In Spring 2006, Old Marston Parish Council, Oxfordshire, invited Total Turf Solutions Ltd (TTS) to provide a feasibility report on the draining of sports pitches on their recreation ground. Simultaneously, their tenants, the successful Marston Saints FC, required a similar report to secure more playing area on adjacent unused land owned by Oxfordshire County Council
Ditches were cleared to help lower the water table
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April 06: Existing itch surface with plantains (Plantago major)
April 06: Pitch damage from a JCB
harlie Haynes, Chairman of Old Marston Parish Council summarised the Council’s position by describing the
outline of the project. He said “As the name of the village would suggest, the sports and recreation ground is built on boggy marsh land. In the 1960s a drainage system was installed and yet, in recent years, we have seen a gradual deterioration in the playing surfaces in the winter months. The result is that the local Marston Saints Football Club, who lease the land from the Parish Council, have been unable to use the pitches for around two to three months each season and have reluctantly had to hire alternative pitches in the area - simply because the land was waterlogged. We needed to identify the problem and assess the cost of the remedial work required.” Under the guidance of TTS
Technical Directors, Alan Lewis and David Bates, the feasibility study soon revealed that, on the Marston PCC land, the soil surface was compacted, with a penetrometer reading of over 600psi, and identified by the presence of a fine crop of plantians (Plantago major) - which is an indicator plant of soil compaction. In addition, the profile not only showed a compacted surface but a destructured top soil to a depth of 25-40mm. Further investigation of the pitch conditions was supported by discussions with the parish clerk who knew the history of the land for many years. It was found that an existing herringbone drainage system had been installed in the early 1960s and it was quickly confirm that this was blocked by the root growth of trees planted around the ground during the 1970s. Assessments were also made for Marston Saints FC for the works on
June 07: Waiting for the rain to stop
the adjacent land, which was overgrown and had poor surface levels. A topographical survey was completed to plan the design of the final pitch layout, including a drainage design, earth works reports, outfalls and final design levels. From the investigation survey and soil samples, the client could then be informed on why, and how, the land needed to be levelled and drained in preparation for the construction of the proposed five training pitches. The whole area required a topsoil strip and sub-soil levelling to get the area to a standard 1:200 gradient along the length of the pitch and 1:100 across the pitch. The drainage outfall of this site was easier to find than on the existing pitches on the adjacent site, where the land was over a metre higher with ditches around one side.
Both the above feasibility studies
were submitted, one to Marston Parish Council, in support of a funding applications to the Football Foundation and the other for Marston Saints Football Club for applications to the Oxfordshire County Council and Waste Recycling Environmental Limited (WREN). In response, the two funding bodies The Football Foundation and WREN, required detailed specifications of the whole project to be drawn up in preparation for invitations from contractors to tender for the work and establish market prices. TTS produced the tender documents and the drainage designs and put the two projects out to tender using their national contractor database. Having completed a structured review of the tenders returned, funds were granted by all the funding partners. In agreement with representatives of all the clients involved White Horse Contractors were selected to undertake the work and a start date
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