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“The best part of my job is the satisfaction of seeing thousands of people descend on Cowdray during Gold Cup week to enjoy the polo, played on surfaces that we’ve dedicated so much time to”
Julian Russell-Hayes, Head Groundsman, Cowdray Park
need the space to justify the purchase.” Something in plentiful supply at Cowdray Park. With a 5.5hp engine, a top speed of 18mph and the ability to line a lawn in 20 minutes, the Trike suits the large, agricultural scale of Cowdray Park down to a tee, not to mix the metaphor. “Before purchasing the machine, lining a pitch by hand could take up to an hour and a half, so it’s been a worthwhile investment for us,“ says Tony Lewis, one of the team of four groundsmen at Cowdray. The line marker needs to be a workhorse, he adds, as Cowdray plough through more than sixty big tubs of the marble-based marking material a year.
Although the polo season only runs
from mid-April to the end of September, upkeep of the grounds is a year-round undertaking. “We maintain a 20mm cut height throughout the playing season and for match days,” Julian explains, “but leave the sward to grow to 45mm through the winter months to allow the divot damage to properly repair, ready for the new season. “Our regular programme of post- match maintenance involves the initial filling-in of all the holes post chukka, followed by cutting if the weather permits, then finishing with a light roll with the roller mowers.” Cowdray use a 20ft Major roller
mower, in addition to a fleet of Kesmac gang mowers, also of a similar cut width. “It’s a great machine for consolidating
divots after chukkas,” says Julian. Applying the right fertilisers is as important as utilising the correct machinery, he believes. “We have an ongoing fertiliser programme and, in winter, send our soil off for analysis to NRM laboratories in Woking, Surrey, to reveal any nutrient deficiencies. The sandy soil here leaches potassium very quickly, requiring us to apply high potassium fertiliser in the autumn and spring. We top up with nitrogen in the summer to help the turf recover from the rigours of play.”
He has only a few words to say on weeds but his spray programme, carefully recorded, clearly brings results, judging by the pristine condition of the turf. “We spray with Headland Transfer weedkiller
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