and a
player for Corus Steel.”
Not long after taking over his new
responsibilities and completing the Level
3 training course, Wayne received a call
from Len Smith, then head groundsman
at Glamorgan County Cricket Club’s
Sophia Gardens ground in Cardiff.
“He told me that he wanted to put my
name forward to the Cricket Board of
Wales to become an accredited ECB
pitch adviser for south west Wales,
supporting himself in the east of the
country and Gareth Phillips in the
north,” said Wayne. “Although I had
known Len for a number of years and
had attended courses he’d presented, I
was amazed that he thought me suitable
for, what is, a very responsible job.
However, after a brief discussion with
Len, I decided to take up the challenge.”
What followed turned out to be a huge
eye-opener for Wayne, whilst attending a
week-long ECB pitch assessors’ course at
Cranfield University in Bedfordshire.
“It was the tremendous attention to
detail and thoroughness which
impressed most, along with the expert
help given in how to assess cricket
squares to Performance Quality
Standards (PQS) and write detailed
assessment reports for the cricket clubs
that I would be visiting in future,”
explained Wayne. “Report writing is a
skill that I had never focused on
previously, so it did not come easy back
in 2000. It’s certainly a lot better now
after twelve years of practice.”
Having passed the ECB course, Wayne
took on his additional role as a pitch
Root break in your square?
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The Graden tractor-mounted verticutter is another “great
innovation” that has helped Wayne improve the playing
characteristics of many sports surfaces in Wales and England
adviser whilst still working as
groundsman and player for Corus Steel
Cricket Club.
In his early days as a pitch adviser,
Wayne’s visits were arranged by the
Cricket Board of Wales following
discussions with and between its three
accredited advisers. This resulted in
around twenty clubs being visited out-ofseason each year and provided with
advice, support and guidance in pitch
improvement.
Recent restructuring of cricket
development and governance in Wales
has seen the Board renamed as Cricket
Wales, becoming one of thirty-nine
Boards across the country affiliated to
the England and Wales Cricket Board
(ECB).
As the national governing body in
Wickets still need to be prepared at Port Talbot Town
Cricket Club even when the weather is not at its best
Wales responsible for the junior and
senior recreational game, Cricket Wales
continues to invest resources in helping
groundsmen - the majority being parttime and unpaid - improve the surfaces
on which cricket is played.
It is encouraging to note that Wayne
and his colleagues assessed twenty-four
pitches between them last spring,
maintaining the pattern first established
in Wales more than ten years ago.
An important difference today is that
the various competitive cricket leagues
throughout the country are able to
nominate individual clubs as being
worthy of assessment, the entire process
being managed and directed by Cricket
Wales.
The assessments carried out today also
go beyond a single visit, and now involve
an initial visit followed by preparation of
a detailed report with soil analysis and an
additional visit to ensure that the club
understands the report and is acting on
the advice and recommendations
presented.
“Pitches are assessed to one of three
PQS categories - premier, club and
basic,” explained Wayne. “It is important
that the club achieves and maintains the
level appropriate to the league in which
it is playing, and that’s one of my
important tasks in helping to continually
raise standards.”
Wayne also assisted his ECB colleagues
in establishing four regional cricket
groundsmen’s associations in Wales, each
one being provided, at start-up, with a
trailer and £10,000-worth of specialist
turf maintenance equipment to help
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Another “fine piece of kit”, according to Wayne ...
clubs within the four associations
improve their playing surfaces.
The equipment was sponsored,
initially, by Channel 4 TV, but is now the
responsibility of each association which
has its own committee organising fundraising activities and out-of-season talks
and visits relevant to cricket pitch
maintenance and presentation.
Although the equipment proved very
welcome, sharing it around fifty or more
clubs meant that many had to do
without, despite the fact that it would
have made a tremendous difference to
overall standards.
Spotting an opportunity, Wayne
stepped into the breech to offer the pitch
renovation and maintenance contract
service that was desperately needed by
many of the clubs within his region.
Starting off in a small way using the
... is the SQRL 600 core and debris collector
specialist equipment available to him, he
managed to fit in the work among his
other groundsman’s responsibilities
which, by 2005, had expanded to include
Port Talbot Town Cricket Club, which
had just taken over the lease of its
ground.
“I was asked by the club to help raise
the standard of its square whilst
discussions were underway regarding the
formation of a new Welsh premier
league, a level of cricket to which the
club aspired and has now reached,”
explained Wayne. “So, I ended up
looking after the grounds of both Port
Talbot Town and Corus at the same time.
Although only four miles apart, I
eventually relinquished the latter role in
2008 as the square at Port Talbot was
needing a lot of attention, having been
built on former marshland.”
Wayne explained that the square had
been constructed originally using
Mendip loam, a light textured material
with poor binding qualities that created
all sorts of problems with pitch
playability. Changing to a heavier clay
loam was imperative to help improve the
standard of cricket, but funding for the
work had yet to found.
By then, Wayne had been selfemployed for three years, inspired by the
success and results achieved by his parttime contract services and driven by the
fact that he was unable to find more than
twenty-four hours in a day.
One event around that time helped
provide Wayne with re-assurance that he
had made the right decision in going it
alone.
“I was asked by Len Smith to
accompany him on a training course at
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Barnstaple Cricket Club in Devon,” he
recalled. “During the course, we were
asked if we could visit nearby
Hatherleigh Cricket Club to have a look
at the square. Surprisingly, at the time,
cricket clubs in Devon had no dedicated
pitch advisers of their own to call on.
They now have four, which is a
reasonable number for the second
biggest county in England.”
Having discovered a thatch-infested
square, Wayne offered to return to
Hatherleigh with his Graden scarifier to
“sort it out.”
The success of that treatment led to
eight other cricket clubs requesting
Wayne’s assistance during the year,
adding to the clubs that he was already
assisting in south-west Wales.
“I started off solely with scarification,
but am now equipped to carry out a
complete autumn renovation service
thanks to the purchase of new specialist
machinery dedicated to the job, all of
which I use also within my capacity as
groundsman at Port Talbot,” he said.
As well as buying the necessary
additional equipment, Wayne employs
two sub-contract helpers who accompany
him on his autumn pitch renovation
campaign, enabling a cricket square to be
scarified, swept-up, aerated (conditions
allowing), topdressed, fertilised,
overseeded and pitch ends re-levelled in
around four hours.
Thanks to an ECB grant, the square at
Port Talbot was finally stripped and laser
levelled in 2010, helping cure the
continuous settlement and sinkage that
50
had caused regular flooding and the
cancellation of matches. The
improvements gave Wayne, at last, the
sound, consistent base necessary to
produce the premier standard wickets
demanded by the club.
Working to industry specifications, the
contract was carried out within a week by
Wiltshire firm, Gordon Gill Fine Turf
Maintenance Ltd, producing “a first class
result”, according to Wayne.
However, he stressed that, whilst doing
an excellent initial job is one thing,
aftercare is equally important.
“Less than 50mm was disturbed, so it
allowed me to use the square the
following season, but I was never
expecting too much in the first year,” he
explained.
“Regular mowing, fertiliser
applications, irrigation and minimal light
pre-season rolling are all important
factors within the aftercare of a new
square. I told the club to be patient as
the soil needed time to restructure, the
profile to become filled with root mass
and the grass plant to become wear
tolerant. All told, I have seen a big
difference this season.”
The above principles are applied by
Wayne to all of the sport surfaces on
which he now works.
Having started off in cricket, his turf
maintenance services now extend to
rugby, football, bowls and golf, the latter
assisted by his association with Ecosol
Turfcare, whose drill-based aeration and
winter sports surface renovations Wayne
helped introduce to south Wales.
“I told the club to
be patient as the
soil needed time
to restructure, the
profile to become
filled with root
mass and the
grass plant to
become wear
tolerant”
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to golf clubs looking for a speedy clean
up after renovation work.
“I’d like to do more in golf,”
concluded Wayne. “People might think
that I’ve got quite enough on my plate
already, but I get a real thrill out of
improving playing surfaces for the
benefit of those who look after
them and those use them. It’s a
constant battle against both the
elements and compaction, but one
that is well worth fighting.”
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Gordon Gill is the Head Groundsman at Bath Cricket
Club, a delightfully picturesque ground just a short walk
from the city centre. He is also an ECB Pitch Adviser for
Wiltshire, runs his own contracting company and assists
Pitchcare with delivering their cricket training courses
Gordon mowing out net strips
All in a
day’s
work ...
hen our editor, Laurence
Gale, arrived at Bath Cricket
Club, Gordon Gill was busy
rolling a wicket with a hired
2.5 tonne roller; his own was
in for repair. He was preparing a wicket
for the juniors to play on that evening
and, whilst he had the roller out, he was
progressing a couple of other wickets,
giving them a preliminary roll and
making good use of some rare sunny
weather. In between all the rolling, he
mowed out two practice wickets and
started to cut the outfield using his John
Deere 2653A triple mower. It’s amazing
to see the difference a bit of sunshine
makes; the light and dark bands stood
out really well.
By mid afternoon, Gordon’s assistant,
Greg Brown, had returned from the
club’s second ground at Brownsword, just
north of the city, and proceeded to help
with rolling and marking out the junior
pitch for the evening match.
Bath Cricket Club play at North
Parade, which is situated next to the
River Avon and only a two minutes walk
from the city centre. A cricket pitch has
been in existence on the site since 1859.
The club run four Saturday sides - the
1st and 2nd XIs play in the West of
England Premier League and the 3rd
and 4th XIs in the North Somerset
League. On Sundays, the club run two
sides, and there is a vibrant youth section
with teams from Under 11 to Under 15
playing in local leagues and cup fixtures.
There are also two ladies teams, a girls
squad, a seniors XI and a midweek team.
W
The weather on the day of my visit was
fantastic, a few clouds about, with the sun
poking its nose from behind them at
regular intervals and, shock horror, no
rain! Air temperatures were rising nicely
as the day progressed.
Gordon, like most cricket groundsmen
this year, has spent the last three months
trying to keep his pitches dry, pulling flat
sheets and raised covers on and off as
the weather dictates. This summer it has
dictated they be on more than off, and
this can cause all sorts of issues, not least
the grass turning yellow, elongating
growth as the plant searches for light,
and sweating up the playing surface.
As well as the physical effort involved,
wicket preparation could only be carried
out sporadically, which is never ideal.
Gordon has always prided himself on the
quality of his wickets and says that, whilst
this summer has stretched his patience,
the wickets have been pretty good.
He praises the waterhog, which he
brought out of retirement following a few
years ‘sabbatical’. It’s been a godsend in
terms of removing water off the flat
sheets and areas of the outfield. It is one
of a large collection of machinery in
Gordon’s arsenal that he had hidden
away in his shed, and he was surprised it
started so easily after been stood for so
long.
The North Parade ground has quite a
high water table, which is affected by
River Avon. The club invested in a
perimeter drain around the square
several years ago to ensure it could drain
easily. Water is collected and sent to a
manhole deep under the outfield, which
is then pumped into the river. This year,
the pump has been on 24/7 just to keep
the water levels under some sort of
control. Gordon is able to manage the
level so, in drier periods, he can switch
the pump off, as required, to retain
moisture in the outfield and square.
Gordon has been at Bath Cricket Club
since April 2003 and, together with
Greg, has transformed the club’s two
grounds. With two squares to maintain
and over two hundred wickets to prepare,
he has his work cut out.
He has been involved in grounds
maintenance for well over thirty years.
He is also the ECB Cricket Pitch Adviser
for Wiltshire, which involves visiting
clubs and assessing facilities within the
county. He is also one of Pitchcare’s well
respected team of training instructors
delivering cricket courses.
Over the years the club has acquired a
wide range of mowing, rolling, aerating
and scarifying machines. These include a
Graden scarifier, a Ransomes Auto
Certes, a Jacobsen Tri-King, Sisis
Autorake, John Deere 2653A triple
mower, Poweroll 12 and an Auto-Roller.
Gordon supervised the reconstructing
of all sixteen pitches on the main square,
which began in 2006 and was completed
in 2009. Every pitch was dug up, taking
out 100mm of the old soil and replacing
with Boughton County Loam. Each year
the performance of these new wickets
continues to improve, with all now
producing better consistent pace and
bounce.
Gordon spends many hours preparing
and maintaining his facilities. He
believes you never stop learning in this
industry, as there are always new
challenges to face from both the weather
- and the players! He has learned to
work with what he has and tries to
produce the best wickets in the time he
Gordon supervised the
reconstruction of all
sixteen pitches on the
main square, which
began in 2006 and was
completed in 2009
Gordon on hired roller
The River Avon runs alongside the ground
Greg Brown
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has. Weather is the key factor
and usually dictates how,
where and when pitch
preparations takes place. This
year has certainly tested his
skills, and it has been a case
of adapting the basic
principles to fit within the
time-frame available between
the rain. Instead of the usual
ten-fourteen days to prepare
wickets, Gordon has had to
produce them more quickly.
‘Normal’ preparations
begin ten-fourteen days
ahead of a fixture; the time
allotted is dependant on the
level of the fixture. The
height of cut is reduced, in
stages, from the general
12mm across the square to
the 4mm match height.
Gordon will then spend up
to three or four hours at a
time to hand water the wicket
- not needed so far this year ensuring the water gets down
below100mm. The wicket is
then allowed to dry for up to
two days days, prior to rolling
with the 2-tonne Auto-Roller,
averaging half an hour’s
rolling per day. Finally, the
crease is marked out using
string lines.
Once the wicket has been
used, and this may be for
more that one game, Gordon
initiates a repair regime
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Marking out for the juniors match
consisting of watering
(soaking the strip if required),
scarifying using the Graden
set at approximately 3mm
using 2mm blades, spiking
between 25-75mm,
overseeding and topdressing
with loam at a rate of four
25kg bags per wicket. Once
completed, the wicket is
covered with a germination
sheet. After six weeks, it can
be brought back into play, if
required.
Gordon believes that
preparing a good wicket
comes with years of practice.
He firmly believes that
success is determined by the
amount of time and effort
taken on autumn renovation
work, and that this
determines the standard of
the wickets for the following
season.
End of season renovations
at Bath take place as soon as
possible after the last game,
to make good use of the
warm soil and air
temperatures for seed
germination. The square is
mown in several directions to
a height of approximately 23mm, leaving a very small
amount of healthy vegetation
to help the square recover
quickly.
The square is then
Beautifully presented wicket ...
oversown with a mixture of
dwarf perennial rye grasses;
approximately 25kg to every
five or six wickets. A fertiliser
spinner is used to spread the
seed which, Gordon says, is
an excellent way to distribute
seed, allowing it to fall into
the grooves made by the
scarifier. If the ground surface
is damp enough, a variseeder
will be used as well. A
combination of the two
usually provides excellent
results. A 6:9:6 pre-seeder
fertiliser is then applied at
35gms per square metre,
before finally topdressing with
five or six 25kg bags of loam.
This is worked into the
surface using a combination
of brushes, lutes, dragmats
and ladders. Gordon pays a
lot of attention to dragging
the loam into the surface. It
can sometimes take two or
three individuals, with
tractors, a couple of hours to
complete this task alone. He
is not happy until there is
very little loose loam left on
the surface, and that any
vegetation is standing up
through the loam and not
lying buried underneath.
During the closed season
the square is not fenced off,
as the club very rarely suffers
any vandalism or pest
damage. Also, if somebody
really does want to walk across
the square when Gordon's
back is turned, a rope or
fence isn’t going to deter
them.
During the winter, the
square and outfield are
maintained at a cutting
height of approximately
15mm. Winter aeration is
carried out as often as
possible, using 9mm tines
vertically, through to about
the middle of January.
The outfield is cut with the
John Deere triple mower at
least four times per week to a
height of 9mm, and spiked
throughout the year with a
tractor mounted Groundsman
aerator.
Gordon really enjoys the
job. Hardly surprising when
his ‘office’ is one of the most
picturesque areas of one of
the most revered cities in the
country. Having been at the
club for ten years he now feels
very much part of the set-up
and, more importantly, is now
reaping the rewards of his
work in the way the new
pitches are performing.
What the future holds, no
one knows, but surely next
summer cannot be as
bad as this year’s in
terms of rainfall, can it?
... and outfield
Schools & Colleges
e drive through bustling,
cosmopolitan South
London, past the former
site of that magnificent
Victorian glass monolith,
the Crystal Palace, once perched atop
the highest point in these parts, whilst
bypassing the sporting hub that housed
some of London 2012’s finest athletes,
in search of our destination.
The leafy oasis of Dulwich, a place I
once called home, seems forever a lost
world in the sprawling suburbs of the
capital.
As we approach the toll, pay the £1
charge, and enter the village proper, it’s
soon apparent that, within the confines
of arguably South London’s most
exclusive neighbourhood, little if
anything has changed in the twenty
years since I last trod this wonderfully
English throwback to an age so much
more green.
Dulwich is said to be the only village
in the UK still operating a toll, a last
bastion in a London now as culturally
W
rich as any of the world’s great cities.
Just up the South Circular road lies
the gated group of luxurious
townhouses that numbered Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher among its
occupants.
We progress slowly to the heart of the
village, passing acres of sportsfields
until the Italianate red brick buildings
suddenly loom into view, surrounded by
tree-lined avenues running along their
four corners.
Dulwich College remains one of the
most prestigious educational institutions
and it’s easy to see why, with nearly 400
years of history mortared into the walls
of the imposing main buildings,
designed by master architect, Charles
Barry. “Dulwich College - Founded
1619” the entrance sign states matterof-factly, though elegantly picked out in
rich colour.
Encasing the school are immaculate
lawns, ornamental gardens and as good
a first cricket square as I’ve seen on my
many visits reporting for Pitchcare.
Standing tall and proud
inside England’s lastremaining operational toll
village lies an independent
school rich in tradition. Tom
James returns to the London
suburbs he once called
home to unearth the secrets
of Dulwich College’s
longstanding sporting
prowess
Paul Purnell’s
Passion ...
Schools & Colleges
Little surprise then that sport is one of
many pursuits that Dulwich College
excels in, with cricket and rugby fighting
for supremacy, but both wielding equally
enviable reputations, as I’ll soon find out.
The Dulwich College site is spread
over some seventy-five acres, with
additional sportsfields and facilities
scattered across the village. A walk round
the area soon reveals the characterful
corners of the college’s provision, each
with its endearingly-styled pavilion.
The main campus houses the historic
original buildings (along with some more
functionally designed later additions
such as the prosaically named ‘Science
Block’), along with an impressive array of
natural and synthetic playing surfaces,
including four cricket squares, fullsize sand-filled synthetic pitch and a
three-quarter-size sand-dressed one.
The Shackleton Building however,
betrays an Antarctic connection the HMS Endurance’s lifeboat - the
James Caird - in which explorer
Ernest Shackleton and a select
group of his crew crossed the Antarctic
Ocean to bring rescue to the remaining
members of his crew left on Elephant
Island after their failed bid to reach the
South Pole in 1914. The James Caird is
now a permanent exhibit in the college
cloisters.
The Trevor Bailey Sports Grounds
nearby are home to three more cricket
squares and two rugby/football pitches.
The Tankfield Sports Grounds include
yet another cricket square and two
football/rugby pitches (the site is sonamed after the grounds were used as a
water storage depot for local fire
brigades during World War II), whilst the
final ‘outground’ - Ellerbank - houses
Dulwich College kindergarten, a nursery
and three rugby pitches.
A monumental scale of sporting
provision - one whose management rests
in the hands of Head of Grounds, Paul
Purnell, as affable a character as you’d
wish to meet, notwithstanding his
pressing deadline to ready the site for
Founder’s Day the next morning.
Readers may recall our interview with
former England international Ed Smith,
in which he hailed Tonbridge School’s
cricket outfield as the best outfield he’d
ever played on, second only to Lord’s.
It’s some praise then for Purnell and
his team that, during a recent visit by
Tonbridge’s first team, cricket master
Andy Whittle labelled Dulwich’s square
“the best on the independent circuit” - a
ringing endorsement from a man
who is used to hosting matches
played on some of the finest
cricket provision in the sector.
Praise indeed, but Paul’s not the
kind of grounds professional
who’d allow such comments to go
to his head. The 47-year-old
celebrated his twenty-second
year at the school in January, so
I imagine he’s received many
an accolade in that time.
Starting his working life as a
gardener at the then Greater
London Council, the born
and bred Londoner moved to
“Last season we clocked up 305 official
cricket fixtures, beating our previous
record, and making us, officially, the
site that plays more cricket than
anywhere else in the UK”
Schools & Colleges
“There’s a 16ft
difference from
the top end to
the bottom on
the second
square ground,
which is
probably our
biggest issue
with cricket
here”
Late evening view
the Royal Parks in 1984, where, at
Regent’s Park, he first acquired a taste
for groundsmanship.
“When I joined, it was still under Royal
Parks management, so it was a nice place
to be,” he tells me. “They’d started
preparing some sports pitches soon after
I joined, just cricket and football. I
remember asking the foreman if I could
mark up a football pitch. ‘You’ll get really
mucky,’ he told me, but that didn’t
bother me and, from then on, I knew this
was the business for me.”
Paul qualified initially as a gardener
with a City and Guilds, before later
taking his National Technical Level 3
and a Level 5 Chartered Management
and Leadership course whilst in his role
as an assistant groundsman at Dulwich
College.
“I started under Don Soathey, then,
eighteen months later, David Smith, who
left after only a year,” explains Paul. “I
applied for the head of grounds position,
not thinking I’d get it and, in all honesty,
not really being ready for it, but they
chose me and I started life as head
groundsman in 1993.”
”Sometimes, you can’t be as well
prepared as you’d like but, ever since my
early days in the job, I knew I wanted to
be successful, so I put my all into the new
role.”
Both cricket and rugby jostle for
bragging rights at Dulwich. Both boast
an impressive retinue of ex-professionals,
including cricketing greats such as Roger
Knight and Trevor Bailey, along with
current stars like Surrey’s Chris Jordan
and Durham’s Ruel Braithwaite.
On the rugby side, Harlequins and
England flanker Nick Easter and
England prop Andrew Sheridan are just
two of the most recent top-fight players
who learned their craft at the college,
and the school’s team of 1997 gained
national prominence for their seven-year
unbeaten school record. “The Dream
Team,” as Paul dubs them.
Trevor Bailey is perhaps the most
celebrated sporting Old Alleynian,
captaining his school at rugby, cricket
and hockey in his time there, an honour
bestowed on only a handful of students
in the school’s history - one warranting
the award of the white blazer for his
achievements, which was returned to the
school last year when his wife donated it
following his untimely death in 2011.
The year 2019 will be a landmark year
for the college as it celebrates its
quatercentenary. The school plans to
honour its 400-year history with the 2019
masterplan, which will see works
completed and new additions made
around the main campus to build on an
already sterling reputation.
Sports provision will be at the heart of
the improvements, with several key
projects to be set in motion. One of the
sand-based synthetic pitches is planned
to be upgraded to a 3G installation,
whilst major works on the second wicket
are in the pipeline to re-level the
undulating surface and install new
drainage to counter the continually
shifting London clay foundations.
“There’s a 16ft difference from the top
end to the bottom on the second square
ground, which is probably our biggest
issue with cricket here, and is in need of
improving if we are to reach the standard
I believe we can reach,” Paul explains.
”Periodically, the clubhouse [where we
Schools & Colleges
Italianate buildings
Aerial view
sit chatting] can flood when we receive
the kind of deluges we’ve suffered
recently, so it’s vital we rectify the
problem for that reason alone,” he adds.
Paul has recently called in his
longstanding weed management
contractor ALS to quote for levelling the
second square outfield by koroing, power
harrowing and laser grading in a bid to
create the level playing field that he so
wants. “Whether we do the work inhouse or contract it out, we have to finish
it in the two months during the summer
when the school is closed, so we have a
tight timescale,” he explains.
“Currently, we don’t gain as much use
of the artificial pitches or the athletics
track as we could,” Paul continues.
“There would be plenty of scope with a
3G pitch and we’re looking into the
viability of one at present.”
”It would present a great addition for
the school and also, as a community
facility, it would prove very popular and
mean it could pay for itself over time.
The initial outlay aside, the longer-term
maintenance costs of running synthetic
pitches are almost as much as those of
natural grass - people still don’t realise
this,” Paul stresses.
“Those who believe synthetic offers a
cheaper alternative and is a replacement
for real turf are mistaken. Maintaining
synthetic pitches is still groundsmanship,
but in a different guise. You need
knowledge and training, just like you do
for grass.”
Plans are also afoot to redevelop the
college’s athletics track, to convert it into
a straight 110m track for sprint training
and long jump events. The current 300m
circuit fell short for consideration as a
2012 training venue, Paul reports rather
sadly.
We only have to look to Spain’s FIFA
Euro 2012 footballing success to see that
good coaching, youth development and
investment in premier facilities are at the
heart of sporting achievement.
This is clearly something Dulwich
holds dear. “Many of our coaches are
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Schools & Colleges
Toll gate to Dulwich village
“We play so
many games
here that just
one fixture
played in very
poor weather
can have a great
impact on pitch
quality, so
sometimes you
have to weigh up
what’s best for
the greater
good”
Schools & Colleges
Beautifully presented cricket facilities
former professionals, and often exEngland internationals. John Embury is
just one of the latest to be involved for
a term here, while Bill Athey is a fulltime coach,” explains Paul.
“The sports masters have forged
strong links with the international
scene, so it’s often a case of recruiting
the services of someone new each term,
to specialise in a certain aspect, whether
that be bowling or batting. Surrey firsts
will also often train here, which is good
for the school, and shows that the
quality is where it should be.”
As school cricket squares go, Dulwich
is one of the country’s top ten. Across
the four sites, Paul and his ten-man
team nurture eight cricket squares, and
synthetic strips at three of them, sixteen
on the perimeter of the first square
alone. The first square, which takes
pride of place in front of the school
buildings and stately pavilion, was relaid some twenty years ago, with no less
a personage than Harry Brind hired to
help lay the Gostd loam-based wickets.
The second square, to the back of the
pavilion, was re-laid in similar fashion a
few years later, yet it is this one that
causes Paul and the team the biggest
headache, thanks to the unpredictability
of London clay.
The Colts square and the Lower
School square make up the final two of
Dulwich’s cricket offering on the main
campus.
It takes the full complement of staff
to keep on top of the ever-growing
workload at the college and its satellite
grounds. Paul heads up a dedicated,
and, from what I witnessed, a passionate
group of professionals that includes
deputy head of grounds, Bob Churcher,
three cricket groundsmen - Steve Dyer,
Michael Davison and Jonathan Lake two trainees, the most recent being
Bob’s son Tom, and Robin Lane, who
looks after the athletics track and rugby
pitches. Paul’s pavilion attendant, Tom
Hegerty, helps oversee many of the
functions and events that are frequently
staged here. “We host lots of birthdays,
weddings, anniversaries and corporate
functions; probably about fifty a year
now,” says Paul.
“There’s a week’s turnround at the
end of the rugby season in preparation
for cricket and we shut down cricket in
mid-August until pre-season, when the
programme of functions and corporate
use of the cricket continues apace.”
Dulwich College may be one of the
most prestigious schools in the UK but,
like so many others in this economic
climate, it has to cut its cloth
accordingly. With a grounds
maintenance team as strong as this one,
most work is conducted in-house - and,
so far, with great success.
“In 2010 we began the process to
dramatically reduce build-up of thatch
on five cricket squares,” reports Paul.
“We were quoted £5,000 for the job but,
by doing it ourselves - koroing five
squares, reseeding and topdressing - we
kept costs to under £2,000.”
Over two years, some 16mm of thatch
was taken out, 8mm in the first year,
and the process repeated in the second,
reducing it to a manageable level.
“Thatch is very much under control
now, at 1-2mm,” Paul adds, “which is
the general build-up over the year, and
nothing that the Graden can’t deal with.
Controlling thatch can be a real
nightmare in cricket, so we’re fortunate
that we’ve now got it under control.”
Paul has demonstrated his financial
nous in other aspect of turfcare too,
showing himself to be in a strong
position to talk figures and budgets with
the other heads of department.
A 2010 machine addition saved the
club £9,000 on the new purchase price,
for example. The John Deere 7700, the
school’s second biggest item of turf
machinery amongst, what is, a huge
fleet of ride-ones, walk-behinds and
handheld equipment, was a result of
Paul keeping his ear to the ground and
pouncing on a good deal.
“The machine was earmarked for
Chelsea FC’s training ground, having
been on trial there for a few months,”
he explains. “When I got wind of it
going on to the market I leapt at the
chance of getting a £25,000 machine
for £16,000 - it’s one of the best on the
market.”
The five-reel 7700 now takes care
primarily of the second cricket square,
with the daddy of the fleet - the Toro
6700 seven-reel mower occupying the
most important job of all, the firsts
Schools & Colleges
Pristine outfield ...
cricket square.
Not one to pick favourites, Paul speaks
highly of both machines, yet reveals his
hand when I press him. “We have a big
John Deere fleet, so it would be easy to
say that we favour their machines. Brand
new, with new blades, I’d favour the
7700, but I’ve always felt Toro blades last
longer, which is partly why I use the
bigger 6700 for the first square,” he
reveals.
For Paul, his biggest concern with the
grounds is less a result of individual
issues, whether that be drainage,
undulation or thatch, but rather one of
workload and demand.
Paul forms part of a close-knit family
... and pristine cricket nets
of South London and surrounding area
groundsmen, including heads at
Tonbridge, Caterham, Whitgift, Alleyns
and Colfes, which are all committed to
keeping in close contact, sharing ideas
and expertise with each other, and
regularly meeting up or emailing to stay
abreast of the industry’s most pressing
matters.
The overwhelming sentiment at
present is that time constraints and an
ever-mounting demand on pitches has
become their single biggest challenge.
“In my time here, I’ve witnessed a
threefold growth in fixtures,” reveals
Paul.
“When I started at the school, we held
about 100 sports fixtures a term. Now,
we’re up past 300 for cricket and the
same for rugby alone. Last season, we
clocked up 305 official cricket fixtures,
beating our previous record, and making
us, officially, the site that plays more
cricket than anywhere else in the UK.”
”It’s recorded in Wisden. From the
under 8s to under 18s, we run fortyseven teams in total, so, as you can
imagine, turnaround on the wickets has
to be faster than we’d like ideally. On any
one cricket day, we can have as many as
seven games in the morning and nine in
the afternoon, both junior and senior.
On average, we stage forty games a week,
including outside lettings, of which we
Schools & Colleges
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Ford AC412T tractor (old digger)
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Hayter Harrier 48 pedestrian mower x 2
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Hayter Harrier 56 24in pedestrian mower
John Deere 2520 Digger
John Deere TE Gator utility vehicle
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John Deere 2653a three-reel mower
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Lawnflite Pro445KR pedestrian mower
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Sit-down road sweeper
Toro 6700D seven-reel mower
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Victa PRO 550 pedestrian mower x 8
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Wessex IT trailer
The Dulwich College grounds team
“We’ve had to add new squares
just to keep up with demand,
including three pitches on the
Colts square - two with Gostd
loam and one with Ongar”
have four regular teams and a handful
of casual clubs using the facilities at
weekends.”
Pressure of match schedules means
any work that Paul does contract out has
to be squeezed into a small window of
opportunity. ”We’ve worked with ALS
for twelve years now and, in that time,
the way they conduct the weed
management programme has had to
adapt as the number of matches played
here has increased. Fixtures dictate
when they can come in and spray the
grounds - usually the May and October
half-terms. They’re in at 5.00am to do
some of the work, then I open up the
rest of the grounds at 6.30am for them.
It works well.”
In the long-term, it’s evident that
Paul feels there’s much he can still do to
improve the quality of his playing
surfaces, such as to remedy (at least in
the short term) the undulating
characteristics of the main campus site.
Until then, a strict maintenance
programme must continue if the team is
to deliver the excellent surfaces players
have grown accustomed to.
“In preparation for the winter season,
we start vertidraining in October and
usually stop in early March, depending
on the severity of the weather,” he
explains. “We do quite a lot of
earthquaking and ‘Gwazai-ing’ as well to
help introduce air into the clay
foundations. Preparations for the cricket
season take more time and planning,
and we base those around our annual
soil analysis, which can change from
year to year.”
Readying himself for the 2012 season,
Paul recruited the services of Maxwell
Amenity, which undertook the detailed
soil analysis that has become so crucial
to successful summer maintenance.
Factors such as pH and nutrient levels
were measured, alongside cation
exchange and magnesium levels. “I
never swear by these tests, but they do
offer a good guide to work to and helps
us buy in the right materials,” says Paul.
That said, sometimes things don’t
work out how you’d expect. “Two years
ago, we had a big fertiliser spillage,
which, at the time, thought would kill
the grass. In fact, the grass there
outgrew rival varieties for three seasons.
It just happens that analysis sometimes
isn’t spot on and you have to try again
next year. The results from this year
were largely positive - we have a wellbalanced soil with a slightly high
phosphate level, so a low pH fertiliser
has been selected alongside the
suggested seed varieties.”
“For the last two years we’ve been
using Bar Extreme and British Seed
Houses A5, alongside some of the
longstanding grasses. Uptake has been
good, and they cope well with the
rigours of the job here.”
Paul tries to work ten days ahead of
fixtures, especially at first team level five to seven days for junior levels.
Sometimes though, having things run to
your own schedule just isn’t possible,
and that’s more often than not the case
for Paul and his team.
“We’ve had to add new squares just to
keep up with demand, including three
pitches on the Colts square - two with
Gostd loam and one with Ongar. This
has given us greater capacity along with
gaining the Trevor Bailey pitch a
decade ago, but we’re still faced with
the problem of having to play back-toback fixtures, so we aren’t afforded the
luxury of time to prepare. Through
Schools & Colleges
Rugby pitches in front of the historic pavilion
April to July we play as many as seventy
games a week.”
“Of course, the Head of Grounds role
is not what it used to be and there is
much more requirement today for
management than the old style hands on
involvement. Lots of paperwork;
everything from risk assessment to
appraisals which, of course, is necessary
but I sometimes yearn for the old days
and still love getting my hands dirty,”
explains Paul.
Paul is cheery in his management
duties though, and one of its upsides is
that men in his position are increasingly
taken a good deal more seriously at
board level and are able to talk to heads
of department on level terms and carry
greater weight when negotiating budgets
and decision-making on provision.
Despite the challenges, he feels
positive that the industry is moving in
the right direction. “The wage structure
is strong here, and in the independent
schools market generally, and good
wages attracts more talent, which can
only be positive in bringing in younger
grounds professionals into the business,
which at present poses real problems for
all of us.”
Lack of interest at youth level is
becoming a well-worn story in these
pages, and Paul is certainly vehement in
his belief that something has to be done,
and fast, if the industry is to become
more appealing for youngsters as a
profession worth pursuing.
“Part of the problem is the erosion of
the old fashioned manual skills that guys
of my generation grew up with,” says
Paul. “Coupled with that is the problem
of access to training. There’s nothing in
the area here. The closest site is in
Hadlow, Kent. If young people are to
become involved in the industry,
exposure needs to be greater and access
easier. None of the governing bodies are
doing enough at present.”
Fortunately, Dulwich does have
promising young talent on the books Paul’s most recent addition to the team,
Tom Churcher, Bob’s son, who is already
showing that he has the mettle to go far.
“Tom has a great attitude and works
hard, two attributes that will stand him in
good stead for this or any other job for
that matter. He trained first as an
Rugby pitch in front of the main buildings
electrician, but couldn’t find full-time
employment in that field, so we took him
on full time after he had worked here
part-time.”
The status and responsibility of
groundsmen in Paul’s position is on the
rise, as knowledge of the challenges of
the role become better known. At
Dulwich, the culture is very much one of
joint decisions and consultation, with
Paul consulted in many of the issues
affecting the vast sporting footprint.
“It’s a three-way relationship where
sport is concerned,” explains Paul. “I
liaise with both the director of sport and
the individual sports masters when it
comes to fixtures and cancellations. You
have to do what’s best for the long-term
health of the pitches which, in bad
weather, will mean postponing fixtures.”
“We play so many games here that just
one fixture played in very poor weather
can have a great impact on pitch quality,
so sometimes you have to weigh up
what’s best for the greater good. I’m
happy that we have the sort of
relationship here that allows dialogue.”
Accolades aside, Paul still aspires to
emulate standards at another
independent school that Dulwich
regularly competes against. “Tonbridge
has it just right. The grounds are
immaculate and I want to achieve that
level here.”
London clay does not make life easy,
but Paul is determined to keep Dulwich
at the very top and is proud of the
standard of his wickets. “You have to
plough in money to make it work and
the ground is never going to stay flat
forever, so it naturally costs more to
maintain than schools of a similar
standard - we just have to live with that.
We may not have the advantages of some
of our competitor schools and, because
of the size of Dulwich (with pupils from
Infant to Sixth Form), we certainly work
our grounds as hard here if not more so
than any other school, but we have one
of the best school first XI wickets in the
country, and we reckon we can give the
others a good run for their money.”
Paul is certainly happy with his lot, and
what he has achieved in his last twentytwo years at Dulwich, amid an everswelling schedule of fixtures. Yet, stress
aside, it’s the moments like those he
spent with the record-breaking rugby
team of ’97 that make it all worthwhile,
and throw up some of his most
memorable moments.
“I remember one fixture, against
Tonbridge as it happens, when first team
captain Tim Dux asked me if he could
get into the away dressing room to leave
them a note.”
On a sheet of paper, pinned to the
dressing room wall, read: ‘If rugby was a
game played in Heaven, be prepared to
meet thy Gods’. It’s something that stuck
in my head after all those years, a great
memory to have from such an epic
team.”
Reluctantly heading home on a warm,
windy summer’s afternoon, I gaze once
more across the first square, with its
sharp sunlight and shadows, at the match
now nearing its climax – half expecting
Tom Brown himself to
scurry across the
sportsfield as he did in
David Lean’s unforgettable
film of those schooldays.
A precious few hours
sheltered from the hubbub
of the modern world.
“The wage
structure is
strong here,
and in the
independent
schools market
generally. Good
wages attracts
more talent,
which can only
be a positive”
Schools & Colleges
Woodhouse Grove was
founded by the Methodist
Conference in 1812 for the
education of the sons of
ministers. Rooted in traditions
which have stood the test of
time, the school is,
nevertheless, flexible enough
to meet the demands of an
ever changing community.
Simon’s new
challenge...
The school opened as The
Wesleyan Academy in 1812
with just nine boys, following
the conversion of a twelve
bedroom mansion with fifteen
acres of land, all bought for
just £4,575. Since those days,
the grounds and buildings
have grown considerably and
are now set on a seventy acre
campus. The original mansion
saw the edition of wings in
1854 and, during the early
1900s, the site grew further
with the building of a
swimming pool, art and music
block, along with science
laboratories.
In the second half of the
century, the addition of a war
memorial building, plus the
lease of fourteen acres of
fields, completed the footprint
of the school that we see
today.
The last two decades have
seen the building of a
business management school,
a new sports hall complex
and a performing arts centre.
In May of this year, a new
25m ‘Jubilee’ swimming pool
was opened.
This year, the school are
celebrating their bicentenary
and have arranged a number
of special events to mark the
occasion. To tie in with that,
their Head Groundsman,
Simon Wood, proposed an
interview with the magazine
to promote this historic year
and the challenges he would
face in his first year in
charge.
Report by Laurence Gale MSc
Simon Wood
oodhouse Grove is situated
on the outskirts of Leeds in
Apperley Bridge. It is a
wonderful setting, with the
sports fields providing an
impressive frontage for the magnificent
school buildings and 74 acres of land.
Simon Wood has been at the school for
seven years and, previous to that, was a
greenkeeper at West Bradford Golf Club
for fourteen years.
He felt the need for a new challenge
and, being a keen sportsman - he has
played cricket for Saltaire and Harden
cricket clubs - he wanted to test his
turfcare skills in a school environment.
He worked under head groundsman, Bill
Davies, for six years before being
promoted this year following Bill’s
retirement.
As well as Simon, the school has three
full time groundstaff; Steven Wilson,
Andrew Hudson and Steven Bonde (who
works at the prep school) and Alan
Igglesdon who works part time.
Simon reports to the school’s
Operations Director, Robert Morton, and
liaises with the PE department on a daily
basis to ensure all fixtures and activities
are catered for. He will also advise staff
on whether the pitches are fit to play on,
dependent on weather conditions.
W
The school excels at cricket, hardly
surprising when their current cricket
coach is former Yorkshire and England
player, Arnie Sidebottom. During my
visit, Arnie was preparing the First XI
team for a National Schools Twenty20
final against Sedburgh School at the
Northern Cricket Club ground in
Liverpool that afternoon. He was putting
the team through some intensive routines
out on the main square.
Arnie is full of praise for Simon, and
reckons that the school cricketers
perform well above their station, not just
because of his coaching skills, but also
because of the facilities provided and the
ambience of the school grounds.
Simon has three cricket squares to
maintain. The main square has fourteen
pitches, whilst the other two - the
Herbert Smith ground and the Island
pitch - have five pitches each. All are
Boughton County loam pitches, which
the school has been using for a number
of years and, says Simon, all perform
very well.
Cricket is played during a thirteen
week term, with six teams playing around
eighty fixtures per term. The main
square is also used for guest matches.
Last year it was the venue for a game in
honour of Arnie’s son, Ryan Sidebottom
Schools & Colleges
Woodhouse Grove frontage
who, having retired from international
cricket and returned to his home
county, Yorkshire, had been offered a
testimonial year. Other matches on the
square included the Old Boys XI, the
MCC and various Twenty20 fixtures.
With so much land to maintain,
coupled with the high usage, having
only three full time staff quite often
reduces the time Simon has to prepare
his wickets. In reality, he does not have
enough time to carry out a
ten/fourteen day preparation
programme, so concentrates on an
intensive five day preparation that
involves mowing, rolling, scarifying,
brushing and a final cut, leaving some
grass on to encourage pace and carry.
All the squares are cut to a height of
11mm at least three times a week, but
more often if time and weather
permits.
The outfields are also cut three times
a week and kept at between 9-15mm
using a Toro Fairway mower.
End of season renovations of the
squares are carried out by Simon and
his team who will scarify, topdress (250
plus bags of Boughton loam), aerate
and overseed.
Like most schools, having the
renovations done in July, when there is
good soil and air temperatures, really
helps ensure the seed germinates well
and begins to develop a good rooting
structure before the onslaught of the
winter weather.
The school also has a number of
artificial net areas and one all weather
cricket strip which, this year, has had
more use than normal because of the
inclement weather. The younger age
group teams have tended to use this
facility to free up the grass wickets for
the more ‘serious’ cricket played by the
older pupils.
The school also excels at rugby and,
during the winter term, will play in
excess of seventy fixtures on their five
rugby pitches. These are cut at least
three times a week during the summer,
they also use a 300mm deep spiker to
aerate them. Regular brushing also
helps stand the grass up whilst, at the
same time, helping with presentation.
In March, after the rugby term has
finished, all the pitches are spiked,
overseeded and fed with fifty bags of
15:2:12.
Simon will also use his Sisis 175mm
deep spiker to aerate the cricket and
summer sport areas. He is also
required to mark out a full size, eight
lane grass running track, along with all
“Simon felt he
needed a new
challenge and
wanted to test his
turfcare skills in
a school
environment”
Ryan and Arnie Sidebottom
Schools & Colleges
First XI getting some last minute coaching
“The extent of the
grounds, and with
the staff he has at
his disposal,
means that Simon
and his team are
never short of
something to do”
School crest planting
Cricket on the main square
Ryan Sidebottom’s testimonial game in progress
the field event markings. These are
overmarked on a weekly basis during
the summer athletics term.
Simon feeds his turf with granular
products. The cricket fertiliser
programme starts in the autumn
applying a 5:5:10 NPK ratio fertiliser.
This is followed, in spring and early
summer, with three applications (May,
June and July) of a 14:2:7 feed. The
aim is to give some colour and keep the
grass ticking over. Yet, he cannot afford
to promote too much growth, as he
would never keep up with the grass
cutting!
Selective weed killer is applied on all
the grass areas around the school plus
the main cricket outfield. Total weed
killers are used on paths and kerb
edges, with fungicides applied as
required.
The school’s gardens are maintained
by Andrew Hudson who, in the past
three years, has redesigned many of
them to make them more manageable
and colourful. To celebrate the
bicentenary, one garden area has been
planted to incorporate the school’s crest
in a bedding and planting scheme.
Over lunch, which is provided for all
school staff and is an opportunity for
the grounds team to meet informally
with the teaching staff, Simon and I
discussed some of the issues he faces on
a daily basis.
The extent of the grounds, and with
the staff he has at his disposal, means
that Simon and his team are never short
of something to do! It has been
particularly difficult this year, with the
wet weather promoting excessive
growth, and he praises his staff for their
commitment in difficult times.
Simon is keen to put together a five
year plan to further develop the way the
grounds are maintained, optimising the
resources he has available. Although,
additional and larger mowing machines
will be required in the future to cope
with the extra work as his plan takes
place.
To be able to improve sward quality of
the summer sports pitches, Simon
would need to allocate more resources
to these areas, enabling them to be
mown more frequently to produce a
better surface.
This November, a full size 3G
artificial all weather pitch is being
installed. Simon is hoping that, whilst
the contractors are on site, there may be
an opportunity to do some additional
work to re-level some of the sports
pitches.
Simon knows only too well that, in the
main, the reputation of any school is
often dictated by the way the grounds
are presented and the level of sport
played at the school.
He also sees the value of obtaining
Schools & Colleges
The gardens are tended by Steve Wilson
the right equipment to make him and
his team more efficient. By the same
token, investing in specialist
renovation and aeration equipment
would enable the groundstaff to
undertake their own end of season
renovations which, in the long term,
would save the school money.
Simon and his team utilise the
resources available to them incredibly
well, but they can see the huge
potential of the outdoor facilities at
the school in the coming years with
continued investment and support.
All these points will form part of
Simon’s five year plan.
Without doubt, the quality of the
Aerial view of the Woodhouse Grove site
grounds has helped promote
Woodhouse Grove in the best possible
light, backed up by the pupils’
prowess on the sports fields. It is what
the school has been recognised for
over the last two hundred years.
Simon relishes the opportunities
given to him at the school and is
delighted to work for such a
prestigious establishment. Improving
the standard of the school
playing fields for the
next generation of
pupils who attend
Woodhouse Grove
School appears to be
Simon’s calling.
“The quality of the
grounds has helped
promote Woodhouse
Grove in the best
possible light,
backed up by the
pupils’ prowess on
the sports fields"
Artificial Surfaces
To date, scientific research
into the maintenance of
artificial grass pitches has
been rather overlooked.
Save for some notable
exceptions - such as the
2008 Cranfield University
study - much of our
accepted industry wisdom
has been formed by
experience and observation.
This is set to change when
the results are published of
a scientific evaluation of
artificial turf maintenance, a
partnership between
Loughborough University
and artificial pitch
maintenance specialists,
Technical Surfaces Ltd.
The research is being led by
Nick McLaren, who explains
here to Christopher Bassett
how his investigation has
progressed so far and the
direction his studies will take
over the next two years, as
well as his hopes for the
future of artificial pitch
maintenance and the role
his research will likely play
in further developing
industry guidelines and
recommendations
ick McLaren is a man with a plan
- to bring artificial pitch
maintenance into the 21st
century. He is currently a third of
the way through the research
programme of his Engineering Doctorate,
due to finish in September 2014.
His project on ‘Artificial Turf:
Integrating Maintenance and Sport
Surface Science’ aims to present an
objective evaluation of the accepted
practices and conventional wisdom
behind the maintenance of artificial grass
pitches (hereafter referred to as AGPs). As
a collaborative study between
Loughborough University and Technical
Surfaces Ltd, Nick’s research has both
academic and industrial aims: to develop
a scientific approach to measuring and
understanding the effects of maintenance
on AGPs; and to provide the company
with the technical knowledge to enhance
their position in the maintenance market.
The research includes analysis of the
degradation, and associated loss of
performance, over time of non-filled,
sand-filled/dressed and 3rd Generation
N
The
science
behind
AGPs
AGPs (and 4th Generation as they become
developed), as well as the benefits and
limitations of maintenance on the rates of
degradation. The relationship between
degradation and play performance, and
user safety, will also be investigated in
relation to the performance requirements
set down by sport’s governing bodies.
Overall, the study aims to discover
whether maintenance can improve
performance levels when compared to an
AGP that is unmaintained, and indeed
whether maintenance can extend the
useful life of AGPs.
Despite the role of a sponsor company
in the research project, Nick is keen to
stress the independent and impartial
nature of his studies, and the academic
rigour with which he is assessed by
Loughborough University is testament to
this.
Throughout the course of his research,
Nick reports back to both parties with
regular updates as to his progress and, at
the conclusion of his 4-year study, he will
present his overall findings to both
internal and external academic
examiners, as well as an industrial
examiner, by way of an oral examination
or ‘viva’.
Moreover, although his research will
draw upon Technical Surfaces’ wealth of
data, resources and industry experience,
Nick is mindful to ensure that this does
not, in any way, influence the direction or
findings of his inquiry. Rather, the
company provides a focal point for Nick’s
research, offering a ‘real world’
environment for him to conduct his
analysis.
“Much of what is currently known about
artificial surface maintenance is wholly
subjective,” explains Dr. Fleming, Senior
Lecturer at Loughborough University. “It
is our intention to convert the years of
experience and observations gathered by
the sponsor company into objective
measurements. There are still gaps in
knowledge within the industry and, as the
technology behind artificial turf
manufacture and construction continues
to develop, it is important to collect good
scientific data on how these surfaces
degrade, how their playing performance-
Artificial Surfaces
Nick McLaren is a man with a plan - to bring
artificial pitch maintenance into the 21st century
related properties change, and the extent
to which maintenance can achieve a
reduction in this inevitable degradation
process.”
“The Engineering Doctorate scheme is
an excellent vehicle to enable this form of
high quality applied research to be
undertaken, instigated by the vision of
Technical Surfaces combined with the
academic support from the Sports Surface
Research Group at Loughborough
University.”
We recently met up with Nick shortly
before he was due to travel across the
pond, to the 9th biennial conference of
the International Sports Engineering
Association (ISEA) hosted in Lowell,
Massachusetts. There he will present his
conceptual model for degradation in
performance on AGPs, which provides
him with a framework for knowledge and
understanding throughout his EngD
research programme.
CB: What’s your background within the
sports surfacing industry, and how did it
bring you to this point?
NM: I studied for a BSc in Sport
Technology at Sheffield Hallam
University, and then started my industry
experience with a post in the R&D
division at Notts Sport. I was there for
three years, and my focus during this
period was on designing new products for
the AGP market.
CB: So, what first sparked your interest in
the maintenance of AGPs?
NM: Whilst with the company, I began to
recognise the importance of maintenance
on AGPs, but could see that there had,
historically, been very little in the way of
scientific research into the benefits and
effects of maintenance. The very nature of
the R&D work I was involved with raised
many questions on maintenance that I felt
needed answering, such as ‘why does it
need maintaining?’, often followed by ‘do
I really need to invest that much money,
time and resource to maintenance?’.
I was interested to see how the products
we were developing would work and
perform further down the line but, more
than that, I wanted to understand the
effects of maintenance, rather than simply
observing them as a matter of course.
Essentially, I realised that my interests lay
in measuring the performance of AGPs
over time, and the extent to which this is
affected by various factors, and I was keen
to investigate this further.
CB: And what made you decide to return
to the academic world to do that?
NM: I’d had dealings previously with Dr
Paul Fleming and, when the opportunity
came up to study for the EngD within
CICE [Loughborough University’s Centre
of Innovative and Collaborative
Construction Engineering], it seemed
perfectly suited to the direction my own
interests were taking.
The EngD approach itself appealed to me
ahead of a traditional PhD, as it
combined research and theory with
practical application. Working at the
frontline of the industry allows me to
gather data and information for the
research, which I can then reinvest in the
maintenance work the company carries
out on AGPs. Yes, the EngD is lab-test
work, but with real usage - taking theories
and long-held accepted practices
regarding AGP maintenance, and
applying scientific fact. And this is a
longitudinal study, which means I can
repeatedly observe the same variables
over a long period of time.
CB: You’re now a third of the way through
your research project - what stage have
you reached so far?
NM: To gather evidence and lay the
foundations for my research, I carried out
a review of previous studies into AGPs,
going back around twenty-five years. The
information I gained from this then
enabled me to develop the test criteria
and protocols for my own research.
As well as studying the impact of various
maintenance tasks on AGPs, I also needed
to determine my own test methods and
identify which equipment I would use to
carry out the testing. I benchmarked
highly portable test equipment against
the official standardised equipment to
compare the results. I’ve developed the
degradation model to identify the key
variables expected to cause degradation
and decline in the performance of AGPs,
and the physical effects they will have on
the condition of an AGP. Basically, the
majority of my time has so far been spent
in the lab at the university, validating the
direction my research will take.
CB: Would you say you’ve encountered
any obstacles in your research to date?
NM: Thankfully not. I’ve been lucky
working with Technical Surfaces, as they
have assembled a wealth of data, which
gives me access to the constructional
details and historical maintenance records
of hundreds of AGPs, going back around
fifteen years. I think the only difficulty
I’ve had so far is in obtaining data from
clients on variables such as usage types
and levels, but again the company has
responded to the growing need for AGP
owners/operators to log usage for
warranty purposes with O.T.I.S [the
company’s unique Online Technical
Information System, an interactive tool
Artificial Surfaces
Being able to apply scientific fact to the way AGP maintenance is approached is
something that is long-overdue within the industry
St George’s Park indoor artificial grass pitch will
allow testing in a controlled environment
“By removing the
influence of weathering
from the equation, I can
focus my analysis more
specifically on the
effects of usage and
maintenance on AGP
performance more
reliably than I could on
a surface that is open
to the elements”
between the company, its customers
and their original surface provider],
so, going forward, I should be able to
utilise this data in my research as well.
CB: How will you conduct your
research over the next two years?
NM: With most of the groundwork
now completed, I can begin the onsite
testing and data collation in earnest. I
will be taking readings of an AGP’s
infill depth, infill density, infill
moisture and pile orientation, both
before and after a particular
maintenance task is completed, and I
will be measuring how long it takes
after maintenance is completed before
an AGP returns to its pre-maintenance
performance levels.
I will also be assessing whether results
diminish over time - that is, will the
benefits of, say, a decompaction on a
3G surface become less effective over
time, and if so, for what reason? My
onsite tests will allow me to evaluate
the short-term effects of maintenance,
assess the degradation of AGPs and
investigate the long-term relationship
between maintenance and
degradation.
CB: What were your criteria for
selecting your chosen AGPs for the
onsite testing?
NM: Key items to consider when
selecting a test environment include
an AGP’s age, usage, construction and
maintenance regime. With this in
mind, I will be working mainly with
new AGPs to conduct my testing but,
from time to time, will also go to sites
where maintenance is being
completed, as and when work relevant
to my research is taking place.
A key site where I’ll be working is St.
George’s Park [England’s National
Football Centre in Burton-uponTrent]; they have two 3rd Generation
AGPs, an outdoor pitch approximately
ten years old, and a newly-built indoor
pitch, which is exciting in itself, as it
presents me with a rare opportunity to
be involved from the start of an AGP’s
life. The indoor/outdoor contrast will
also be of benefit to my research - the
indoor pitch presents a controlled
external environment, with consistent
temperature and climatic conditions
all year round.
By removing the influence of
weathering from the equation, I can
focus my analysis more specifically on
the effects of usage and maintenance
on AGP performance more reliably
than I could on a surface that is open
to the elements. That said, the
outdoor pitch provides the real world
features of the vast majority of AGPs,
and data obtained from this surface
will enable me to evaluate the effects
of moisture, temperature and climate
on their performance, as well as the
impact of foreign detritus, such as
leaves, dirt and debris.
Being able to conduct my research at
St. George’s Park is also of great
benefit for another reason - as a
prestigious site, the AGPs here will be
maintained to the highest standard,
and both usage levels and
maintenance will be logged in
accordance with FA requirements.
CB: That’s interesting - so would you
say that the FA and other governing
bodies of sport have adopted a more
proactive attitude towards artificial
pitch maintenance in recent years?
NM: Undoubtedly. For example, the
FA, along with the RFU and Football
Foundation, recently introduced a
Framework Agreement for the
Provision of Artificial Grass Pitches, in
which they emphasise the need for
AGPs installed within the framework
to satisfy certain performance criteria
to ensure a high standard of play.
Central to this, the framework states
that the maintenance requirements of
each one must first be identified,
based on determining factors
Natural and Synthetic Playing Surfaces
Artificial Surfaces
Maintenance
machinery
for both worlds
We have the best range of equipment on the market
to keep your Natural or Synthetic surface in tip top
condition. Whether you’re aerating, seeding or top
dressing a Natural playing surface, or surface/deep
cleaning a Synthetic pitch, our sales team can
advise on the most suitable machines
for your needs.
Alan Ferguson, Head Groundsman at St. Georges Park is ‘incredibly
forward thinking’ when it comes to artificial grass pitches
“My research will help the FA
and other sporting bodies to
develop their official guidance
for groundscare maintenance
programmes for both highspec and community use AGPs”
including pitch size and
projected usage levels, and
subsequently adhered to
throughout the life of the
AGP.
At St. George’s Park, I am
fortunate to be working with
the Head Groundsman, Alan
Ferguson, who takes particular
pride and interest in all the
surfaces in his charge,
including the AGPs. He is
incredibly forward-thinking in
his outlook on their
maintenance. Alan’s
enthusiasm for my research
and AGP maintenance means
that he has been fantastic in
putting his facilities and
associated data at my disposal.
CB: Ultimately, what are you
hoping to achieve by carrying
out this research?
NM: At the highest level, my
hope is that the results of my
research will help the FA and
other sporting bodies to
develop their official guidance
for groundscare maintenance
programmes for both highspec and community use
AGPs, and in that regard
being granted access to St.
George’s Park is central to my
research.
Across the board, my findings
could impact on how we view
maintenance as an annual
Call 01428 661222 or www.redexim.com for more information
requirement - for example,
analysis into the impact of
weathering as a degradation
factor may well throw up
initiatives such as seasonspecific maintenance tasks or
frequencies. Or else, it could
lead to the development of
new maintenance machinery
and equipment, or influence
future recommendations for
maintenance frequencies.
The work I am doing with test
equipment could also have
implications for the
groundscare industry - a
portable piece of reliable
testing equipment may well
pave the way for grounds staff
to carry out their own regular
monitoring and testing of the
condition of their AGPs. Of
course, at this stage, I’m only
speculating as to the specific
results of the research - above
all, being able to apply
scientific fact to the way we
approach maintenance is
something that is longoverdue within the industry,
and to be leading the research
into this is very exciting.
Artificial Turf: Integrating
Maintenance and Sport Surface
Science is due to be published
in late 2014.
Equestrian
National Hunt racing in the
UK is divided into two
distinct branches; Hurdles
and Steeplechase. Alongside
these there are ‘bumpers’,
which are National Hunt flat
races.
In a hurdles race, the horses
jump over lightly constructed
obstacles called, not
surprisingly, hurdles; in a
steeplechase the horses
jump over a variety of more
sturdy obstacles that can
include plain fences, water
jumps and open ditches.
The biggest steeplechase
events of the year in the UK
are generally considered to
be the Aintree Grand
National and the
Cheltenham Gold Cup. Most
of the National Hunt season
takes place in the winter
when the ground is softer
and more suited to jumping.
There are forty-one jump
courses in the UK, of which
Towcester in
Northamptonshire is one.
Laurence Gale pops up to
meet the groundscare team
Burning ambition
at Towcester...
Equestrian
et in beautiful parkland,
Towcester Racecourse is
considered to be one of the most
picturesque racing, hospitality
and events venues in the country.
The racecourse offers a wide range of
facilities for both corporate guests and
private individuals. Towcester is a
privately owned by Lord Hesketh.
There are two main hospitality
facilities - the Grace Stand and the
Empress Stand, both offering
commanding views of the racecourse and
countryside beyond. The award winning
Empress Stand was part of a seven
million pound investment, completed in
S
2005, and includes a glass fronted
restaurant. Also upgraded, at around the
same time, was the stable block, now
considered to be one of the best
equipped in the country.
The racing circuit is a one and three
quarter mile, right-handed track with ten
fences per circuit. The final six furlongs
are a gruelling ascent to the finishing
line, making Towcester the most testing
National Hunt track in the country.
The course dates back to 1876 when
Her Imperial Majesty, Elizabeth the
Empress of Austria, stayed at Easton
Neston the stately home, the grounds of
which became the setting for the course.
The Empress was a keen rider and
passionate about hunting, enjoying days
with the Duke of Grafton’s foxhounds.
When she arrived at Easton Neston, a
steeplechase meeting was held in her
honour, which so delighted the Empress
she decided to establish a race meeting
of her own to be held on Easter Monday
1876. A course was laid out in the park,
and the day proved such a success that it
was decided to hold a race meeting every
year at Towcester on Easter Monday.
The then owner of Easton Neston, Sir
Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, formed a
committee made up of local landowners
and farmers to manage the fixture.
In 1928, the first Lord Hesketh formed
the present company, and established the
racecourse under National Hunt Rules.
Towcester Racecourse has remained in
the ownership of the Fermor-Hesketh
family ever since.
What makes Towcester unique is that,
apart from two meetings a year, on
Boxing Day and Easter Sunday, entry to
watch the racing is free.
Seventeen meetings are held from
October to May. The Clerk of the Course
is Robert Bellamy who has been at the
course some six years. A former jockey,
he is in charge of a small team of five
who look after and manage the course.
The team is headed up by Head
Groundsman Keith Bower. He has been
at Towcester for twenty-five years and is
“What makes
Towcester
unique is
that, apart
from two
meetings a
year, on
Boxing Day
and Easter
Sunday,
entry to
watch the
racing is
free”
Robert Bellamy and Keith Bower
Equestrian
“One of the
steeplechase
fences is
fondly known
as the Ski
Slope, and is
regarded as
one of the
toughest
fences on
the racing
circuit”
The Towcester groundstaff
The steep uphill finish at Towcester
also a retained fireman. His son Connal
has been part of the team for the past
five years. Other members are Chris
Mulvana (8 years), John Curtis (8 years)
and Ian Prestiege (6 years).
Another key member of staff is Charlie
Causebrooke, the Stableyard Manager,
who looks after the stables. He is quite a
character and a very valuable member of
staff. As always, the welfare of horses are
paramount, both off and on the track.
I was met by Robert who was very keen
to show me around. Our first port of call
was the stables, then on to the main
stand to get a view from Lord Hesketh’s
private box. From here it is possible to
see the whole track. It was at this point
we met up with Keith for a walk of the
one mile six furlongs course.
During the walk, we were able to talk
about the maintenance regimes carried
out during the year.
Keith explained that the make-up of
the underlying soil profile dictates the
way the course is maintained. Here, it is
a heavy blue clay that is particularly
difficult to manage, especially during wet
periods. Its shrink and swell
characteristics in the summer creates
large cracks which, Keith says, is actually
a benefit as it provides a natural method
of aerating the course.
Once the racing season has finished in
May, Keith scalps the sward to expose
the soil to the elements. This not only
helps enhance the soil cracking process
but also reveals any low and damaged
areas which are repaired using 150
tonnes of Whitemoss topdressing.
The whole course is then oversown
with 120 bags of perennial rye grass, but
is not generally watered during the
summer months as they want the track
to crack up to provide the natural
aeration.
Keith has two tow-line boom sprayers
to apply water to the course, being
drawn from the adjacent river. They
have an extraction licence for 63,000
cubic metres, a quantity he rarely has to
use. With the course being so
undulating, other types of watering
systems are not suited to these grounds.
The biggest problem, Keith explains, is
maintaining water pressure up the hill
to the last straight.
As at all racecourses in the UK, Robert
has to maintain a safe and consistent
going. Because of the heavy clay, this is
generally maintained between good and
soft. Robert has to declare the going at
set times - several days before, a day
before and on the morning of the race.
He uses a Turftrax electronic going stick.
The grass is mown on a weekly basis
during the summer months, using an
outfront Votex rotary mower. A large
blower is fitted to the rear of the tractor
to disperse any arisings that may be left
after cutting.
The height of cut is maintained at
75mm during the summer months and
allowed to rise to 150mm for the start of
the racing season in October. It takes two
days to cut the track. Keith generally
stops mowing in November with the aim
to keep as much grass on during the
winter months.
Keith implements a fairly simple
granular feeding programme based on
spring, summer and autumn/winter
applications. Being on clay, nutrients are
held well due to the strong cation
exchange capacity.
As we walk the course, you get a real
insight of the challenges facing the
horses when they race at Towcester,
especially when going downhill! One of
the steeplechase fences is fondly known
as the Ski Slope, and is regarded as one
of the toughest fences on the racing
circuit.
The course has ten permanent
steeplechase fences set on the outside
perimeter of the track, whilst a further
ten fences are placed on the inside of the
track for hurdles races.
These fences are repaired on a two
year rotation programme, with five
receiving a complete rebuild each year,
whilst the five others are topped up with
new materials.
As mentioned earlier, Keith relies on
the shrinking and swelling characteristics
of the clay soil during the summer
months to help decompact the soil. They
have, in the past, tried to relieve
compaction using both solid tine and
Equestrian
Www.fornells.com
Fornells 10100
Running Rail
Fornells 10108
Running Rail
Fences are rebuilt on a
two year rotation
linear aeration
equipment. However, the
timing of the operation
has to be perfect as,
often, the soil is too hard
in the summer months
and too wet in the winter
to use these techniques and it also comes at a
Large cracks help
aerate the course
cost.
Localised piped
the closed season, many
drainage schemes have been
events, including weddings,
installed but, again, due to
conferences and other
the heavy clay they soon
sporting events are hosted.
capped over and became
Last year, Towcester was the
redundant.
venue for the World
After racing, the first job is
Hovercraft Championships.
to repair any divots. A team
After a long last hike up to
of fifteen come in for three
the finish line, one of the last
days to fork up any
jobs for me was to get a team
depressions, and apply a
photo of all the staff, standing
divot seed mix to repair
in front of, what must be, one
damaged areas.
of the grandest entrances to
Keith’s favourite bit of kit is
any sports venue.
his Cambridge roller, an
Robert has a very dedicated
essential piece of equipment
team at Towcester and is
that helps restore levels after
extremely proud of what has
racing, particularly in the
been achieved. Like most top
winter months when the clay
venues, it is all about team
soils are pliable.
work.
We were now at the far side
If there is a wish list, Keith
of the course and beginning
would like a new tractor,
the long assent to the finish
whilst an automated pop up
line, a tough climb some six
watering system wouldn’t go
furlongs long. It is this that
amiss. Robert agrees that this
makes the course at Towcester
would be a good asset but,
such a challenge.
based on currents costs, is not
With most of the newly
a priority at the moment.
sown seed having germinated
Robert would also like a
and established, one of the
canter down installed, a new
last jobs to complete out on
weighing room facility and,
the course is the application
more importantly, to add
of a selective weedkiller to
three additional fixtures to
control any weeds,
the Towcester calendar to
particularly plantains which
increase revenue.
can cause problems if left to
In the grand scheme of
get too large.
things, these are
Keith employs a landscape
all achievable over
contractor to mow all the
time. I am left with
other amenity grass areas
the impression
around the site, including the
that the team will
parade ring. It is vitally
make them
important the course always
happen.
looks its best because, even in
Crowd Barrier
& Gates
UK Distributers of Fornells Products
01748822666 / 07966529666
www.wattfences.com
[email protected]
Technical
If there has been one fundamental difference in looking after
sports grounds in recent years, particularly top end high profile
sports arenas and stadiums, it is the innovations to help
maintain good healthy grass cover, especially during the winter
months.
I am talking about using aids to help promote, protect and
maintain grass growth - germination sheets, undersoil
heating, sub air systems, covers and frost sheets and,
more recently, lighting rigs.
Any combination of these aids has helped
groundsmen in stadium environments,
However, the one, that has probably
had the most impact is lighting rigs.
Report by Laurence Gale MSc
A bright
future?
Ed Mowe, Head Groundsman at Leicester City
Technical
“Due to the fact that LED uses
less energy to power, the
cost of running the rig has
been equated to be ten times
cheaper than sodium lights,
based on current costs”
ighting systems to help promote
grass growth have been available
for a number of years now.
Stadium Growth Lighting (SGL)
were the first to bring this
technology to the fore when they
produced a set of lighting rigs for the
Philips Stadium in Eindhoven, Holland
back in 2004.
Since then, SGL have supplied
lighting rigs to well over ninety stadiums
worldwide, of which thirty-five are based
in the UK.
The technology has come a long way
since the prototypes and early models.
Now, it is possible to purchase rigs of
various sizes, have different bulb wattage
ratings, plus a whole wrath of computer
software, hardware and support systems
to aid their use.
Currently, there are two companies
marketing lighting rigs, SGL and MLR
(Mobile Lighting Rigs as developed by
Norwegian Company, Mobilt Drivhus
AS). Both offer similar sized rigs and
lighting configuration, and both use
sodium light bulbs that require three
phase electricity supplies to power them.
Consequently, these systems are neither
cheap to buy or to run.
Like most new electronic technologies,
things move very fast in terms of
research and development, with newer
models offering better performance.
For example, SGL now offer a more
flexible lighting rig systems which is
easier to set up and move. The lamps
are positioned 2.5 metres above the turf
surface, high enough off the ground for
L
Mark Raper, Qudos Growth
groundstaff to work under.
SGL has also developed a set of Grow
Lab Analysers that monitor a number of
environmental factors to help control
and run the lighting rigs.
The sodium bulbs used in the rigs
come in 600 or 1000 wattage, which give
out a lot of radiant heat that is intended
to warm up the soil profile, recreate
sunlight and, thus, generate strong grass
growth. When the lights were first trialed
at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland,
head groundsman, Adrian Partridge,
recorded that the soil temperature under
the lights was raised by three degrees
centigrade.
LED developments
In 1962, a new light source was
developed in the form of LED (Light
Emitting Diode).
A light emitting diode is a
semiconductor light source. Early LEDs
emitted low-intensity red light, but
modern versions are available across the
visible, ultraviolet, and infrared
wavelengths, with very high brightness.
When a light-emitting diode is
forward-biased (switched on), electrons
are able to recombine with electron holes
within the device, releasing energy in the
form of photons. This effect is called
electroluminescence and the colour of
the light (corresponding to the energy of
the photon) is determined by the energy
gap of the semiconductor. LEDs are
often small in area (less than 1mm2), and
integrated optical components may be
used to shape its radiation pattern.
LEDs present many advantages over
Keith Exton, Head Groundsman at the SWALEC Stadium
Technical
LED rig in operation at Leicester City
LED lights have produced stronger root
growth at Leicester City
The major benefit of utilising LED
lights is the long term cost savings
when in use.
Cost info: Sodium fitting with 9 x
600w fittings - load 5.86 (measured)
kw = 16 hrs per day = £6.18 per
day, £43.31 per week and, if used
for a full year, 52 weeks would be
£2,252.49, total kw/hrs =
34,128.64
LED - load 0.9 kw =16 hrs per day
= £0.95 per day, £6.65 per week
and, if used for a full year, 52 weeks
would be £345.80, total kw/hrs =
5,241.60
Increased life of 50,000 kw/hrs
using LEDs; that means 8.5 years
use without lamp failure.
A saving per annum of £1,906.54
on running costs alone, kw/hrs
saved 28,887.04 CO2 Saved
28,887.04 x 0.542kg =
15,565.77kg of CO2, it could be
argued it is carbon neutral given
that the plant absorbs CO2.
The above calculation is based on a
kw/hr cost of £0.066p, and the
lights were on sixteen hours per day
for fifty-two weeks.
If you had fifteen units, as per the
calculation above, a saving of
£48,746.10 and 487,461 kw/hrs
saved and a saving in CO2 produced
of 264.20 tonnes based on 10p a
kw/hr.
incandescent light sources including
lower energy consumption, longer
lifetime, improved robustness, smaller
size, faster switching and, importantly,
each LED fitting is 90% recyclable.
Modern incandescent bulbs are not
energy efficient. Only four to six percent
of the electrical power supplied to the
bulb is converted into visible light. The
remaining energy is lost as heat.
So, in recent years, the development
and growth in the production of LED
lights has moved on substantially.
Plant growers are interested in LEDs
because they are more energy-efficient,
emit less heat (which can damage plants
close to hot lamps), and can provide the
optimum light frequency for plant
growth and bloom periods compared to
currently used grow lights - HPS (highpressure sodium), metal-halide (MH) or
CFL/low-energy.
Currently, LEDs have not replaced
these grow lights due to their higher
purchase cost. That said, a lot of growers
are exploring the possibilities of utilising
the technology.
However, this may be about to change
as one company, Qudos Growth, headed
up by energy consultant, Mark Raper,
(who has been working with LED lighting
systems for a number of years), has seen
the potential to produce LED lighting
rigs for sporting venues.
He has successfully designed and
managed a number of projects where he
replaced conventional lighting with LED
technology. For example, 400w
sodium/metal halide low bay light fittings
that were operating at around 480w after
losses, were replaced with 100w LED
lights with wireless dimming which
offered savings on running costs of over
£500 per month. This saving alone would
see a return on the investment in three
years.
Mark began more research into the
benefits of LED lighting and became
aware of their use in the horticultural
industry, but it was a trip to Leicester City
Football Club in October 2011, to fit
some heaters in the dugouts and
directors boxes, that he ran his idea past
the club’s head groundsman, Ed Mowe.
Ed was already using two SGL small
rigs but, like most groundsmen, is always
open to new ideas. So, after several
conversations, Ed agreed to trial one of
the prototype LED lighting rigs at the
club’s King Power Stadium (formerly the
Walkers Stadium) to see how it would
perform.
During this period, Mark enlisted the
help of his father-in-law, Steve Blackman,
a practising agronomist. Between them,
they spent time developing and
improving the design of the rig, with Ed
providing constant feedback.
The prototype rig at Leicester consists
of fifty-four LED strips and currently
operates at around 0.9Kw. The LEDs are
focused between 440-460nm (blue) and
650-670nm (red) between the PAR
(Photosynthesis Active Region) spectrum
of 400-700nm.
The lights can be programmed to
come on at set times, have a sunrise and
sunset programme, and the wave length
of the red and blue spectrum can be
altered to offer different growing
strategies.
The height of the lights can be raised
and lowered, by remote control, between
500mm-1000mm. A battery powered
motor enables the rigs to be moved
remotely, which can be set at
predetermined times to prevent
yellowing of the grass under the wheels.
Due to the fact that LED uses less energy
to power, the cost of running the rig has
been equated to be ten times cheaper
than sodium lights, based on current
costs.
Ed has used the LED lighting rig to
assist seed germination on his newly
renovated pitch, in an area that was
typically slow to grow compared to the
rest on the pitch due to shading. The
sodium rigs haven’t been used due to the
heat factor. The new rigs have been
successful in promoting grass growth
and, compared to areas having no
artificial light, root growth is more
pronounced.
Technical
LED lights at work under the SWALEC hover cover
Meanwhile, whilst the trials were going
on at Leicester, in deepest Wales, Keith
Exton, head groundsman at the SWALEC
Stadium was conducting his own trials
for Mark - under his hover cover!
Mark was introduced to Keith Exton at
Glamorgan CCC by Mark Atkins of Soil
Harmony, the link being that he is a
sports agronomist who advises both
Leicester City and Glamorgan CCC.
Keith had already been exploring
using LEDs and had been trying,
unsuccessfully, to locate someone
prepared to take up the challenge, so
Qudos Growth seemed a good fit.
Between them, Mark and Keith
decided to install the system to the inside
of the Stuart Canvas Hover Cover. Mark
came up with a design utilising eighteen
1200mm 36 LED linear strips. Keith had
experienced organisations saying they
would help, and then disappearing, so
Mark was even more determined to
deliver for him. Having a groundsman
that already understood the system’s
potential was a bonus indeed. He kept in
constant touch with Keith throughout the
manufacturing process and, five weeks
later, returned to carry out the
installation, which took a day and half to
complete.
The lights were being used on Keith’s
reconstructed wickets and, after a very
dry start to the pre-season, the heavy and
prolonged rain arrived, meaning that the
covers were on more often than they
were off, whilst preparation time for each
wicket was severely reduced.
Even so, Keith’s wickets have been
receiving top marks from the umpires,
and he believes the LED lights have
played a major part in achieving these
high scores.
The advantages of installing lights to
cricket covers are as follows:
- The ability to grow grass and improve
root structure on any particular wicket
all year round
- Wickets can be prepared earlier
- Root structure is improved due to
improved top growth
- Less irrigation
- Can cover a wicket on hot days without
sacrificing light for photosynthesis
- Focuses the light in the primary plant
response region rather in areas where
the plant doesn’t use it.
- Can be installed to existing covers,
either hover or conventional roll-on
roll-off
Whilst trials are ongoing, both Ed
Mowe and Keith Exton predict a bright
future for the system as they offer more
flexibility, do not create unwanted heat
and are cheaper to operate.
At today’s prices, by replacing 1000
watts of HID lighting with 300 watts of
LED lighting, just the power savings
alone can pay for the entire cost of the
system in less than eighteen months.
LED lights have a service lifetime of
between five to seven years, with no
maintenance or replacement lamp costs.
Mark concludes by saying;
“Encouraging results have been seen at
both Leicester City and Glamorgan CCC
but it is ever evolving. The hardest thing
is proving the technology is more
efficient in plant response in relation to
sodium. We know it is cheaper to run.
There is no argument from us that
sodium works, but we believe, and will
prove, that LED is the future. We
understand this is new and different and
someone has to be the first.”
“We are engaging Labosport for third
party verification that the product works.
Labosport are affiliated to FIFA and
UEFA for testing, as well as the ECB. We
are also working with universities and
plant physicists on proving various
theories.”
The benefits seen during the short
trials are:
- Increased rooting of the grass sward
- Only adding heat as required
- Lighting rigs can be left in situ as long
as required, meaning areas such as
goalmouths should never be bare
- Less irrigation
Soil sample from the SWALEC
- Focuses the light in the primary plant
response region rather in areas where
the plant doesn’t use it
- Low running cost compared to sodium
lighting
- Variable height for intensive repair
- No plant shock due to sunrise sunset
feature
“We plan to provide complete rigs,
retrofit existing rigs that clubs have (as
long as they have ownership), and hire
out to lower league clubs and non league
when required.
“All grass sports can benefit from this
technology and we are willing to work
with anyone on a concept, be it football ,
cricket, rugby, golf, horseracing, and
everything in between. In addition, any
design we have can be adapted for an
individual club’s needs."
“At this stage, my thanks go to
Pitchcare for bringing the system to the
attention of the industry, and to Leicester
City FC and Glamorgan CCC and their
forward thinking groundsmen.”
LED lights working away unseen
Technical
Poa annua is especially annoying in
dark green cultivars/mixtures
Turf Quality Standard
Seed at
its best
Simon Taylor, UK Sales and
Marketing Manager at Euro
Grass BV, discusses how
breeders are meeting the
challenges of ever
changing European
legislation to provide high
quality, weed free seed. He
suggests that, ultimately, it
is the politicians who will
influence what is
commercially possible for
seed producers in the
future
he grass seed harvest is underway
and growers will be hoping that
the weather conditions are
favourable to complete the next
stage of the production cycle. It's
not just the weather that is the greatest
obstacle. Producing seed to a standard
that meets the increasingly exacting
demands of the amenity and sports turf
sector is a major hurdle for any seed
company. This article highlights some of
those challenges and what we can expect
in the future.
Industry Standards
All seed producing companies in the
industry have to meet set minimum
European Union (EU) standards, but
these are not always suitable for certain
sectors, such as turf production, high
quality sports pitches or golf greens.
T
For most purposes, like general
landscaping, the EU standard is
absolutely fine. The problem comes when
supplying seed into prestigious sporting
facilities whereby the seed would meet
EU standard but, under this standard, it
can contain a range of problem grasses
that would make a turf look very
unsightly. Things like Yorkshire fog,
brome grass, couch, annual meadow
grass etc. are just a few.
In reality, EU quality seed can contain
up to 2% of other weeds or 1%
contamination of a single species (see
table below), and only certain species
have to be declared by law.
Turf Quality Standard (TQS) seed is a
Euro Grass internal standard to produce
seed that meets a very demanding
specification, which is in addition to EU
EU Certified Seed Requirements (Technical Quality)
Species
Germination
Number %
(Standard
seed sample)
Purity
Weight %
Other species.
Total
Weight %
Other species.
One single spc.
Weight %*
Sample size for
number
determination
of other spc.**
Bent grasses
75%
90%
2.0%
1.0%
5 gram
Fescue species
75%
90%
1.5%
1.0%
30 gram
Perennial ryegrass
80%
96%
1.5%
1.0%
60 gram
Smooth stalk m. grass
75%
85%
2.0%
1.0%
5 gram
Annual meadow grass
75%
85%
2.0%
1.0%
10 gram
* There will be specific requirements concerning Couch and Dock etc.
** Additional analyses required for TQS.
Technical
standards.
For many years, all kind of efforts have
been made to out-manoeuvre Annual
meadow grass (Poa annua), which is still
the most common weed on earth, and it
is a cultivar regulated within the EU
certification rules. However, TQS is not
only about Poa annua, but also about
other crops and weeds; a search and
declaration is made of all species found
in the seed sample. For turf producers
and grounds managers, this information
is so important in selecting the right
quality seed for producing clean turf.
TQS1, for example, means the seed
sample is free of broad leaved weeds and
other grasses (also called 0/0 quality).
Complying with TQS demands of
single varieties or mixture components
requires careful planning. It is
particularly important to:
- Register what customers want/need and
what they are willing to pay for
- Select the right field for the right
production. It is important to select
fields with low weed pressure, rather
than searching through records,
hoping to find the right quality
- Select the right grower, who for extra
payment, would be willing to do
whatever it takes to reach the target including hand weeding in some cases
- Ventilate and dry the seeds
immediately after harvest
- Store the seeds under the right
conditions
Analyse the seeds according to the
ISTA rules (International Seed Testing
Association). Euro Grass laboratories
are ISTA accredited, which means
faster result because the samples do
not have to be sent to a third party
In Europe, seed production is a
sophisticated and highly challenging
business. Clean land and herbicide
limitations can make it difficult to
produce enough TQS seed. Not an
impossible task, but there is a marked
increase in cost to reach these standards.
TQS Poa pratensis is often produced in
the US where they have fewer pesticide
restrictions. The weather conditions can
also be a little more predictable.
Future Challenges
Euro Grass is, like most other serious
seed companies, capable of meeting the
Harvesting grass seed in the Netherlands
“It makes no
sense to produce
grass seed in the
US and spend
money and
energy
transporting it
back to Europe”
current demand of TQS, but will it stay
this way? Probably not in the respect of
European grass seed production, for the
follow reasons:
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
legislated by EU dictates sustainable
use of pesticides. As a consequence,
some pesticides will disappear or be
restricted significantly and some will
become much more expensive
- Fertiliser use is already restricted and
more restrictions are to be expected. In
Denmark, there is now a tax on
nitrogen
- Climate change might make it more
difficult to produce grass seeds
- For sustainability, it makes no sense to
produce grass seeds in the US and
spend money and energy transporting
it back to Europe
What Can Breeders Do?
Breeding is a highly sophisticated and
time consuming business. Our breeders
are constantly looking to develop
cultivars that possess key characteristic,
such as high shoot density and rapid
recovery from wear. These two features
alone will increase the competitiveness of
a cultivar to reduce the likelihood of
weeds establishing. Vesuvius Lolium
perenne and Linares Poa pratensis are wellknown examples of very dense, wear
tolerant cultivars that compete
excellently against unwanted species. Up
and coming new cultivars such as Lolium
perenne Cordus and Eurosport will be even
better. Their compact growth habit leaves
less space for weeds like Poa annua to
invade
Crossing, selection, testing and seed
multiplication takes fifteen years before a
new cultivar is ready for marketing.
Luckily, we started our breeding ninety
years ago.
How we see the future
We believe that sustainability and
accountability for impact on the
environment will play an even bigger
role in the coming years. Consequently, it
will be harder to produce seed to these
higher standards. Depending on the
European Legislation, it might even be a
challenge to produce EU quality. The
politicians will, ultimately, influence what
is commercially possible for the seed
producers in the future. Even
agricultural food production is being
challenged.
Our recommendations for the future
A fifty year pesticide battle against
certain weeds seems to be lost - or, at the
very least, unsustainable. With their long
term breeding efforts, producers have
already anticipated these future
challenges. Turfcare professionals are
becoming more aware of seed quality
when making their purchase. The use of
quality cultivars is the best option for
producing attractive, high performance
sports and lawn turf surfaces, if you
agree that sustainability is the future
priority. These types of cultivars may
soon become the only option in the
battle against weed grasses.
First class Poa pratensis, Limousine, field in Denmark, May 2012.
No contamination of Poa annua in the wheel tracks
Technical
Steve Oultram, Course
Manager at Wilmslow Golf
Club in Cheshire, believes the
‘old boys’ had it right when
they talked about the pulling
power of clay pipes when used
for on-course drainage.
To this day, he continues to
use this method as his
preferred choice over more
modern pipe systems
teve Oultram will never forget the
day when a Manchester monsoon
transformed the 11th fairway at
Swinton Park into a huge lake,
offering more recreational potential
for sailors than golfers.
He has an even better memory of the
following day, when the lake had
miraculously disappeared and contented
members were once again clipping three
woods off the lush green turf.
The explanation, in Steve’s words, was
“the pulling power of clay pipes” and, to this
day, he remains convinced that those “old
fashioned” pipes create a more efficient
drainage system than the plastic variety
which is overwhelmingly the choice of
today’s course designers and managers.
Steve estimates that, since he became
Course Manager at The Wilmslow Golf Club
in Cheshire twenty-one years ago, he and his
team have laid almost ten kilometres of clay
pipes in order to maintain and extend the
drainage network of the parkland course.
The pay-off, he believes, is that Wilmslow’s
members and visitors can play the course
virtually all year round. With very few
exceptions, it remains open at times during
the winter when many other courses in the
area are waterlogged.
Steve learned how to lay clay pipes to
maximum effect when he joined the greens
staff at Swinton Park as assistant head
greenkeeper in l986, after graduating from
Myerscough College, Preston.
“I remember a very wet day when we had a
massive lake on the 11th, apparently caused
by a blockage in one of the laterals of the
four-inch main. We used a steel probe to
locate the pipe - a little subsidence usually
gave you a clue - and followed the line by
gently pushing the probe into the ground a
dozen or more times across the area. A little
red tip of clay on the end of the probe would
tell you that you’d found the pipe.
“Then we would dig down to the pipe and
clear it with a rod if it had silted up, or cut
back tree roots if that was the problem. It
was not often that you found the pipe had
collapsed. Usually, they were as sound as the
day they were first laid, sometimes almost
one hundred years earlier.”
“My point is that we didn’t get rid of that
lake at Swinton Park by digging a hole and
making a dry connection. Hundreds of
gallons of water disappeared overnight
because of the pulling power of clay pipes.”
The greenkeepers who were Steve’s
mentors - he calls them “the old boys” -
S
Clay pipes
Pulling
Power...
Technical
“It is just not
acceptable for a
course to be
waterlogged and
unplayable for long
periods”
knew that clay pipes had to be located in
the water table, at least 3ft 6ins to 4ft
below the surface, in order to work
effectively.
“This means that, if you are draining
and maintaining your water table at that
depth, you are bound to pull water down
from the surface. That’s what the old boys
meant when they talked about the pulling
power of clay pipes.”
“The deeper the drain, the greater its
pulling power. There’s a well known
principle, or equation, which states that, if
a drain is only a foot below the surface it
has very limited pulling power, whereas a
drain which is a metre deep has pulling
power of several metres across the
surface.”
“The old boys in those days learned
that the deeper the drain, the greater its
pulling power. They were then able to
increase the width between the drains and
use their clay pipes more effectively, which
was very important in the days when it
was all manual digging rather than
mechanical.”
“We spent a lot of time installing extra
drainage at Swinton Park, which has
heavy clay and very little top soil, and
when I came to Wilmslow I automatically
continued to use clay pipes for all the new
drains we put in, although plastic pipes
were favoured by my predecessors.”
Wilmslow’s committee has always given
high priority to drainage and, every other
winter for the past twenty years, Steve has
taken delivery of about 4,000 1ft clay
pipes. This year, the club has allocated a
further £10,000 for drainage projects.
Steve accepts that there are good
economic and practical reasons why most
golf clubs favour plastic drainage systems,
and why most of today’s drainage
contractors will not work with clay pipes.
Installing clay pipes is a labour
intensive process and, on one occasion,
Steve hired a local farmer for a major
project involving several weeks’ work.
But, some ten years ago the club
purchased its own £9,000 trencher - for
roughly the cost of hiring the local farmer
for one winter - and within a couple of
years it had paid for itself.
“Attention to detail is so important
when laying clay pipes,” says Steve.
“Obviously, it’s more time-consuming
than when you’ve got a machine laying
down a continuous length of perforated
plastic pipe.”
“Even though we’ve now got our own
trencher, we still finish off with a manual
drainage scoop to create a lovely smooth
base where the pipe will sit for the next
one hundred years or more. At no point
will the pipe be left to ride up over a large
obstruction such as a rock or big root.”
“I also follow the practice of the old
boys when it comes to filling the trench.
We cover the pipes with a little layer of
hay which helps the soil to consolidate
over the top, and then cover it with a
rootzone of 70% sand and 30% topsoil
right up to the surface. I don’t use any
stone.”
“In my experience, plastic pipes silt up
very quickly because their perforations
allow fine particles to filter through into
the pipe. This is much less of a problem
with clay pipes.”
Steve is passionate about drainage.
“When I was being interviewed for this
job, I remember telling the panel that
growing good grass starts 3ft 6ins to 4ft
below ground, with a good drainage
system.”
“They asked me to explain what I
meant. I said that a golf course that
drains well rewards you three times over.
In the first place you will be able to grow
the right species of grass, the fine,
traditional grasses which produce the very
best of greens and fairways.”
“Secondly, if you’ve got efficient
drainage you can get your plant and
equipment on to the course in all
weathers and work on its presentation
throughout the autumn and most of the
winter, not just in the spring and
summer.”
“Thirdly, and most importantly, a well
drained course will only be closed in the
most extreme conditions, which means
the members will get the value for money
they expect and deserve when they pay
their annual subscriptions. Golf these days
is expensive, and it is just not acceptable
for a course to be waterlogged and
unplayable for long periods.”
Like all golf courses, Wilmslow’s
drainage has been well tested in this
dreadful summer. It has passed with flying
colours.
The day before President’s Day in July the middle Saturday of Wimbledon
fortnight - the course had almost a
month’s rain in six hours and was quite
unplayable. But, it drained well overnight
and, after a 5.30am inspection, the allclear was posted on the club’s website.
Another triumph for clay pipes!
Technical
The Art of
Cylinder
Grinding
Tom Stidder is a product
support manager with
Ransomes Jacobsen,
covering a territory from
the Netherlands down to
Cyprus. He has fifteen
years experience in the golf
course machinery industry,
first as a workshop
technician progressing to
dealer service manager
and has also run his own
successful grinding
business. In this short
article, he reviews the art
of cylinder grinding from
Ransomes Jacobsen’s
perspective
ne of the principle reasons for
our existence as a company is to
produce equipment that cuts fine
turfgrass with a sharp, clean and
uniform appearance, whether
this is a golf green at 2.5mm or a football
pitch at 28mm. A considerable amount
of time and effort goes into the design
and manufacture of our cylinder
cutting units, therefore it is crucial that
the correct sharpening procedure is
undertaken when it begins to wear.
Principally, this article is about
cylinder grinding, but there are many
other factors to consider which we will
cover later. The main criteria, as far as
our cutting cylinders are concerned, is
that the original angles are maintained
and cutting edges are left clean and
precise.
There are three main types of grinding
machines available:
O
• The cylinder remains in the cutting
unit frame and has a spin grind (in
situ), the bottom blade block is ground
in a separate machine and the relief
edge on the cylinder is ground on
another machine
• The cylinder is removed from the
cutting unit frame, has a spin and
relief grind in the bearings of the
cylinder grinder holders, the bottom
blade is then ground by the same
machine or a specialised blade grinder
• The relief and spin grind of the
cylinder, bottom blade and groomer
blade grind are carried out ‘in
situation’ on one machine
Checks to be carried out before
grinding is undertaken
Before attempting to sharpen cutting
units,
the
following
checks should
be made. If any
faults are found,
they should be
rectified before any
grinding takes place; if
not, the grinding will be
inaccurate or the unit will go ‘off
cut’ quicker during use. Also,
anyone attempting to set up, operate,
adjust or service any machine should be
properly trained and warned of the
dangers. Blades are designed to cut!
• Cylinder bearings must be checked. If
there is any noise from the bearings
after the bottom blade has been backed
Diagram 1
Technical
off, they must be replaced. If one unit
on a mower is going off cut quicker
than the others during use, then the
bearings and seals must be changed. If
you remove a bearing housing, and
there is slight shading on the bearing
outer, then they must be changed too
• The cylinder must not be conical or
tapered or barrel shaped. On a greens
unit, this can be checked by removing
the front roller and placing a gauge
bar (straight edge) under the cylinder
blades and against the front face of the
bottom blade. A feeler gauge can then
be used to check for gaps or different
widths each end. If the cylinder is
found not to be parallel, then it must
be ground back to a cylindrical shape
(see diagram 1)
• All adjusters must be free from
corrosion and functioning correctly
• Check that the cylinder and bottom
blade have not reached their minimum
service dimensions (these can be found
in the operator’s manual). As they
wear, the geometry of the cutting unit
changes dramatically, affecting the
‘heights of cut’ achievable and the
aggression of the unit
the bottom block
• Ensure bare cylinders are mounted
correctly in the grinder. They must be
mounted the same way as in the
cutting unit with cutting edge below
the relief angle.
Cylinder and bottom blade angles
Diagram 2 shows one blade from a
greens cylinder. It clearly shows the relief
angle of 45O which is ground by a single
blade grinder. It also shows the ‘land’
which is usually ground by the spin
grinder and should measure 1mm.
Diagram 3 shows the front face angle.
Generally, we recommend 5O on greens
mowers and US built bottom blades. UK
built blades should be 10-15O.
Diagram 4 shows the top face rear relief
angle. All US built blades, except super
tournament blades, should have a top
face relief angle of 8-10O. Tournament
blades (2.5mm height of cut) should
have a top face relief angle of 5-7O, the
same as UK built blades.
This article has been our
recommendations for sharpening
cylinder cutting units. Other mower
manufacturers and grinding machine
manufacturers may have a different view,
but hopefully it will help you set up your
mowers to give the optimum cut on your
fine turf.
Note: When grinding bottom blades,
coolant should be used to avoid
‘hardening’ or ‘blueing’ of the blade.
• Check the cutting unit frame or chassis
is square and all hardware is secure
After grinding, all ‘burrs’ should be
removed by a fine hone or block of
wood.
• Check the correct thickness of blade
is fitted for the desired height of
cut
Setting up the cutting unit after
grinding
• When mounting new
bottom blades,
remove all rust
and
thoroughly
clean
throughout the year depending on how
much the cutting unit sinks into the
sward. During wet periods, the actual
height of cut can be 0.67 mm below the
bench set height. When this happens,
care must be taken to ensure the cutting
unit does not cut below its designed
height causing the blade to rub on the
sward. This can cause the unit to go off
cut quickly and can cause the unit to
‘rifle’. A prism gauge can help you to see
the actual height, and a solution is to
raise the bench set height until the wet
period is over. Different roller
combinations can help, but a height
change is a cheaper and easier solution.
Generally, the cylinder to blade
adjustment should be set up with an air
gap to prevent heat build up, damage to
the cylinder and longer periods between
grinding. This is fine during dry, sparse
conditions, and especially effective on
greens mowers. High-quality grass, with
a good moisture content at certain times
of the year, will require a closer gap (near
zero) to maintain the sharp, clean
appearance that we all strive for.
Another important point to
watch is the ‘actual’ height
of cut compared to the
‘bench set’ height
of cut. This can
vary
Diagram 2
Diagram 3
Diagram 4
Technical
MONTHLY
Diaries
BOWLS
WITH this season’s match play now coming to
an end, many clubs should be organising and
sourcing materials and products for their end
of season renovations. Most clubs will be
looking to begin their renovations towards the
end of September, making good use of the
warm soil temperatures to initiate seed
germination.
September
September is an ideal time to undertake any
major or minor repair jobs on the green, such
as improvements to drainage systems,
addressing levels or redefining crown heights
on crown greens.
Before you arrange any work, it is best to
examine the condition of your turf and soil
profiles. Do not be afraid to take a couple of
core samples from your green, allowing you
the opportunity to see what lies below the
surface. On examination, you should be able
to see how much thatch you have and the
condition of the soil.
It is important to topdress with compatible
materials; traditional topdressing ratios range
from 70/30, 60/40 and 50/50 soil/sand mixes.
General maintenance regimes will continue brushing, mowing and watering as and when
required.
Pitchcare’s online monthly diaries
are offered as a general overview of
the work required at that time of
year. Here, we offer a summary of
the work to be carried out in
September and October.
For more up-to-date information
visit www.pitchcare.com where you
will find details for all sports
Brushing/switching keeps the green clean and
removes any dew or surface water. Keeping the
surface dry will aid resistance to disease.
Keep an eye on fungal disease attack and use
approved fungicides to treat infected areas.
Red thread can be very prevalent at this time
of the season. Other diseases are also active at
this time of the year, namely fairy ring and
fusarium.
Inspect and clean drainage outfalls and
gullies. Replace and level up drainage ditch
materials.
Fertiliser treatment and turf tonics can be
continued in accordance with your annual
programme. If you haven't got a fertiliser
programme, have your soil tested; try an
independent soil analysis company for an
impartial set of results.
October
It is imperative to get on with your
renovations as soon as possible, most bowling
clubs rely on volunteers to help with the work,
so it is important you plan and co-ordinate
and ensure all your volunteer workforce are
briefed about the work expected of them.
Ensure you have got all the necessary
equipment and materials to do the job. It does
not need to be seen as hard work, if you get a
good team of helpers together, it is surprising
how quick you can get all the work completed.
Also ensure you buy/source the best quality
products on offer, buying cheap seed or not
doing a thorough renovation programme is
false economy.
Once the renovations have been completed,
look to keep your team of volunteers working
to help finish other necessary tasks - cleaning
out the ditches, cutting hedges,
painting/staining seating and fences.
Also, look into getting your mowers serviced
ready for next year - obtain a few quotes and
get them booked in.
CRICKET
SEPTEMBER can be the busiest time for some
groundsmen. Those who have a few weeks left
of their season will be busy planning end of
season activities, whilst others will be turning
their attentions to end of season renovations.
The longer you leave your renovations
though, the less likely you will obtain
favourable germination rates, as air
temperatures tend to drop in October slowing
down and reducing grass growth. Most clubs
will have their own methods of renovating
their squares. In such cases, the level of work
will be dictated by what budgets and resources
are available at the time and what they are
trying to achieve.
September
Regular mowing of the square will need to be
continued whilst preparing pitches.
Aftercare of the wicket, with repairs and
renovation to used pitches, should be
undertaken. Fertiliser treatment and turf
tonics can be continued in accordance with
your annual programme.
Pay particular attention to foot holes, as they
may require more intense work. Do not
neglect the outfield either; as this is the largest
area of maintenance and it still needs to be
carefully managed.
Technical
Summer sports end of season renovations
Regular maintenance
Ideally, end of season renovations should be completed by October,
making good use of the favourable weather conditions. However, a
number of clubs play late into September.
Diseases, particularly fusarium, are often prevalent during the
autumn, mainly due to the heavy dews that are present at this time
of the year. Moisture on the leaf will allow diseases to move and
spread easily. Regular brushing in the mornings to remove the
moisture from the leaf is an important maintenance regime to
deter an attack of disease.
The longer you leave your renovations, the less likely you will
obtain favourable germination rates. Air temperatures tend to drop
in October, thereby slowing down grass growth. There will be
plenty of wear and compaction to resolve.
The aim of the renovations is to repair and rejuvenate all worn
areas, reducing thatch layers, restoring surface levels and reintroducing some finer grasses into the sward. Once the
renovations have been completed, the playing surfaces should
remain off limits until next spring.
Check delivery schedules for end of season
renovation programmes.
If you have completed your season, set the
height of cut at 5mm and give your square a
final cut. Irrigate the square copiously to allow
moisture to get down as deep as possible. Start
end of season renovation of the square.
October
Scarification is important to remove unwanted
vegetation, but also to produce a key for the
new loam material to sit in. The level of
scarification required will be dependent on
how much of a thatch layer you have
generated throughout the season.
This year has seen periods of heavy rain
followed by high temperatures, and grass
growth has been prolific. Thatch content,
therefore, is likely to be on the high side. The
best way to identify how much you have is by
taking a core sample. It will be then a case of
going through a vigorous renovation
programme, scarifying in at least three
directions, finishing in the line of play.
Depending on how much thatch is removed,
where necessary clean off all the thatch debris
after each pass. The square can then be over
sown using a suitable grass seed mixture; do
not be frightened to try out new cultivars.
Sowing rates now range between 35-50
grammes per square metre. In essence, you
are aiming to establish new grasses into your
square.
The very basic requirements of grass growth
have never changed - sunlight, water and air.
Aeration relieves compaction and improves
water percolation through the soil profile, but
also helps to create the general environment
essential for healthy grass growth. Autumn
and winter aeration treatments are beneficial
to promoting drier surfaces for further
maintenance practices to take place. Solid
tining is usually the most common practice
but, where saddling is a problem to your ends,
then hollow coring over a period of time can
help with settlement.
With the season finished, mowing will only be required to maintain
a winter height of cut at 8-12mm.
Some clubs are now using rotary mowers to keep the playing
surface mown through the winter months. This does two jobs in
one; it keeps the grass topped and ‘hoovers’ up any surface debris,
such as twigs and leaves.
FOOTBALL
FOR some, the football season will have
already started, with pitches up and in use,
some experiencing a flurry of pre-season
friendlies, others may yet to be starting their
season. Most of your pre season work should
have been finalised with your pitches looking,
hopefully, at their best about now.
September
Autumn traditionally sees the last opportunity
to put some fertiliser down. The application of
a good balanced feed, with perhaps a seaweed
tonic, may help to fill your grass out, but bear
in mind the need to apply it in line with your
feeding programme. Don’t be tempted to
apply too much nitrogen, as you may find
yourself struggling to keep up with the flush
of grass growth.
The seaweed tonic will help your grass get
over the stresses of the summer. If you
managed to hold some of your seed back from
your earlier renovations, then you can use it to
help fill out the wear prone areas on your
pitches. Bear in mind that the window of
opportunity for spraying a selective weed
killer is nearing a close, and you will need to
factor this in before the end of the month.
Make sure you have enough line marking
material to hand and enough to get you
through your season. Inspect your marker and
ensure it is in good working order.
A clean transfer wheel marker is less likely to
leave drips behind when lifted at the end of a
line. Similarly, a well maintained spray line
marker will give a better even crisp line
without drips.
October
Continue cutting regularly 25-37mm to ensure
a good sward density. Check the cutting action
of your cylinder regularly to ensure that the
units are cutting and not tearing the grass.
Dragmatting and brushing should continue to
keep the air circulating around the base of the
plant, particularly important for removing
early morning dew and controlling disease.
This will also help to reinforce the
presentation of the pitch.
Verticutting will help to ensure that the sward
is kept clean of lateral growth that may be
appearing, and also help to ensure good air
circulation around the base of the plant.
Other key tasks for the month include • Divoting: This is an obvious, but start as you
mean to go on. At this part of the season, a
little addition of seed mixed with a little
topsoil will soon germinate and help to
repair any deep scars
• Equipment Checks: Check goals weekly for
loose bolts and tighten as necessary
• Check nets to make sure they are properly
supported at the back of the goal and are
not sagging
• Check team dugouts are stable and
anchored securely. Make sure that they are
tidy and free from litter
• Keep your machinery in tip top condition.
Grease where you find a grease nipple, oil
where you see a metallic moving part, check
the oil, check the water. If in doubt consult
the manufacturer’s manual. Clean it when
you’ve finished!
Technical
Soil sampling is an important part of
groundsmanship. The results will enable
the manager to have a better
understanding of the current status of the
soil and turf. There are many tests that can
be undertaken, but usually the main ones
to consider are:
- Soil pH - it is important to keep the soil
at a pH of 5.5-6.5, a suitable level for
most grass plants
- Particle Size Distribution (PSD) - this will
give accurate information on the soil
type and its particle make up, enabling
you to match up with appropriate
topdressing materials and ensuring you
are able to maintain a consistent
hydraulic conductivity (drainage rate) of
your soil profile
- Nutrient levels - keeping a balance of
NPK nutrients within the soil profile is
essential for healthy plant growth
RUGBY
CLUB pitches that have had the correct end
of season renovations (aeration, topdressing,
overseeding and feeding last May) followed up
with appropriate levels of pitch maintenance,
particularly with reference to grass cutting,
should now be in a good condition for play.
There is really no excuse for poorly
maintained pitches, there are plenty of
resources and information now available to
clubs, both from the RFU and dedicated sites
like Pitchcare.
September
Continue to cut the grass on a regular basis,
the frequency of cuts will be dependant on
growth, ideally you should be mowing on a
weekly regime.
Marking out should be done on a regular
basis to ensure lines remain intact - weekly or
fortnightly should suffice.
Brushing the pitch is also beneficial, it helps
stand the grass plant up and knock off early
morning dews which, in return, will reduce the
incidence of disease in the sward.
Monitor how the pitch is performing in terms
of playability, keep on top of any worn areas
by carrying out repairs and overseeding whilst
temperatures remain favourable for seed
germination.
- Organic matter content - it is important
to keep a balanced level of organic
matter content in the soil profile
With this information you will be in a
better position to plan your feeding and
maintenance programmes.
TENNIS
Encourage teams to use different parts of the
pitch for warm ups and training, as this helps
reduce wear.
Some club are still using creosote or similar
type products to burn the lines in. This is not
permitted. Only approved marking products
should be used. As for adding weedkillers to
line marking fluid, again this is not
recommended. You will end up with bare soil
lines, which are difficult to overmark.
Use approved marking compounds/materials
and ensure all line markings comply with RFU
rules and regulations.
October
Harrowing/raking, especially after games, will
help restore levels and keep surfaces open.
Some facilities have irrigation equipment, pop
up systems/self travelling sprinklers. Always
keep an eye out for leaks and broken parts as
unwanted leaks can lead to costly problems,
and surface playability can be compromised.
Water is a valuable resource and should be
treated as such.
Worn, sparse or bare areas can still be seeded
in October. Use germination sheets to aid this
process, but remove them regularly to check
for diseases. Remember that, without good
seed to soil contact, the operation is useless.
Ensure you use new seed as old material may
not give you the required germination rates.
Inspect and clean machinery after use; service
and repair damaged machinery.
Hand or machine aeration aids surface
drainage at varying depths of penetration to
prevent the development of a soil pan. If
there is opportunity to aerate, then do it.
Regular autumn aeration provides air space
for the roots to expand into and allows the
plant to breathe.
Achieving an improved root system will stand
you in good stead for the coming winter
months.
NATURAL grass tennis courts will be coming
to the end of their playing season, with the
groundstaff organising and preparing for
renovation works, which often starts mid
September, with the aim of completing all
works before the end of the month.
It is important to carefully evaluate the needs
of the courts; the work required will be
determined by their condition with regard to
wear (bare areas), weed infestation, levels of
thatch content, nutrient status and overall
surface levels.
September
Once the playing season is over, take down
nets and post and store away, replace broken
or damaged tennis nets and posts.
Get organised for your end of season
renovations, ensure you have ordered your
materials to arrive on time. Check equipment,
ensuring it is ready for the work entailed.
Check all belts and drives on the scarifiers.
If you are intending to use a contractor to do
your work, confirm start dates and be clear
they understand what level of work you want.
Arrange to have your mowers serviced during
the winter months.
October
It is important to be thorough with
renovations. Do not skimp on materials and
time spent on the job. You will need about
four tonnes of topdressing per court and
about one 25kg bag of grass seed if you sow at
a rate of 35g/m2.
Choice of grass seed is all too often driven by
budgets, however, first consideration should be
- what do I want from my seed in terms of
performance, colour and vigour?
There are hundreds of varieties to choose
from. However, the most popular species used
for tennis on clay soils are perennial rye
grasses.
Bear in mind what budgets you have available,
as top seed varieties are expensive.
The first two or three cuts should have been
completed using a hover rotary mower, cutting
at a height between 20-25 mm. It is
detrimental to allow the sward to become too
long, as it may flatten over and obscure any
worm casts.
Keep an eye on fungal disease attack and use
approved fungicides to treat infected areas heavy dews forming on grass surfaces often
promotes outbreaks of disease.
Pitchcare’s monthly diaries are written by:
Bowls, Tennis and Rugby - Laurence Gale MSc,
Editor, Pitchcare.com
Cricket - Bob Stretton, Head Groundsman,
Massey Ferguson Sports Club
Football - Malcolm Gardner, Grounds
Manager, BA Clubs
Training & Development
Lantra accreditation for Autumn/Winter
Stem Injection Course
Training Programme
AS we go to
press we have
just heard that
our one day
Stem Injection
Treatment
course, for the
control of
invasive species
such as
Japanese
Knotweed,
Himalayan
Balsam and
Rhododendron,
has been
awarded
independent
accredition by
Lantra.
Japanese Knotweed, once
seen as an exotic
ornamental plant, has now
become an invasive
nuisance - so much so that
it is an offence to plant or
cause it to grow in the
wild. Stem Injection has
become an increasing
popular, safe and effective
way of control.
The stem injection system
works by delivering a
measured dose of
concentrate herbicide into
the centre of the plant.
Treatment is extremely
localised, only ever
targeting the plants
injected. The weed will
also absorb the
concentrate into its
rhizome (root) at a much
faster rate than with foliar
spraying, providing a
quicker resolution to the
Japanese Knotweed
problem.
Delegates attending this
one day course will learn
about:
- Treating Japanese
Knotweed, and why
- Legislation
- Environmental issues
- Reading and
WE now have a range of
training courses taking place in
various parts of the country, all
of which are available to book
on our website;
www.groundsmantraining.co.uk
We are offering seasonal
courses such as Autumn
Cricket Pitch Renovation and
Winter Sports Maintenance
alongside Basic Tree Survey &
Inspection and Safe Use of
Pesticides, which includes
PA1/PA6AW and Stem Injection
Treatment.
understanding product
labels
- Personal Protection
Equipment
- Transportation and
storage of pesticides and
equipment
- Making an
Environmental
Assessment
- Understanding the term
‘near water’
- Priming and using the
Stem Injection System
- Essential Record Keeping
Our public courses are
held regularly at Pitchcare
HQ at Allscott, just NW of
Telford.
We can also offer on-site
training for groups in most
areas of the UK and
special terms are
available, so if you are a
landscaper, contractor,
local authority or other
organisation with a group
of six or more staff to be
trained, contact
[email protected] with
your details.
The Autumn Cricket Pitch
Renovation courses are
condensed over a relatively
short period of time from early
September to mid October, to
take advantage of the post
holiday and onset of the end
of the cricket season, so don’t
leave it too late if you are
thinking of attending.
This one day course, accredited
by Lantra Awards, is designed
to provide a basic knowledge
of autumn cricket pitch
renovation and maintenance. It
has been developed with the
volunteer or part-time
groundsman in mind, but
would equally benefit a person
just entering the profession.
The course is theory/classroom
based and does not include
any practical work, although
time will be spent out on the
playing surface to consider and
discuss its condition and
underlying structure. Although
the content of the course is
structured, the delivery is
informal and delegates are
encouraged to participate.
Of all the sports, a cricket
groundsman has the greatest
effect on how a match can
develop, so a basic knowledge
of the game is essential:
1.To consider and provide safe
working practice when
completing all tasks and
operations on a cricket
ground under current
legislation
2.To understand and
appreciate the general
requirements of a cricket
ground
3.To be able to provide playing
surfaces to the required
standard of play
4.To carry out all maintenance
operations in the correct
sequence ensuring the best
surface
5.To understand the difference
between materials and
products available for the
maintenance and renovation
of the cricket ground
6.To understand the difference
between the range of
machinery available for the
maintenance and renovation
of the cricket ground
7.To have an understanding
and be able to carry out
basic maintenance to all
machinery and tools
Skills covered include: mowing,
scarification, aeration, fertiliser
application, watering, rolling,
renovations etc.
Current
venues
and dates
for the
Autumn
Cricket
Pitch
Renovation
Course are
listed on
our
website,
but if you
have a
group of
six or
more
people
who would like to take the
course, we can come to you
and run the course at your
club. Contact
[email protected] or
telephone 01902 440 263.
www.groundsmantraining.co.uk
THE REMARKABLE
LANDSCAPE BLADE
FROM MARUYAMA
Precision quality cutting edge
Self sharpening, scissor action blades for efficient cutting
No flying debris - clippings stay where they’re cut
Water proof housing - can be used underwater
Fits any Maruyama Multi-Cutter Power head
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 01902 440278
EMAIL YOUR ORDER TO [email protected]
®
THE POWER IN OUTDOOR POWER
Making the Most
of Meetings at
Work
Part Two -The Facilitator Role
Trainer and Motivational Speaker, Frank Newberry, has
been helping people to get better results in the turfcare
sector for over twenty years. He is convinced that we can
all contribute to making meetings at work more productive
and more enjoyable
“Another problem a facilitator can help with is the
tendency for some people to deliberately delay
decisions out of self-interest”
without having to worry about
maintaining a balance in the debate.
Typical groundrules at meetings
might be
The meeting was all talk and no
action
1. Respect each other's views
3. Maintain confidentiality
2. Determine who does which action
points (during the meeting), and then
You, like me, may have attended
meetings where people have talked a
good game but, too often, little or no
action was taken. The meeting was all
talk and no action. I worked with one
committee member in recent times who
discovered, to his dismay, that one of the
key players at their committee meetings
would happily agree to all the action
points at the meeting but, afterwards,
would only implement the ones he liked.
The rest were delayed or deleted from
the next set of minutes.
3. Chase up the action points (after the
meeting) so that progress is made as
intended
The person performing the
deception wanted to avoid effort or
challenge
Every person at the meeting is
committed
The individual even resorted to changing
or deleting the due dates of some points,
so that decisions were either delayed or
forgotten about all together. When
confronted with the issue, the person
took great offence and denied doing it.
However, notes taken at meetings held
weeks and months before effectively
condemned him. It quickly became clear
to everyone that the person performing
the deception wanted to avoid effort or
challenge. This particular key player is
now playing elsewhere.
n the first part of this series I
explained that, in workplace
meetings, the Executive Secretary is
a person who supplies the engine oil
that ensures the smooth running of
the ‘engine’. The ‘engine’ being the
Committee, the Board or any group of
people who make decisions that
ultimately result in the organisation
making progress.
I
The Executive Secretary helps the Chair
- before, during and after meetings - by
helping him or her to:
1. Prepare and circulate meaningful
agendas (before the meeting)
This vital Executive Secretary role can
also be combined with that of the
Facilitator. The job of the Meeting
Facilitator is to work with the Chair to
ensure that the discussions at the
meeting are meaningful and the
decisions taken are ‘owned’ by everyone
at the meeting.
Owned, in this instance, means that
every person attending the meeting is
fully committed to making sure that the
decisions taken and action points agreed
are implemented fully. What about the
Chair? Well, the Chair is still in charge
but, with a facilitator on hand, s/he can
now contribute fully to the meeting
The facilitator’s role can be made easier
when the committee or the meeting
adopts ground rules. The facilitator then,
during the meeting, reminds people
when their words and actions fall short of
the agreed ground rules.
2. Keep commitments made
4. Speak one at a time
5. Keep an open mind
6. Discuss openly
7. Listen actively
8. Keep to time
9. Be fair to all
10. Be decisive
By listening attentively, and by
intervening appropriately and
confidently, a facilitator - armed with
these ground rules - can transform many
poorly performing meetings. Without the
ground rules, meetings mayhem may
well ensue!
The facilitator can break the
decision deadlock
Another problem a facilitator can help
with is the tendency for some people to
deliberately delay decisions out of selfinterest. The facilitator, by first seeking
consensus or, if that fails, by introducing
different voting methods, can break the
decision deadlock that can be such a
discouraging aspect of decision making
in the workplace.
A facilitator can remind the meeting that
an important decision delayed (one that
may have been delayed for a number of
different reasons) is a decision in itself. It
is a decision to carry on as we are, a
decision to not change. It is (so to speak)
“A facilitator can remind
the meeting that an
important decision
delayed - one that may
have been delayed for a
number of different
reasons - is a decision in
itself”
a win for the people voting no.
A facilitator can break this
deadlock by suggesting that the
decision being delayed be taken
for a ‘trial period’ so that more
meaningful data can be
collected. This approach is
particularly useful for people
who do not want to make a
decision until they have all the
information they need to make a
decision. Much better, perhaps,
to run a trial and then make a
decision based on the results.
So, if the decision making at
your meetings could be better,
then consider giving someone
the facilitator role. Maybe you
could try out the role yourself?
Perhaps for a trial period?
In Part Three, I will look at
meeting agendas and keeping
meetings to time.
If you are having problems and
frustrations with meetings at
work, and you would like some
advice that is specific to your
situation, you can get in touch
with Frank directly via the
contact tab of his personal
website:
www.franknewberry.com.
Exclusive to Pitchcare, and coming this autumn watch out for Frank’s ‘Essentials Suite’ of
seminars for Groundsmen and Greenkeepers.
These four ‘stand alone’ one day seminars can be
taken in any sequence.
You can attend the seminar that best matches your
priority needs first and then another and so on.
The 'Essentials Suite' of seminars supercedes the
popular Pitchcare ‘Essential Management Skills
Workshop Parts 1 and 2’ which have been running for
the last seven years.
The Pitchcare Essentials Suite comprises:
Supervisory Essentials for Groundsmen and
Greenkeepers: Taking Charge
Greenkeepers: Getting Better Results
Greenkeepers: Enhanced Communication Skills
Greenkeepers: Problem Solving and Decision
Making
If you, like so many others, have already attended
Pitchcare’s popular Essential Management Skills
Workshop Parts 1 and 2 in the past seven years why
not enrol to attend the one day Essential
Management Skills Workshop Part 3: Problem
Solving and Decision Making.
For more details of all courses contact Christine
Johnson, the Pitchcare Training Coordinator, at
[email protected] or telephone the Pitchcare office
on 01902 440251.
Pitchcare Classifieds
Drainage
AERATION
AERATION
TERRAIN
Turf and Trees
10” drill aeration
1m air injection
1m soil coring
Air excavation
Problems? Don't
blame your pipes!
Tel: 01449 673783
www.terrainaeration.com
[email protected]
WORTH
DRAINING LTD
25 years in
sports turf maintenance
Verti-draining - Koro
Blec Groundbreaker
Overseeding - Sanding
Top Dressing
Hollow Coring
Tel/Fax 01476 550266
Mobile: 07855 431119/20
A sports field soil profile which has a barrier layer at
approximately 200mm depth
Keith McAuliffe CE, of the New Zealand Sports
Turf Institute, says that, from his experience,
drainage is one of the least understood of all
the turf system operations.
www.worthdraining.co.uk
ARTIFICIAL
CYLINDER GRINDERS
DRAINAGE
45
Cost effective drainage
quick and neat trenching work with
minimal disruption to play.
Tel: 01462 683031
www.huntergrinders.com
AFT Trenchers
Tel: 01787 311811
[email protected] www.trenchers.co.uk
Why not visit our on-line Buyers Guide
for direct links to suppliers websites
and email addresses
www.pitchcare.com
“The drainage problem is due to
a high water table (the myth of
the underground ‘lake’)”
Reference to the mythical
underground lake is
commonplace. When things are
wet, the water table is said to
be high, but what is really
meant is that the soil pores are
completely saturated. True,
there are genuine water tables
that rise up to the surface to
create drainage problems.
However, these generally occur
in extremely low lying areas and
on soils that are permeable to
depth (e.g. deep sand profiles),
and are not that common on
sports fields. So, unless you are
on a low lying site, it is unlikely
there is a rising water table.
“The drainage problem is due to
collapsed or blocked pipe
drains”
When a sports turf drainage
system fails, the underlying pipe
drains become the number one
suspect. However, this is seldom
the case. It is probable that the
drainage capacity of the pipe
drains may have declined with
time, but it is almost certain that
sufficient drainage capacity
remains to cope with whatever
water actually gets to them.
Instead, drainage failure is
invariably due to the very poor
rate of water transmission
through the soil to the installed
drains. In the case of a sand
carpet, the problem is generally
due to organic matter
accumulation stopping water
movement through the sand
carpet. Knowing the cause of
the problem is essential - it is no
use wasting money on a
solution that won’t actually
work.
“Installing pipe drains is the only
way to solve drainage problems”
In some situations, pipe drains
may not be necessary to solve a
drainage problem. A much less
expensive option (for example,
controlling earthworm activity or
deep cultivation) may be all that
is required. Don’t assume pipe
drains are required. The cause
of the problem and the profile
characteristics must be
understood to ensure the correct
“solution” is applied.
“Pipe drains exert suction that
pulls water out of the profile.
Therefore, drainage makes a soil
more droughty”
This assumption is wrong drainage of excess soil water is
simply due to gravity, nothing
else. Removing excess water
from the larger (macro-) pores
provides soil aeration and
improved soil and plant health
which, in turn, can actually
improve the resilience and
drought tolerance of the turf. Of
course, there are exceptions to
this, such as drainage in peat
land areas, where overdrainage can lead to rapid
oxidation of the organic matter
and surface subsidence.
Optimising the investment in
sports turf drainage
First, respect the fact that every
site is different and, as such,
there is no such thing as a
standard recipe for drainage
improvement. It is important to
seek professional assessment of
the site at the outset in order to
identify the potential sources of
excess soil water (e.g. runoff,
rising water table, perching,
over-irrigation), to identify site
features that will impact on any
drainage improvement (such as
available outlets, depth to
irrigation piping, landfill capping
depth, etc), and to recommend
an appropriate solution.
Second, we need to recognise
that the most common limitation
to drainage performance in
sportsturf is perching of water
over a barrier layer. In other
words, excess water cannot
freely drain through the soil
profile. This barrier layer could
be at or near the surface (such
as in a silt loam soil that has
become capped due to traffic in
wet conditions), within the
rootzone (such as a compacted
layer), or could be below the
rootzone (such as a sportsfield
built over a clay or clay loam
sub-base). Most commonly in
sports turf the cause of the
problem is close to the surface,
usually within the top 200mm of
the profile.
Where a barrier exists, it is
possible to estimate how much
rainfall can be stored before the
soil becomes waterlogged. The
table below provides an
indication of what could happen
in an undrained soil with a
barrier layer.
As expected, data shows that
the greater the depth to the
barrier layer, the more water
can be held before
waterlogging occurs. However, if
rain continues, the reservoir
above the barrier layer will
eventually fill and waterlogging
will prevail.
Once the reservoir is full (i.e.
the soil is saturated), ideally no
play should occur until the soil
dries. If water can’t drain from
the profile because of the
barrier layer, the only way for
water to leave the profile is via
surface evapotranspiration. In
the winter, this is minimal - as
little as 1mm per day.
A third point to note with sports
turf drainage is that the key to
successful improvement is
closeness of drain spacing, and
not the size of the pipes used. In
other words, the limiting factor
is invariably the passage of
excess water through the soil to
the drainage system. Given that
the rate of excess water
movement through a soil is
generally very slow (there are
exceptions such as soil profiles
that have layers of sand or
stone), we cannot expect excess
water in the soil pores to
gravitate to a pipe drain that is
many metres away - at least not
quickly. It is the often painfully
slow rate of water movement
through soils and seasonal
fluctuations that give rise to
some of the drainage myths. In
sports turf, the problem is
almost always that the water
can’t get to the drains quickly
enough. It is, therefore, not
surprising that we have seen the
progressive development of
machines that provide closespaced, narrow width drains,
such as sand slit drainage, sand
banding etc. The objective with
these systems is to provide flow
paths for excess soil water
through to an underlying freedraining layer or pipe drainage
system. The drains are close
together so the water doesn’t
have to travel far to reach a
drain.
The final point I wish to make is
the need for ongoing
maintenance of the entire
system. This isn’t just the pipe
drains - it is everything between
the surface and the pipe drains.
A well-constructed pipe
drainage system should last
indefinitely. However, the
overlying slit drains, sand
bands, sand carpet or topsoil
layer, can deteriorate if not
looked after. The most likely
cause of failure is surface
capping (organic matter or silt)
in the sand carpet and/or over
the slits/bands, thereby
restricting water entry.
Earthworm activity and capping
is a common cause of slit drain
system failure. Preventative
maintenance in this instance
would include periodic sand
topdressing to maintain
infiltration and, where required,
earthworm control.
Given the climate, coupled with
the fact that a high percentage
of sports fields were built out of
inappropriate materials, it is
inevitable that drainage
problems will arise from time to
time. But, no soil is undrainable.
Having a sound understanding
of the cause of the excess soil
water problem is the starting
point to deriving a cost-effective
solution, and providing a sports
field that offers, effectively, allweather performance. Forget
the myths of rising water tables
and blocked drains - these are
unlikely to be the cause of
drainage problems. Instead, the
problem is much more likely to
be due simply to an inability of
water to move quickly enough
away from the surface. That is
the problem that has to be
solved.
Article by kind permission of the
NewZealand Sports Turf
Institute. www.nzsti.org.nz
DRAINAGE
Philip Dixon Contractors Ltd
Established 1978
Sportsturf Drainage Specialist
Drainage t Construction t Renovation
DRAINAGE SPECIALISTS
DESIGN & INSTALLATION
PRIMARY SYSTEMS
SAND SLITTING & GRAVEL BANDING
Tel. 01722 716361
Slitting t Banding t Maintenance
Tel 01772 877289 (Preston, Lancs)
www.dixondrainage.co.uk
www.mjabbott.co.uk
Miles Drainage Limited
Quality Land Drainage Systems for Sports
Pitches, Golf Courses and other Amenity
Areas
•Advice, design and installation
•Piped systems •Sand Slitting
•Gravel Banding
Tel: 01359 259424 Fax: 01359 258073
Web: www.milesdrainage.co.uk
Draining and Gravel Banding
also Vertidraining, Hollow Coring,
Overseeding, Field Top Maker,
Deep Scarifying
Mobile: 07860 259692
Tel: 01284 735105
www.buryturfcare.com
A N Y S P O R T - A N Y S U R FA C E -
DESIGN : INSTALLATION : MAINTENANCE
Pitch Construction : Piped Drainage Systems : Sand Slitting
Pitch
Construction : Piped Drainage Systems
Blec Vibro Sand Banding : Koro Surfacing : Vertidraining : Topdressing : Overseeding
Sand Slitting : Blec Vibro Sand Banding : Landscaping
Koro Surfacing : Vertidraining : Topdressing : Overseeding
If it’s drainage, it has to be Duncan Ross!
If it’s drainage, it has to be Duncan Ross!
Willow Farm,
Red Cat Lane, Burscough, Ormskirk L40 0RF
Appley Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire WN6 9DT
t 01257 255321 f 01257 255327 e [email protected]
RIÀFH#GXQFDQrosslanddrainage.co.uk
www.duncanrosslanddrainage.co.uk
e
t 01257 255321
www.duncanrosslanddrainage.co.uk
CONSTRUCTION - MAINTENANCE
S P EC I A L I S T S I N S P O R T S D R A I N AG E
w w w. s g c g r o u p. c o. u k - Te l : 0 1 6 1 3 4 3 1 0 4 4
Days to “return to play” for different rainfall events with
different depths to the barrier layer
Rainfall total (mm)
Profile 1 (125mm sandy loam soil
over clay sub-base; no drains)
Profile 2 (250mm sandy loam soil
over sub-base; no drains)
Profile 3 (125mm sandy loam over
clay base with slit drains and
sand carpet)
20 mm
30 mm
50 mm
Days to “return to play”
1.5
5
12
0
0
6.5
0
0
0
Note: The model assumes the soil is at or near field capacity at the
start of the rainfall event, an air-filled pore space in the topsoil of 12%,
a seepage rate through the barrier layer of 1mm per day and an
evaporation rate of 2mm per day.
DRAINAGE
Sportsfields
IRRIGATION
Testing Sand
Carpet Sportsfields
for Contamination
DRAIN TODAY - PLAY TOMORROW
Phone: 01507 578288
Fax: 01507 578790
[email protected]
www.sheltonsdrainage.com
Machine sales
Hire and contracting services
SPORTS TURF DRAINAGE
AND CONSTRUCTION
NATIONWIDE SERVICE
www.turfdry.com
Contact: Melvyn Taylor
Irrigation
Office: 01283 551417 Mobile: 07836 259133
WORTH
DRAINING LTD
25 years in
sports turf maintenance
Artificial sports surfaces
cleaning and maintenance
Tel/Fax 01476 550266
Mobile: 07855 431119/20
www.worthdraining.co.uk
IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION SPECIALISTS
GREAT ALL OVER
THE PARK
Call Lely: 01480 226848 or
www.toro.com
LINEMARKING
WWW.SPORTSMARK.NET
UK’s LARGEST RANGE OF
LINEMARKING MACHINES
A MACHINE TO FIT EVERY POCKET
Court Marking Service for: Tarmac,
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Clogged surface pores from excessive organic matter
This article discusses the tests that are
undertaken to assess the physical
characteristics of sand rootzone layers to
determine their renovation and maintenance
needs
t is important to test sand
carpet sportsfields due to the
inevitable build-up of organic
matter and/or very fine particles
(typically from earthworm
activity) that clog the pore space
between the sand grains. The
less pore space, the slower the
drainage and higher the surface
moisture retention. This leads to
softer, wetter conditions that can
effect:
• The amount of use
• The quality of the playing
surface
• Maintenance/renovation
requirements
• The rate of asset depreciation
and, hence, the need for
replacement
How does sand carpet
drainage work?
In order to understand the need
for testing, an appreciation of
how a sand carpet works is
required.
The main components are:
• Grass species at the surface
• Surface sand layer (sand
carpet) typically between 40100mm thick
• Narrow, closely spaced
sand/gravel filled drains (slit
drains)
• Larger wider spaced drains
(lateral drains)
• Main drain to provide an
outlet for the lateral drains
Water makes its way through
the grass canopy and into the
sand carpet layer. Some water
I
might percolate into the
underlying soil, but the vast
majority moves downhill across
the soil surface until it reaches
the permeable backfill above a
slit drain. The water then enters
the slit drain and moves
sideways through the gravel in
the base of the slit to the lateral
drain and, from there,
ultimately, to the main drain.
The rate limiting step in wellconstructed sand carpets
drainage systems is typically
through the surface sand carpet
layer where the bulk of the roots
develop. The sand carpet can
become contaminated by the
combination of:
• Live and decaying plant parts
(i.e. leaves, roots, stems,
stolons, rhizomes) = organic
matter
• Earthworm castings (silt/clay
from underlying soil brought
to the surface)
• Fine particles from sand
topdressing (very fine
sand/silt/clay)
• Wind-blown material (dust)
Why is organic matter so
important in sand?
Over time, the organic matter
increases and changes its
characteristic from “plant parts”
to become finer decayed
material which holds moisture
and blocks pore space between
the sand grains. This blocking of
pore space by decayed organic
matter does not happen in soil.
Soil drainage is reliant on soil
structure (aggregation), and
organic matter contributes
to the aggregation
process.
Earthworm casting
typically occurs at the
surface and, so, the
silt/clay particles brought
up and mixed in with the
decaying organic matter
increase the blocking of
the pore space.
If the amount of
New sand carpet layer with very little
removal via coring,
contamination
dethatching, fraise
mowing, etc) and/or
dilution (via sand
topdressing) is not
intensive enough, the
fines content increases so
that surface layer is no
longer sand dominated.
Consequently, drainage
declines and surface
moisture retention
increases.
It is not possible to
Severe surface organic matter
visually assess the level of
accumulation due to lack of
fines contamination
renovation and sand topdressing
accurately. An objective
measure of fines
contamination is a more
useful management tool
that allows changes over
time to be tracked
accurately.
How do we measure
the contamination?
Firstly, you need to know
how many fines there are
in your sand topdressing
applications. This is
Different degrees of sand carpet
determined by a particle
contamination as measured by the
settlement test
size distribution test (PSD).
Normal best practice is to
ascertain this when
time. Differences between
selecting and monitoring your
“good” and “bad” areas can
sand topdressing. Ideally, you
also be measured to help
want a “clean” topdressing sand
diagnose the cause of problems.
(i.e. one with less than 2% very
This helps decision making for
fine sand and less than 1% silt
the expensive but necessary
and clay).
renovations and, in addition,
Secondly, previous NZSTI
quantifies the ageing process of
research has shown that, whilst
sand profiles. As such, it is a
there are many different factors
valuable tool when planning for
and characteristics that can be
eventual replacement.
measured, the best correlation
When managing sand carpet
to the drainage rate has been
sports fields, testing the level of
with, what is termed, the sand
contamination by fines provides
contamination test. This is
valuable information that allows
sometimes referred to as the
renovation programmes to be
“settlement” test. With this test
accurately planned based on
we measure the amount of fine
objective data. The alternative
particles present and express
of a best guess based on visual
this as a percentage of the total
observation, or what “we have
rootzone (typically the top
done in the past”, almost
40mm of the sand carpet is
certainly won’t result in a
measured).
programme that is ideally suited
The results are compared to
to the specific situation. A
known values of contamination
renovation programme based
from past research to provide a
on objective data will help to
rating of the level of
ensure longevity of good
contamination (see table).
drainage performance.
Regular sampling (annual is
Article by kind permission of the
recommended) measures the
NewZealand Sports Turf
contamination and allows
Institute. www.nzsti.org.nz
changes to be tracked over
Interpretation of the settlement test results
Measured settlement
(%) value
Interpretation
<20
Sand carpet is relatively clean
20-25
Sand carpet is slightly contaminated
25-30
Sand carpet is moderately
contaminated
>30
Sand carpet is heavily contaminated
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For further information contact:
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Greg Evans questions whether ‘double cutting’
is achievable for course managers with small
staffing levels (or anyone else for that matter)
and offers his own solutions to the prickly topic
of green speeds.
read an article in the last
edition of Pitchcare
advocating a high height of
cut, with the emphasis on
double cutting to produce
acceptable green speeds. It got
me wondering; what method
will be tolerated by members
and produce acceptable green
speeds?
As budgets have tightened
over the past four or five years,
and labour levels have been
reduced at many clubs, I have to
question whether any of us have
the manpower to go out and
double cut greens? Sending two
mowers out to cut at midday (as
mentioned in the article) is not
feasible with my staff levels. The
increase in play that we are all
witnessing only adds to the
difficulty. On top of all of this,
the weather this summer has
been appalling. How can we
produce acceptable green
speeds with the odds stacked
against us?
My philosophy, which I’ve
talked about for many years, is
based around a low cutting
height. Basically, I control green
speeds (and performance) with
my cutting height and then
produce a maintenance plan to
back it up, not the other way
round as has been the
traditional way of doing things
in this country. However, here I
am reading yet another article
saying that my type of method is
wrong and you need to keep
heights at ‘acceptable levels’
(whatever that means).
I
Another buzz word we hear
all the time is ‘stress’.
Agonomists tell you not to
‘stress’ the grass plant with
extremely low heights of cut. I
hear the word constantly and it
drives me crazy. What does it
mean? I have managed greens
for the past decade at extremely
low heights of cut and have
always maintained 100% grass
coverage. Am I stressing the
grass plant out? Everything we
do to turf (cutting, rolling,
walking, etc) damages the grass
plant. The key, for me, is not to
discuss ‘stress’ but to talk about
your greens’ performance.
Stretch their limits but always
maintain 100% grass coverage.
This year has been a
challenging one for many turf
managers. June was the second
wettest month since I started at
Ealing in 2006, April was the
third wettest and, as I write this,
it’s still chucking it down!
Because of all this rain, it has
been hard to cut once let alone
twice a day. The rain has been
good for growth, but I see and
hear of many courses that are
struggling for decent green
speeds. What can we do about
it?
Well, here is my solution for
those with small budgets and a
restricted workforce. It applies to
clay based, parkland, push-up
courses that the vast majority of
us manage:
1) Keep the heights tight. Think
like a golfer. If you want
SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
SPECIALISTS IN TURF MANAGEMENT
DESIGN • CONSTRUCTION
IRRIGATION • MAINTENANCE
i n f o @ avon m o r e -a s s o c i a t e s . c o. u k
t: 01789 293439
www.avonmore-associates.co.uk
“During the season, move over
from granular to foliar feeding. The
key is to be in control of growth
and not to let it control you!”
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
quick greens shave them
down! Makes sense, heh?
But, be consistent with it.
Choose a height and don’t
chop and change it.
Always cut against the grain.
I hate to see stripes in
greens. You don’t want them
looking like your back lawn!
Cutting against the grain will
produce an upright plant and
reduce ‘nap’ in the greens.
Carefully consider when you
topdress. Even though
topdressing will produce
quicker, slicker surfaces in
the long term, in the short
term your greens will slow
down. If you have a big
competition coming up, don’t
topdress in the ten days
leading up to it.
During the season, move
over from granular to foliar
feeding. The key is to be in
control of growth and not to
let it control you! Shots of
Nitrogen, applied little and
often, will keep the plant
healthy without slowing the
greens down.
Use plant growth regulators
such as trinexapac-ethyl
(Primo Maxx, Clipless, etc)
mixed in with your foliar
feeds. During the peak
growing season it should,
ideally, be applied every
seven to ten days, but at
least every two weeks.
Watch your aeration. Yes, the
long-term benefits will be
there for all to see, but short
term your surfaces will be
softer.
7) Control your water (not much
luck this year!). If we are
ever lucky enough to need
our irrigation systems again,
take control of your moisture
content. Soil moisture probes
will help you to apply water
at the right time and stop the
surfaces from getting too wet
and slow!
These recommendations will
allow you to produce good
speeds without the need for
high labour inputs. They are
based on no rolling, single
cutting and eliminates the need
to brush. Green speeds will be
maintained at ten feet or above.
I think the golfers will be quite
happy with that!
Greg Evans is the current
Course Manager at Ealing Golf
Club. He
has helped
to turn
around the
clubs
fortune from
a very
negative
situation pre
2006 to an
extremely
healthy one
now. Golf membership has
increased steadily for past
several years and visitor income
has gone through the roof with
the past year seeing a 42%
increase in revenue.
Greg also runs a consultancy
business focusing on golf course
solutions. To contact him please
go to his website
www.gregevansmg.com
the pitch of performance
Football, Hockey Multi-Sports,
Cricket, Tennis & Bowls
GOLF COURSE & SPORTSGROUND
CONSTRUCTION
RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE
Design and construction of synthetic
and natural sports surfaces and facilities
Tel: 01474 364320
www.activeleisurecontracts.co.uk
IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
LAND DRAINAGE SCHEMES
WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Tel. 01722 716361
www.mjabbott.co.uk
Tel: 01494 866776
www.agripower.co.uk
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Supplies
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01797 252299
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Vertidraining, Hollow Coring,
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Mobile: 07860 259692
Tel: 01284 735105
[email protected]
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CH GROUNDS
MAINTENANCE LTD
Philip Dixon Contractors Ltd
DRAINAGE
Drainage t Construction t Renovation
Established 1978
Sportsturf Drainage Specialist
Piped Drainage, Sand Slitting, SandMaster
“During the peak growing season
growth regulators should, ideally,
be applied every seven to ten days,
but at least every two weeks”
CONSTRUCTION
Sports Fields and Golf Courses
RENOVATION
Verti-draining, GroundBreaker, Over-seeding
Top-dressing, Koro Field Topmaker
Tel: 01494 758208 [email protected]
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Slitting t Banding t Maintenance
Tel 01772 877289 (Preston, Lancs)
www.dixondrainage.co.uk
Winter Sports
'PSUIFWFSZCFTUJO
TQPSUTQJUDIDPOUSBDUJOH
%SBJOJOHTQPSUTUVSGMBOEJTTUJMMUIFGBTUFTUXBZPGSFNPWJOHTVSGBDFXBUFS
RVJDLMZ8FBSFTQFDJBMJTUDPOUSBDUPSTDPOWFSTBOUXJUIUIJTUZQFPGXPSL
0OMZBDPOUJOVFEQSPHSBNNFPGHSPVOENBJOUFOBODFBOEDPOEJUJPOJOHDBOHVBSBOUFFBRVBMJUZTVSGBDF
Heavier silt and
clay based turf
proves a success
Sports Ground Contractors Ltd
$BMEFS'BSN4BOET-BOF
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DRAINAGE LTD
SPECIALIST SPORTSTURF CONSTRUCTION
& DRAINAGE CONTRACTORS
• Gravel Banding • Sand Slitting
• Top Dressing • Renovation • Irrigation
Unit 7, Brailes Industrial Estate, Winderton Lane, Lower Brailes
Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5JW
Tel: 01608 685800 Fax: 01608 685801
email: [email protected] Web: www.dwclarkdrainageltd.co.uk
D CRANE
SPORTS TURF
Construction
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Maker, Fibre Sand
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A bank of Drill n Fill
machines at work
A ‘portable’ pitch for a
demanding
international sport
throws up many
challenges for the Head
Goundsman at the
Millennium Stadium.
Penny Comerford finds
out how a new
approach brought them
through a highly
successful last season
ardiff’s iconic Millennium
Stadium, home of Welsh
Rugby, came under public
scrutiny once more during the
Olympics when it hosted a
quarter final in the football
tournament, exposing the iconic
stadium to a huge worldwide
audience.
The Welsh rugby game went
through a purple patch this
season, thanks to the national
team landing the Grand Slam
after a successful Six Nations
campaign in 2012. The
Millennium Stadium provided a
magnificent backdrop to some
of those matches, and the
excellent state of the turf did not
go unnoticed by commentators
and teams.
Several months on from its
high pressure winter, Wales No
10, Rhys Priestland, was still
able to judge it as ‘superb’ after
several hours’ pre-Australia
summer tour kicking practice training which always requires a
decent surface underfoot. “We
don't often get players
commenting on the pitch,” said
Millennium Stadium Head
Groundsman, Lee Evans, “but
C
Lee Evans
this team said it was the best
stadium pitch they had played
on.”
It was not always the case in
Cardiff. The stadium turf is
unique in that it is grown on
removable pallets under a
closable roof. The sandy turf
drained well, but cut up badly
off the edges. In the early days,
the grass looked sparse, the grid
pattern of the pallets was
obvious and the television
image it provided was not the
best. However, in the hands of
Lee and his team, using local
knowledge and getting to
understand the drainage rates
of the sand-based soil, the turf
improved, but it wasn’t an easy
job.
This past season, turf
maintenance company Ecosolve
has had an input into the
presentation of the pitch with its
unique Drill n Fill aerator. The
pressures of the international
sport obliged Lee Evans to
employ a different turf
management system last
autumn, when playing
commitments and public usage
demanded he swapped the
"
Sportsfield Construction
Drainage Schemes
Renovations & Improvements
Cricket Specialists
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Tel: 01529 455757 Fax: 01529 455775
e-mail: [email protected]
-5655
-7655
www.stevenpask.co.uk
Natural & Synthetic
Millennium Stadium pitch
under lights ahead of the
Olympics semi final
sand-based soil to a
heavier one, despite its
inherent poorer
drainage.
Traditionally, the
palletised pitch is
changed twice a year
and Lee was just about
to do it last autumn
when the Welsh Rugby
bosses asked him to hold
fire. Wales had been
doing so well in New
Zealand, that they
wanted the Rugby World
Cup quarter and semi
Limiters were fitted to
finals to be shown live on
regulate depth
giant screens to the
adoring public sitting in
grass in the dark,” said Lee,
the Millennium Stadium. This
“but we can prevent some of
duly took place, but meant that
the heaviest rainfall landing on
time to establish the new pitch
the pitch - it is a delicate
for the Wales and Australia
balancing act experienced by
game on December 5th was
very few British groundstaff.”
really tight.
However, the versatility of the
“The traditional sand-based
system and the stadium has not
turf would not have produced
gone unnoticed. The French
the correct results in the time
Rugby Federation are said to be
available,” said Lee, “so we
building their new stadium at
opted for a heavier silt and clayOrly based on the Millennium
based turf which we knew
and, last year, the Cardiff venue
would grow well and produce
won a BSI award for
the surface stability required,
sustainability due in part to the
but would not drain sufficiently.”
palletised pitch which allows
The Drill n Fill aerator had been
reuse of the rootzone.
successfully trialed in April 2010
The Drill n Filled turf was
and was the obvious answer to
challenged several times during
improve drainage.
the past rugby season, and
Two days after the match,
came through with flying
Ecosolve went into the stadium
colours. “By the time we came
with a team of four machines
to the Wales v France game, we
fitted with custom-made drills
were fielding one of the best
and depth limiters to
surfaces in the tournament,
accommodate the pallets. A
thanks to the combination of the
bespoke blend of sand and
heavier turf with the action of
zeolite was used for the backfill,
the Drill n Fill,” he said. The
designed to enhance infiltration
treatment allowed surface water
and percolation rates.
to rapidly percolate down
“Afterwards, we topdressed and
through the 125mm deep
overseeded and the resulting
rootzone.
turf was excellent,” Lee
It was a fortuitous
reported. He plans to repeat the
combination, all the more
exercise this coming season.
because during the final Six
“It’s the only stadium in the
Nations fixture last February, the
UK which has to use turf, as
French insisted on the Stadium
opposed to other stadia that can
roof being open. “One hour
establish their surfaces from
before kick-off, the heavens
seed,” explained Lee. “The
opened and John Inverdale was
pallets have to be changed
doing a live feed for the BBC in
twice a year and we don’t have
a tempest,” Lee recalled. He
time for seed to take.” The
was worried momentarily, but “it
pallets of turf are taken in and
drained like a dream, thanks to
out to allow for other events,
the specialist work undertaken.”
which can range from motor
That Wales went on to win
and equestrian sport to a
the match and the Grand Slam
massive charity dinner.
was almost an incidental!
Management of the roof is
also crucial. “We can’t grow
-
,
.//+0+%+1%*
23./%/41*.44/ SPEEDCUT
Sports Pitch Design - Construction
Renovation - Drainage - Maintenance
CONTRACTORS LTD
A professional service
for all Sportsturf:
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Oxford 01865 331479
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urf&
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SPORTS TURF CONSULTANTS
The tts culture is based on its independence.
tts embodies a new generation of turf consultants combining experienced
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For more information on how tts can improve your playing surfaces and contribute
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Website: www.totalturfsolutions.co.uk email: [email protected]
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T 01635 867537 F 01635 864588
[email protected]
Pitchcare provides regular articles on
groundsmanship to Running Rugby magazine.
Here, we reproduce our latest offering written
by our editor, Laurence Gale MSc
SPORTS TURF COVERS
ell, what a year for
many of the country’s
club groundsmen who
have had to face one of the
wettest summers on record. It
rained so much that many parts
of the country experienced
widespread floods and pitches
became unfit for play.
To what extent it affected these
groundsmen in terms of their
pitches was dictated by a
number of factors:- How much rain they had to
contend with
- What type of pitch they have
in terms of underlying soil
type (sandy, clay or loam)
- Whether they had any
primary secondary drainage
installed
- What equipment and
resources they had to hand to
help alleviate the problem
Firstly, we need to understand
what problems are facing
groundsmen when pitches
become flooded and remain
saturated for long periods of
time.
Once a pitch becomes
saturated, that is to say all the
pore (air) spaces in the soil
profile remain filled with water,
then we are in a situation of the
pitch being in a poor state and
will be prone to damage.
It is important to understand
what soil type you have on your
pitch, as the ability of the pitch
to drain freely and how long it
takes for floodwater or surface
water to disperse from your
pitch will be dictated by the type
of soil you have.
All grass swards are grown on
soil/sand profiles that provide
the appropriate environment
structure for plant growth. This
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growing medium, commonly
known as soil, is made up of
proportions of soil solids
(mineral and organic material)
and soil pores (water and air).
Maintaining the correct
balance of these components is
critical for sustaining healthy
plant growth. The spaces
between the particles of solid
material are just as important to
the nature of soil as are the
solids. It is in these pore spaces
that air and water circulate, and
help provide the plant with the
necessary nutrients it requires to
respire and grow.
These pore spaces can vary in
size and are generally classified
into two sizes - macro pores
(larger than 0.08mm) and micro
pores (less than 0.08mm).
Macro pores generally allow
movement of air and the
drainage of water, and are large
enough to accommodate plant
roots and micro-organisms
found in the soil. The ability to
retain a good balance of macro
pores in soil structure is
essential for maintaining grass
plant health. It is when these
macro pores are either reduced
in size by compaction or filled
with water (saturated) that we
see deterioration in pitch
playability and resistance to
wear.
However, the main
contributing factor that reduces
and damages pore spaces in
soil is compaction, caused by
compression forces, normally
associated with play and use of
machinery, particularly during
wet weather periods.
Over time, these compression
forces reduce the pore spaces so
that air, water and nutrient flow
through the soil profile is
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allow. You may contribute to
surface deterioration if you
aerate during bad weather
when the surface is saturated
and likely to smear; timing is
the key to successful aeration.
There is a wide range of
professional aerators for use on
winter turf pitches, available as
walk-behind, ride-on, trailed or
tractor mounted.
Depending on the condition
of the soil you should be
aerating on a monthly basis,
trying to aerate to a depth
between 100-200mm.
Once a year you should aim
to aerate to a greater depth
(200-300mm) using a larger,
more powerful aerator. This will
help dramatically, especially if
you can topdress the pitch
immediately afterwards with
sand, enabling this material to
go down into the aeration
holes.
One of the most popular pitch
management tools is the Sisis
Quadraplay. The Sisis
Combination Implement Frames
make up a single pass
maintenance system which
incorporates a mounted frame.
The mounted frame accepts a
variety of different implements
for use on both turf and hard
porous surfaces.
Implements such as grooming
rakes, spikers, slitters, rollers
and brushes can be added to
the frame making this an
exceptionally versatile piece of
equipment. It can be used for
fine and outfield turf to perform
a range of tasks so effectively
that you can aerate, brush,
spring tine and roll in one pass.
Using these frames before
and after matches helps keep
the pitch in good condition and,
above all, the spiker ensures the
pitch is regularly aerated.
The presentation of the pitch
is important. If it looks tidy and
well presented, with bands and
stripes, it often inspires the
players to perform and, more
importantly, gives them a safe,
consistent surface.
Unfortunately, I see far too
many club pitches that become
unplayable or prone to damage,
mainly due to the lack of basic
maintenance being carried out.
Regular aeration, particularly on
training pitches, will help
enormously; there is nothing
worse than having to play or
train on a wet, soggy pitch.
www.countyturf.co.uk
TREE ROOT AERATION
AERATION
restricted, and leads to
many problems
associated with
compaction.
There are two
distinct types of
problems on winter
games surfaces, one is
compaction by treading
(30-60mm depth) and
the other by smearing
and kneading (30mm
depth) when playing in
the rain and on bare
soil surfaces.
The heavier the soil
the longer it will take
for the pitch to dry out;
sandy soils are more
free draining than
heavy loam or clay
soils and, therefore,
will dry out more
quickly.
Having an effective pitch
drainage scheme will help. Most
modern pitches tend to have
primary and secondary drainage
systems installed. These systems
aid the removal of surface water
quickly and tend to keep the
pitches playable in periods of
wet weather.
However, the effectiveness of
any drainage system can be
compromised over time when
the drain runs become capped;
it is important to retain a link
between the drains and the
playing surface. This will be
achieved by regular aeration
work and the application of
topdressing.
Ideally, clubs should be
putting on at least 40-60 tonnes
of sand per pitch each year. This
not only keeps the playing
surface free draining, but also
helps to restore levels.
Playing on saturated pitches
will bring disastrous results. It is
often better to postpone a
fixture rather than ruin the
playing surface for the rest of
the season. Scrummage and
line out play are the main
causes of damage on rugby
pitches during wet weather
periods. The severity of the
damage will be dependent upon
the soil type and the ability of
the top 100mm to drain quickly.
It is important that, once the
game has finished, remedial
work is carried out to repair
divots and stand the grass back
up. Care should be taken not to
further damage the pitch by
trying to get machinery on when
it is wet and saturated.
A rubber rake can be used to
help stand the grass back up in
localised wet muddy areas; if
left buried, the grass will soon
die. Once this has been
completed, the use of
harrows/brushes can be used to
stand up the sward. This is often
followed by rolling back the
surface using a mower or, better
still, a SISIS Quadraplay unit or
similar type of equipment.
Undertaking a regular
aeration programme will go a
long way to ensuring your pitch
is able to cope during wet
conditions.
When do we aerate?
Aeration should be carried
out on a regular basis when
weather and soil conditions
TERRAIN
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1m air injection
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Air excavation
Specialist growers of sportsturf and golf
turf with a wide range of grades,
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Tel: 01904 448675
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www.turf.co.uk
Tel: 01449 673783
www.terrainaeration.com
[email protected]
TREE TIES & SUPPORTS
Specialist growers of turf
for sport and amenity
Winter sports
Football and rugby
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Standard thickness up to 50mm
Golf
Greens, tees, fairways, bunkers
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Tel: 01652 678 000
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Disease of the month
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Autumn is the time
for Leaf Spot ...
Attachments
Accessories
Mini-diggers
Pedestrian Mowers
Hand-held Equipment
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Leaf Spot
Used Turfcare Machinery
01283 704664
www.boughton.co.uk
Autumn is the period
when leaf spot can
become prevalent.
Dr Kate Entwistle
offers some advice on
diagnosis and
prevention
here is a wide range of
fungi that cause leaf spot
disease on amenity
turfgrasses, and these individual
fungi will cause damage to
different grass types under
different environmental
conditions. Until quite recently,
their effect on close-mown fine
turfgrasses was generally
considered to be a lesser
problem compared with, for
example, the damage seen on
turf maintained for winter
games pitches.
However, with a steady
increase in the occurrence and
apparent severity of two
particular diseases of closemown turf, the following may
help you to recognise the
symptoms and manage them
accordingly.
Drechslera: There are several
species of Drechslera that are
known to cause damage to
cool-season turfgrass. Perhaps
the most common and
damaging is D. erythrospila,
which causes the disease Red
Leaf Spot of bentgrass. As the
name implies, this disease is
seen on bentgrasses and in a
mixed sward, the fescue and
meadowgrass will remain
unaffected giving a mottled
appearance to the turf.
Affected plants are tan to
dark tan in colour and also
appear dry as if droughted.
Close inspection of the leaf may
show distinct red spots on the
leaf blade, but these are not
always present and cannot be
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Leaf Spot symptoms
used as the sole diagnostic
characteristic.
The fungus will be active at all
times, except during
temperature extremes, but
damage is most often seen
during the late spring and
autumn. The fungus produces
spores on the infected plants
and these spores have the
potential to cause further
infections when a water film is
present on the leaf. On a dry
sward, the fungus remains
inactive but, as soon as the
sward becomes wet, the fungus
rapidly produces spores and its
cycle of infection begins again.
Because of this, the best way
to perpetuate these types of
infections is to regularly re-wet
a dry turf. Infrequent but deep
irrigation will contribute to an
effective management
programme for this type of
disease problem. A build-up of
organic matter or thatch will
encourage the development of
these diseases, as this will
provide a nutrient source to
sustain the fungus whilst it is not
causing disease.
Nutrient stress will also
encourage leaf spot infections
but, if they develop, a little and
often approach to applications
should allow sufficient growth in
the plant to aid recovery,
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Red Leaf Spot
without encouraging the
weak susceptible plant
tissue.
Bipolaris: Although well
Close up of
known as a potential cause
Red Leaf Spot
of cool-season turf disease,
damage by Bipolaris
species is not thought to be
shown efficacy against these
too common in the UK.
types of turf diseases and,
However, occasional outbreaks
where necessary, can be used
are recorded each year, and the
as part of an integrated
turf samples that I have received
management programme.
from the UK and Ireland
Always ensure that the disease
suggest that the damage is most
is correctly identified prior to the
likely to occur on annual
application of any plant
meadowgrass swards.
protection product.
In contrast to the Drechslera
Chemical Control: There are a
infections, Bipolaris infected turf
number of products available
seems to show a darker and
for the controlof leaf spot.
more complete deterioration of
We recommend:
the infected plants. The entire
leaf tissues of infected plants
Heritage Maxx - Azoxystrobin,
appear to be affected and, once
Mapp no. 14787
viewed under moderate
Medallion - Fludioxinil, Mapp
magnification, the sporeno. 15287
producing structures and the
Chipco Green - Iprodione,
spores themselves, are readily
Mapp no. 13843
apparent.
These fungi also require free
Dedicate - Tebuconazole and
water on the leaf to facilitate
trifloxystrobin, Mapp no. 13612
disease development. Bipolaris
Ensure you follow
tends to infect turf under slightly
manufacturer’s directions,
higher temperatures compared
health & safety and product
with Drechslera but, otherwise,
data sheets, and comply with
most aspects of disease
COSHH regulations when using
development are very similar to
these chemicals.
those for Drechslera fungi.
Dr Kate Entwistle
Many of the fungicides that
The Turf Disease Centre
are currently available for use
Tel: 01256 880246
on managed amenity turf have
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Leaf Spot on a golf green
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Turf Side Up
TURF SIDE UP!
The not so serious side of the industry
What a load of pants!
A brace of one’s!
OF all the incidents at Euro
2012, one of the most
controversial was the fines
imposed by UEFA for various
incidents, but mainly the
disparity in the fines handed
out for various offences.
Croatia’s 80,000euro fine for
racist chanting and objects
thrown onto the pitch by
their fans seems lenient in
comparison to Nicholas
Bendtner’s 100,000 euro fine
and one match ban for
flashing his non-official
branded pants.
The lead up to this
tournament was
overshadowed by fears of
A GOLF club that took
advantage of relaxed rules
regarding hole-in-one
prizes has seen two
competitors achieve the
feat in the same
tournament.
In January, for the first
time in British history, The
R&A changed the Rules of
Golf to prevent restrictions
on prizes for amateur
golfers who hit a hole-inone during an event.
Previously, prizes could not
be worth more than £500.
The change, which has been
allowed at clubs in the USA
for years, was made in order
to recognise ‘the special
nature of a hole-in-one’, and
has helped golf clubs offer
major prizes as they promote
tournaments they are due to
host.
Garforth Golf Club in
Yorkshire had four holes
sponsored for its recent
‘Captain’s Day’ for members,
including one by Leeds
Volkswagen, ensuring a new
car was up for grabs for
anyone who achieved a holein-one on the par three 16th.
Whilst no-one won the car,
incredibly, two members,
racism so, for UEFA to
seemingly deem marketing
stunts more a crime than
racist chanting, does nothing
to stamp out the problem.
Garden rage!
The BBC’s Gardeners’ World
magazine recently conducted
a survey to discover the
things that most annoyed
them in the garden.
It turned up an array of
bugbears, including power
tools, barbecue smoke, faulty
burglar alarms, neighbours
chatting on mobile phones,
security lights flashing on and
off and dogs barking at all
hours. Near the top of the list
were late-night parties, with
specific complaints relating to
“students acting like three
year-olds” and “groups of
middle-aged women
shrieking”.
More unusual sources of
irritation included the smell
of fabric conditioner, the
sound of wind chimes, stray
chickens and model aircraft.
One respondent’s main noise
nuisance in the garden was
the annual visit of his
neighbour’s mother-in-law:
“She normally comes for a
week and spends all her time
in the garden complaining at
the top of her voice.”
But, all the above pale into
insignificance when it comes
to hot tubs. As well as their
perpetual “bubbling sound”
driving many neighbours up
the wall, hot tub owners also
have a tendency to sample
noisy late-night drinks whilst
taking a dip, the survey
found.
Here comes the mirror man - there’s
nothing more to be said really!
Mick Higgins and Graham
Jackson, within an hour of
each other, hit a hole-in-one
on the 182-yard fifth, and
both won a Motocaddy
Electric Trolley, a new bag
and a new set of customfitted Ping irons and woods.
Michael Fisher, captain of
Garforth Golf Club, added:
“Obviously, it would have
been fantastic if someone
had won the car, but to have
two holes-in-one on my
captain’s day adds more to
the memories of a great day,
I cannot thank our sponsors
enough for their support. In
fact my wife liked the car so
much I have bought her
one!”
Doing their nut!
“BEACH volleyball
beauties training for
the Olympics were
doing their nut over squirrels
burying their haul
underfoot” (you
gotta luv The Sun,
apparently). The
rodents had been
burying beechnuts
and acorns on six
sandy practice courts
at London’s St
James’s Park.
And bikini-clad
players were left
grimacing as they landed
barefoot on the squirrel
snacks. Groundsmen were
asked to rake the sand before
practice sessions.
Six courts, two warm-up
courts and a hospitality
lounge were created in the
leafy lakeside park close to
Buckingham Palace.
The 15,000-seat main
competition arena in nearby
Horseguards Parade was not
affected.
Turf Side Up
Quote me happy
“Stuart can kiss goodbye to a knighthood but credit
for being brave.” Harry Redknapp gives his
opinion on Stuart Pearce’s decision not to take
David Beckham to London 2012.
“A boy from Croxteth should not use hair product.”
Wayne Rooney’s beauty regime leaves Jamie
Carragher aghast.
“The operation went well but the patient died.”
Sweden coach Erik Hamren assesses his side’s
Euro 2012 campaign.
Next, it’s the Wimbles Singledon Final ...” Clare
Balding’s introduction to the Murray/Federer
Gold medal match.
“I really hope this win improves my pulling power
with women, if I'm honest! That’s about it.” Scott
Brash has high aspirations after winning
showjumping gold.
“There’s about as much chance of re-signing DJ
Campbell as there is of me wearing high heels and
calling myself Sheila.” Ian Holloway rules out the
return of DJ Campbell to Blackpool.
“People think I am joking, but if Alex Ferguson
called me up and said, ‘Okay, let’s do this, come
and have a trial’, it would be impossible for me to
say no.” Olympic sprint sensation Usain Bolt
fancies his chances as a footballer and wants a
Manchester United trial.
“Since I taught Ronaldo in 2009 he has gone on to
score 40 goals a season, I don’t think he would
have scored them all without my training.” Usain
again, this time giving himself credit for turning
Cristiano Ronaldo into the world’s best player
“Seriously, some Americans just shouldn’t leave the
country.” Carl Lewis’ withering response after
presidential candidate Mitt Romney questioned
London’s readiness for the Olympics.
“I want to commit to all forms of cricket for
England, because I love playing cricket for
England.” Kevin Pietersen makes yet another uturn regarding his international career!
“Forget the hundred. Forget the individual. You’ve
got to treat him as ‘Player X’ and, if someone starts
telling you when they want to play and when they
don’t want to play, then it doesn’t work.” David
(Bumble) Lloyd has grown tired of the KP saga haven’t we all!
“We’re four weeks behind most teams and probably
four years behind Quins and Tigers such is their
capability.” London Welsh coach Lyn Jones admits
his side are playing catch-up with their
Premiership rivals.
Cobbled together from Sky Sports, ESPN Sport and
watching far too much sport on television!
DATES for your DIARY
September
4th-25th - Pitchcare Cricket Pitch
Autumn Renovations, various
locations
(www.groundsmantraining.co.uk)
7th - Football, World Cup
qualifying matches - Belgium v
Wales; Moldova v England
(www.thefa.com)
8th - Cricket, First Twenty20
international, England v South
Africa, Chester-le-Street:
(www.ecb.co.uk)
qualifying match - Serbia v
Wales (www.faw.org.uk)
15th - Cricket, Clydesdale Bank
CB40 final, Lord’s (www.ecb.co.uk)
18th-7th October, Cricket, ICC
World Twenty20, Sri Lanka
(www.icc-cricket.yahoo.net)
27th-30th - Golf, The Ryder Cup,
Medinah Country Club, Illinois
(www.rydercup.com)
1st-4th - Golf, World Golf
Championships, China
(www.pgatour.com)
10th - Rugby Union, England v
Fiji, Twickenham (www.rfu.com)
12th - Football, Sweden v
England, Stockholm
(www.uefa.com)
14th-15th - Pitchcare Safe Use Of
Pesticides PA1/PA6AW, Telford
South Africa, Twickenham
(www.rfu.com)
6th - Rugby League, Super
League Grand Final, Old Trafford
(www.therfl.co.uk)
To add your event to Forward Thinking
please email details to
[email protected] and don’t forget that
you can add it to Pitchcare’s online
calendar yourself! Simply log on to
www.pitchcare.com, select ‘Calendar’ in
the Home drop down button on the top
banner and click on “Add event’ at the top
of the page.
11th-12th - Pitchcare Safe Use Of
Pesticides PA1/PA6AW, Telford
qualifying matches, various
locations (www.fifa.com)
... rattling up 28 pints in the second
half
Greens are mown on a dally frequency
Tim was ken …
and will definably be back in the near
future
… Mark is a sports agrominist
November
5th - Pitchcare Stem Injection
Training Course, Telford
... a state of the art Desso Grandmaster … he had dreams of becoming a
professional football
pitch
... grasp the opportunity in two hands
25th - Pitchcare LANTRA Basic
Tree Survey and Inspection,
Hertfordshire
October
It appears that our Loz has taken up rapping - and no, we haven’t left a ‘c’ off!
... another year of hari kari
24th - Pitchcare Winter Sports
Turf Maintenance, Hertfordshire
Australia, Twickenham
(www.rfu.com)
Grandmaster Desso and the Curious Craft
The flood has resided very quickly
qualifying matches, various
locations (www.fifa.com)
... where he was brought and born up
... last year they hosted the world
Hoover craft championships
You can follow Loz on Twitter http://twitter.com/pitchcareloz
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An administration fee will be charged. The offer is subject to availability and we reserve the right to withdraw it at any time.
Finance is subject to status. Terms and conditions apply. For further information contact your local John Deere dealer.
JohnDeere.com
C753.1 E R_GatorGen
See it in action: JohnDeere.com/xuv

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