Winter Sports - Rugby Union
The clubhouse from pitch 3 “ It was not until 8th April 2013 that
We were frustrated and concerned that missing autumn seeding would mean the pitches were not going to be mature and well- grassed enough for play the following September
conditions became right for seeding the pitches and work on the bund restarted. The grass was up within two weeks, but an exceptionally dry April and May prevented prolific growth. It wasn’t until the June warmth that the new grass began to knit together, only to be met with a drought in July which brought growth to a standstill once more. “It was a frustrating time and a bit
worrying as we were only weeks away from the first games, but we were reassured that all the necessary groundwork had been done and we remained patient,” said Chris Lamb. Seeding the grass bund called for specialist equipment to handle the steep slope and need for low maintenance grass cover. On 20th June, CDTS Ltd from Malpas, Cheshire came in with a hydroseeder, using a high pressure hose, and deposited a DLF ProMaster 25 blend of Fescues, Bents and Crested Dogstail with a Browweb tackifier that helped the seed stick to the bank, combined with an 8:7:7 organic fertiliser. Everyone’s patience was rewarded when
rain arrived in late July and the grass took off. The pitches were marked out, post sockets installed and, by 28th August, the pitches were ready for a pre-season friendly. “We were delighted,” Chris said. “The work was what we had come to expect from Ecosol;
high quality and magnificently professional at all times, with relentless attention to detail. Bretton encouraged us to regard pitch construction and maintenance as an investment, not an overhead.” The club had managed to obtain some funding from Sport England to put in the six acre floodlit training pitch which was designed and specified by Sports Turf Consulting from Fairford, Gloucestershire. Ecosol seeded that in mid October 2013 and it was growing away before winter set in. 2014 started with a celebration for
Trowbridge which set the scene for their magical season. On 4th January, hundreds of players, guests and dignitaries attended the official opening of the clubhouse, where they were addressed by Bob Reeves, RFU President. “I am honoured to be here for this occasion,” he told the crowd, “to witness the opening of a facility which will benefit the community as a whole, not just rugby.” The clubhouse, with its two bars, airy
spaces, terrace and impressive changing rooms, has been booked ever since,” Chris Lamb said. “We have had to become totally professional about hiring it out. It’s popular for weddings, parties, wakes, bridge, even a seance and, sometimes, it gets difficult to juggle that with the rugby commitments, but it’s a great problem to have. The Doric Park ground brought about a renaissance for the
Hydroseeding the grass bund 78 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
Artificial turf walkway between clubhouse and pitch
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