The advice pays off
for Adam... T
here’s never a dull moment when Keith Kent, the Head Groundsman at Twickenham, is giving a talk on
his role at the Rugby Football Union’s National Stadium. Even more so when he is partnered by our very own Dave Saltman.
Adam Caves, Head Groundsman and 1st XV player at Moseley Rugby Club, has seen huge improvements in the pitch after following the advice of the RFU’s Keith Kent.
Report by Laurence Gale MSc 94
I caught up with Keith at Moseley Rugby Club, where he was addressing a number of Midlands rugby clubs, as part of the popular RFU grounds maintenance roadshows that they have been running for a number of years. The aims of the roadshows are to inform clubs of the latest developments in pitch maintenance, with a chance to hear how Keith looks after Twickenham and, for some clubs, the opportunity to have Keith inspect their facilities and give advice on the best way to manage their pitches with the resources they have. Keith is also able to pass on up-to-date information on funding opportunities available from the RFU and other sporting bodies. During the day, Keith conducted an inspection of the Moseley Pitch, taking soil samples to see the condition of the profile. He planned to discuss his findings with the groundstaff and then send them a written report. More on his findings later.
The evening talk was well attended Many of the questions from the floor
revolved around dwindling budgets and the lack of quality machinery. Keith pointed out that one of the most under performed practices was aeration, and that a good aeration programme would help the pitch more than anything else. He explained how the RFU offered a service to clubs to get their pitches aerated using the RFU’s soil relievers. The RFU have fourteen tractors and
soil relievers based at rugby clubs up and down the country, which can be hired for use. Moseley Rugby Club are one of these.
Adam Caves is the Head Groundsman at Moseley, and is also the man in charge of the tractor and aerator combo, travelling around the region to undertake the work required. He is also one of the club’s first team players. He organises his groundsman duties
around his busy professional rugby playing career. Adam, now twenty-seven, has been with the club since he was
with some groundsmen travelling from as far away as Nottingham, Fylde and Telford. One of the delegates was Greg Smith, the Head Groundsman from Notts County FC, who was keen to talk to Keith about his Meadow Lane pitch, where he now has to cope with both football and rugby (see article elsewhere in this magazine).
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