Pitchcare Classifieds SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
Sports Ground Contractors Ltd
Fineturf’s sarrel roller - on loan to Notts County
been difficult to maintain grass cover and keeping the sward upright when there are so many games in succession.”
“There have been times when we have had a football match on Saturday, a rugby match on Sunday and a second XI game on Tuesday. The grass doesn’t stand a chance in those circumstances. All we can do between games is replace divots, perhaps put a bit of topdressing down to restore levels, mark out and mow.”
“We do not have undersoil heating, although plans are in the pipeline (excuse the pun) to put in a gas powered system in the future. Neither do we have the luxury of lighting rigs, although we did trial some last year and I was very impressed with their performance. The only protection we can give the pitch is with forty Tildenet frost sheets, but they only work down to about minus 4O
C."
However, help from an unusual quarter has recently ‘lightened’ Greg’s mood. “Heat lamps confiscated in raids on local cannabis farms have been offered to us by the local constabulary,” says Greg with a smile. “We’ll use the siezed equipment to make lighting rigs. We’ve got Nottingham University students involved in the project to design and build the rigs, with wheels for them being donated by a local golf club. I’m hoping they’ll be ready to use before the start of next season.”
Nottinghamshire Constabulary’s Superintendent Mark Holland said it was a “win, win” situation for all involved. “This property would normally be crushed, so it is important it gets reused.”
Greg obviously agrees and says that it will be a massive saving for the club. “Normally, to buy just one rig, you are looking at between £10,000 and £15,000. The club has made a donation to a local charity supported by Nottinghamshire Police as a thank you.”
Greg and Trevor have got the change over between football and rugby down to a fine art. “We can take down one set of posts, erect another set and re- mark in less then two hours,” Greg says.
“Ongoing maintenance is fairly
typical,” explains Greg. “Aeration is undertaken monthly, using a Sisis fitted with solid tines, to keep the pitch free draining. Headland products are used for feeding - every four to six weeks - usually Greentec 6:5:18+Mg+04Fe NPK, with some liquid iron applied, as and when needed, to maintain colour.”
“The pitch is marked out using a spray jet impact linemarker - both football and rugby lines are painted in white.”
Mowing is done on a daily basis throughout the growing season, maintaining a height of cut around 28mm to provide a safe and quick surface for both rugby and football. “The rugby lads have now got used to playing on a flatter, quicker surface, and they reckon it helps the speed of play,” says Greg.
Available budgets dictate the amount of work that can be achieved in terms of maintenance and, more importantly, end of season renovations.
This May, with the help of Fineturf, Greg is going fraise mow the top 15mm, re-level, verti-drain, topdress with thirty tonnes and overseed with Limagrain's MM60 and MM25 grass seed mixtures. He has specified MM25 to help retain some grass cover in worn and shaded areas of the stadium. A 14:6:8 pre-seed fertiliser will be applied at 35gm2
surface sown at 70gm2
, and the final over two
passes using a Blec seeder.
In his thirteen years with the club, Greg has seen umpteen managers come and go. “They all have their own ways of working and special
requirements, but I always make a point of getting to know them and ensure I build up a good working relationship.”
“I consider myself very lucky to be working here. Sure, it can be stressful at times, and I do get some flack about the current state of the pitch. But, the management understand the reasons for it and, together, I think we will see improvements next year, especially if the snow and freezing temperatures stay away. Sometimes, you just cannot compete with Mother Nature!”
D W Clark DRAINAGE LTD
SPECIALIST SPORTSTURF CONSTRUCTION & DRAINAGE CONTRACTORS • Gravel Banding • Sand Slitting
• Top Dressing • Renovation • Irrigation Unit 7, Brailes Industrial Estate, Winderton Lane, Lower Brailes Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5JW
Tel: 01608 685800 Fax: 01608 685801 email:
jim@dwclarkdrainageltd.co.uk Web:
www.dwclarkdrainageltd.co.uk
Natural & Synthetic
Renovation - Drainage - Maintenance Sports Pitch Design - Construction
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APRIL/MAY 2013 PC 147
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