Earning my Spurs at White Hart Lane
Flying at the Emirates
Wednesday March 16th: My penultimate trip, which also lasted two days. Again with the helpful presence of my partner Danielle, I mowed Man City, Wigan and Blackburn on the first day and, on the second, Bolton and the mighty Manchester United.
With Lee and the lads at Eastlands
Wigan particularly interested me, as it was the only ground I visited that hosts Rugby League games as well as Premiership ones. Obviously, this pitch had a more intense playing regime than any other club, so Ian Forshaw has that little bit more of a challenge than perhaps the rest of us. Divoting must be a nightmare!
Lee Jackson’s perspective on the takeover of Man City by their new owners was fascinating, telling me that, obviously, his budget has gone up since their arrival but, so too, has the expectation of presenting a world class pitch.
With Ian Forshaw at Wigan
Manchester United was the club I was looking forward to the most, being one of the biggest football clubs on the planet. Tony Sinclair and his lads were very welcoming, with the topic on the agenda being grow lights. We were discussing that the winter months are not as daunting as they once were now we have the lights to fall back on.
That made seventeen clubs that I had completed and only one trip left to cover the remaining three.
Mowing Ewood Park
Wednesday March 23rd: My final day on the project. I was very kindly escorted to mow Liverpool, Everton and Blackpool by Glen Howard of Vitax to help on fuel expenses. There was something very special about mowing Anfield, a famous team with a great stadium. In fact, the strip of grass that I cut was in front of the Kop end. It really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Richard Norton and the Bolton lads
Stan Maby at Blackpool was a great character. It was interesting to talk with him. If I’m honest, I felt sorry for him as he was telling me he was the only
Upton Park life
groundsman at the stadium, so jobs such as cutting took him around three to four hours, but he didn’t seem to mind. It made me realise how lucky I am to be in a team of four at Molineux.
So, as I upped and left Bloomfield Road I felt the most amazing sense of achievement. It was unbelievable to think that I am the only person to have ever mowed every Premier League pitch. It really has been unforgettable meeting the groundsmen at every stadium and sharing with them their pitch routines.
There has been so much to take away from this journey, with fond memories, priceless photos and, more importantly, a better knowledge of the industry and the people in it.
At this point, I’d like to say a huge thank you to each and every head groundsman who were kind enough to let me mow their pitch, which they so rightly take a lot of pride in. They all made me feel very welcome.
I’d also like to show my appreciation to Dave Saltman and Pitchcare for sponsoring me £250. With their help I have managed to raise a staggering £2000 for Comic Relief, and the figure is still rising!
My superstar girlfriend has been really supportive throughout the whole project, joining me at almost half the clubs I visited. And, finally, a big thank you to Wayne and the Wolves for letting me have the time off to undertake this great project.
So, after travelling 1,415 miles over 35 days, using seven different types of mowers at twenty stadium pitches, I can finally say, “I’ve cut every pitch in the Barclays Premier League!”
You can still sponsor Chris by visiting his sponsor page at
www.rednoseday.com and searching Chris Lane.
Contact Chris on 07805 039435 or email
chris-llaney@hotmail.co.uk
Mowing Old Trafford
Mowing in front of the Kop
With Stan Maby at Bloomfield Road
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