Winter Sports
Divoting after the match - that’s Loz’s fork in the foreground!
stadium, the rest of the work was done by around seventy labourers.
It took several days to complete the turf laying but, following some aftercare maintenance and watering, Roy was satisfied that the pitch would be able to accommodate the match and the two teams’ valuable players. Roy also oversees all the testing and monitoring of Man City’s various pitches. He regularly takes Clegg Hammer readings to test for firmness, opting to achieve a reading of between 65-88 gravities. He will take twenty-four readings from every pitch and average out the scores to get his overall result. To date, with the correct watering, aeration and maintenance programmes in place, the groundstaff have managed to keep within the target levels. Roy also monitors thatch content and
Post match clean up using Lawnflite rotaries
nutrient levels, using a range of agronomic tools, as well as independent testing carried out by ProLeisure every three months. Similarly, since the lighting rigs have been employed at the Etihad, Roy and Lee have kept detailed records on the amount of light they give each area of the pitch, moving the rigs accordingly every two to three days. As Lee says, gone are the days of guessing the management of top level pitches. It has become much more of a science in recent years, backed up with sound cultural practices.
The second half of the game proved to be one-way traffic, with Man City piling on the pressure, and eventually getting an equaliser in the 65th minute. As is often the way with City, they scored a late winner two minutes before the final
Putting the lighting rigs back out is the final job before going home
whistle. At least I was back in Lee’s good books as his team had maintained their unbeaten home run.
As soon as the game had finished, we went back out onto the pitch to replace the divots, clean up with the pedestrian rotaries, and put all the lighting rigs back on. This took the team just over two hours and we managed to complete the work at 5.30pm. All that was left was to wash down the mowers and head home after what had been a long, but enjoyable day.
I would like to thank Roy and Lee for their
hospitality and wish them well for the rest of the season.
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treated
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013 PC 57
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