Artificial Surfaces
Saracens v Cardiff Blues - the first competitive rugby match on an artificial surface in the UK
“The pile cannot be allowed to flatten. If it does, it can become potentially dangerous to players, so diligent
consistent pitch quality”
maintenance practice is essential to ensure
crucial element, and must meet the desired criteria to be used for competitive fixtures. The rubber slab is designed to absorb the force exerted on it, which is more pertinent in a sport like rugby where impact and firm contact with the ground is commonplace. Once the shock pad is in place, the
bespoke Rugger 65 carpet is rolled out in strips, the common edges glued, and the 65mm grass blades infilled with kiln dried silica sand to ensure the surface is not too soft, before being finished off with a styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) crumb infill of between 0.8mm-1.8mm, to accommodate a stud and allow desired traction levels. The yarn chosen for the carpet is made by Scottish manufacturer Bonar Yarns, who designed it specifically for use in rugby. Each piece of carpet is 4m wide, laid individually and stretched to ensure, when the surface is in use, that no bunching occurs and a perfectly even profile is maintained.
The carpet sits freely on the shock pad, held together by seaming tape, which unites the carpet as one. The tensile strength of the carpet is tailored to the individual sport, with rugby requiring a greater tensile strength than say football or hockey. The sand and rubber crumb infill, which sits at the base of the pile, has two purposes; first to act as ballast, and second to make up the mass. “We use a dry 0.7mm-0.25mm silica sand, quarried in the UK at Leighton Buzzard,” says Phil. “The mix is then applied, sand first, using a remotely controlled SandMatic machine, which applies accurate levels using oscillating brushes to work the material into the pile. The pitch is checked for adequate infill levels before every match, which is crucial as the pile cannot be allowed to flatten. If it does, it can become potentially dangerous to players, so diligent maintenance practice is essential to ensure consistent pitch quality.” Danny’s move to Saracens, which
A fast, running game 60 PC APRIL/MAY 2013
progressed faster than he expected, proved a baptism of fire, as he quickly realised the magnitude of his new role and how vital the
maintenance requirements were to ensure the new pitch met stringent playing criteria. Not only that, he arrived as Britain
shivered in the grip of arctic temperatures and a heavy blanket of snow. “Once works had finished, the installer talked me through what was required, how I should look after the pitch and what machines I would need,” Danny recalls. “I was also invited to a one-day maintenance course in Derby, where we covered the detail on how to properly look after the carpet to ensure we get the best from it.”
The community dimension means the pitch, and the eight-lane athletics track that surrounds it, is already being well used, and increase in footfall has aided in bedding in the rubber crumb, which is key to ensure it remains at a 5mm depth under the tip of the grass blades. “Before anyone steps out, I’ll walk the pitch, making sure there’s no snags or tears in the carpet, no rubbish or any rubber crumb build-up,” Danny continues. “Depending on usage, we’ll brush with the tractor mounted attachment once a week, and the club has now invested in a snow plough and vacuum salt spreader to clear snow and combat frost and ice so, along with standard maintenance requirements, we’ve covered all bases to ensure that the playing characteristics don’t change as the weather does.”
He’s welcomed the arrival of a New Holland TC 24 tractor, snow plough, salt spreader and plastic sheeting as he has had to contend with some hairy weather conditions in his short time at Saracens. “It’s fair to say we’ve had everything
thrown at us. Snow, torrential rain, ice and frost - even a little sunshine,” he jokes. “The pitch has managed excellently, though and, for me, it’s been about learning new skills on the job and understanding the correct ways of managing a synthetic pitch in cold weather.” With temperatures falling below zero
throughout, what was, a bitterly cold winter, Danny had to quickly set out his winter
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