I don’t believe it! The not so serious side of the industry
©BBC
Some people are on the pitch ...
WHAT’S this, a pitch invasion of the hallowed Lord’s turf?
Nope, just another move to de-stuffify the venue by the powers that be at the home of cricket.
During lunch on
the fifth day of the 1st Test against Bangladesh, the crowd were allowed access to the outfield for the first time ever.
Over 9,000 spectators had turned up to witness an England win against the ever improving opposition, and many of them took advantage of this rare opportunity.
Nasser Hussain was out in the
middle signing anything that was thrust in front of him, whilst fellow commentators, David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd and David Gower marvelled at the scenes whilst trying to summarise the morning’s play.
MCC chief executive, Keith Bradshaw, described the event as ‘ground breaking’.
We hope, for Mick Hunt’s sake, that was not the case!
Ox to the slaughter ...
AN ox was slaughtered at Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium to bless the country’s stadiums for the FIFA World Cup.
Xhosa warrior, Zakhele Sigcawu, 70, of the Tshawe clan, speared the ox in the back of its neck between its horns.
“He is a specialist in doing this,” said Zolani Mkiva, president and director general of the Institute of African Royalty. “He came all the way from the rural Eastern Cape to do this.”
“We centralised the blessing here as the tournament starts here and ends here,” he said, adding that the spiritual communication process was very “sacred”.
The ceremony, which started with the slaughter, was attended by about 2,000 people from most South African cultures, and most of them in traditional attire.
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The traditional herb, impepho, was burnt, and healers called on African ancestors and God to ensure a successful World Cup.
They all also communicated the “spirit” of the day’s proceedings to the other stadiums in the country spiritually.
“Our stadiums are now officially blessed, according to our culture, for the
tournament,” Mr Mkiva said.
Could this be the answer to the Wembley pitch problems?
Divot Divas bed in well!
When it comes to keeping things neat and tidy, a woman’s touch is often best.
And it would appear the same rule applies to top-class golf courses.
Those teeing off on the iconic Old Course at St Andrews this year have a troupe of glamorous Eastern European women to thank for its meticulously groomed fairways and greens.
After struggling to find local workers happy to brave the chilly 5.30am starts, St Andrews Links Trust managers turned to an employment agency for help - and they have been delighted with the results.
The ‘divot divas’ are busy preparing the course for this summer’s Open
Championship and the arrival of top golfers such as Tiger Woods (oo-er!).
And they have settled into life in the sedate Scottish coastal town so well that one has married a local, whilst four of the others are living with members of the greenkeeping staff!
Six days a week, the ladies turn out to maintain the course’s clipped and polished landscape in the face of over- zealous golfers and the unforgiving North Sea winds.
From March to October, they earn £5.80 an hour by filling the divots with sand. For the rest of the year they dig out up to 40,000 divots and replace them with fresh turf.
Gordon Moir, the Trust’s director of greenkeeping, said: ‘It wasn’t what I was expecting but it couldn’t have worked out better. The girls are such brilliant workers. Their timekeeping is exemplary and there is no such thing as sickness.’
The girls, aged between 23 and 30, come from Latvia and Estonia.
Loz has his hands full!
WE know we shouldn’t let him out but, just occasionally, we feel he needs a bit of fresh air.
This picture was taken at a Hooters bar in the States, and came to us via one of our clients. It might explain why our Laurence had a
smile on his face for the best part of a week after he got back!
Anyway, if you can think of a suitable caption, email it to
editor@pitchcare.com and we’ll send a bottle of bubbly to the best one.
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