BARD day at the
OFFICE!
Laurence Gale MSc meets up with the two Groundsmen looking after King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
A RECENT trip took me to the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford-upon-Avon, one of the oldest in Britain dating back to 1427. It is believed that the Bard himself, William Shakespeare, attended the school.
The school provides education for over 400 boys. It has an excellent reputation for its sporting prowess, particularly rugby. In recent years it has reached several national schools. The sports grounds are set in 20
acres (8 hectares) on a natural flood plain providing space for two cricket squares, four rugby pitches and one grass hockey pitch, plus training grids and net practice areas. The site is bordered by mature
trees, shrubs and flower beds. The maintenance of all these facilities is carried out by two self employed Groundsmen, Geoff Calcott (an ex pupil of the school) and John Bishop; it is a role they have undertaken for the past nine years. Previously, the school had employed its own Groundsman. In addition to the school grounds, they also oversee the work at several local cricket clubs in their capacity as advisors and suppliers of services. Geoff is also a ECB Cricket Pitch advisor for Warwickshire. Both started their grounds maintenance careers as volunteer Groundsmen during their playing days at two local cricket clubs - Geoff at Stratford upon Avon CC and John at Shipston upon Stour CC. The school pays a set annual maintenance fee for their labour, and allocates a budget for materials and machinery repairs. All the
machinery on site belongs to the school.
During my meeting with them I could sense a real enthusiasm and collective bond in their determination to produce the best surfaces possible with the somewhat limited resources they had at hand. Geoff and John spend every nearly morning at the school, generally working from 7.00am to 1.00pm daily except for Sundays. The work is concentrated around the pitches with other areas given whatever time is left.
The equipment at the school is fairly basic and consists of:
• Kubota 14hp compact tractor fitted with a centre rotary deck
• Ransomes 185D triple mower • Ransomes Marquis Mower (6 bladed)
• SISIS Quadraplay • A one and quarter ton cricket roller
• Hayter pedestrian rotary mower • An unidentified old 30 inch cylinder mower
• Pedestrian cyclone spreader • A spray jet line marker
Geoff and John usually hire in additional equipment when needed. For example, during their cricket pitch renovations they hire in a Graden scarifier and Groundsman spiker. Regular surface aeration of the outfields and rugby pitches is achieved with the Quadraplay Slitter and, once a year, usually around late February or early March, they hire in a Vertidrain for deeper aeration. The sports pitches are totally free draining, the natural flood plain they are built on has an underlying gravel layer. There is no secondary
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