Summer Sports Cricket’s Canterbury Tale
58
Simon Williamson, may be West Bromwich born and a lifelong Baggies fan, but he’s a ‘Man of Kent’ if ever there was one. Neville Johnson went to the home of Kent cricket to see him at work and get a feel of life at one of our most traditional, yet now very go ahead grounds as the 2014 season beckoned.
A beautiful setting, but ... 62
The storms of February were the straw that broke the camel’s back for Dowdeswell Cricket Club as their last remaining ‘facility’ - their machinery shed - was brought to its knees. So, in pure British Bulldog spirit, the club has relocated to the nearby village of Shipton Oliffe.
Schools & Colleges A good career move
Conservation Help stop the procession
90
Greenkeepers and groundsmen are among groups most at risk from exposure to oak processionary moth caterpillars. They are also well placed to help efforts to control the pest, suggests Andrew Hoppit, OPM project manager for the Forestry Commission.
Seeing the trees not the wood 96
With the recent high winds encountered across the UK, the problem of what to do with the vast amounts of fallen timber has come to the fore. There are a number of solutions, such as chipping, burning or selling on as logs, but why not consider an eco-pile?
It is time to plan ahead 66
Women working in the turfcare industry are a rarity, so much so that one post on the Pitchcare message board posed the question “why aren’t there more women in the industry?” The theories were many and varied, so we thought we’d ask one of the ‘rarities’!
A passion for turf ... 70
We talk to Mark Field, the Head Groundsman at Watford Grammar School, whose eight year tenure has resulted in improved playing surfaces and a better understanding of maintenance equipment requirements by those that hold the purse strings.
Artificial Surfaces The game has changed
Consider the x factor 98
The lack of flood management infrastructure had a huge impact on society in general and has had a devastating effect on families, their homes and, of course, the economy. Yet, in a matter of weeks, we could all be experiencing drought conditions, such is the current trend for weather extremes.
Equestrian The little course with a big heart 106
Our editor walks Newton Abbott racecourse in Devon with Clerk of the Course, Jason Loosemore, and discovers a little course with a big heart and a distinct feeling of camaraderie.
74
It has been one year since Saracens became the first top flight rugby team to install a synthetic pitch at their Allianz Park stadium. The anniversary of the move was marked last month, when Saracens beat Newcastle Falcons in the LV=Cup.
78
There has been a great deal of development in synthetic turf pitches in recent years; carpet technology has adapted, the requirements for surfaces have increased and people’s perceptions of synthetic turf are changing.
Public Places The best job in the world! 82
English Heritage’s north territory includes the guardianship of some of the finest historical sites in the country. Charged with their overall management is Mick Wilson, the organisation’s Regional Landscape Manager.
Technical After the flood
RSPB and Golf Made in Japan Skin Cancer
94
110 114
Also in this issue Grasscutter 56
News 4
The Drain Game 122
With the wettest winter on record behind us and vast areas of the country suffering the aftermath of inundation, sports surface specialist total-play Ltd offers advice on what cricket clubs should be doing now to help rescue flood damaged natural and non- turf facilities.
Back to the future? Not what they used to be! 124
With unprecedented rainfall, and sports turf managers struggling to keep turf surfaces playable, could a back to the future approach help solve the problem?
126
Hanfried Sievers is the Training Manager at Cutting Edge Training and, in this article, he discusses the importance of battery maintenance and the problems that will arise if they are not kept in optimum condition.
Dead Man’s Finger! 132
Hemlock Water Dropwort is one of the lesser known weeds, but knowing how to identify and control it may be a life saver this spring.
Myerscough College Frank Newberry
Homebrewed Compost Control Problems Fairy Rings
Moss Invasion
138 142 144 146 148 150
Chemical Waste Disposal
116 134
66
Jo Rawlinson, Charterhouse School
88
Mick Wilson, English Heritage
Offside
152 PC APRIL/MAY 2014 I 3
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156