Winter Sports - Rugby “
I've been growing grass for sixty years, so I don’t need to do a lot of soil tests or analysis. I work closely with an agricultural agronomist and you won’t find me buying little bags of expensive mixtures
have a Kubota ST36 for spiking, topdressing and surface work.” He describes the Jacobsen triple mower as
‘very reliable’, and it needs to be, mowing four pitches and the training areas every day in the growing season. Fertiliser is supplied in bulk bags and David
believes in using straights to supply the required nutrition. “I’ve been growing grass for sixty years, so I don’t need to do a lot of soil tests or analysis. I work closely with an agricultural agronomist and you won’t find me buying little bags of expensive mixtures. In my consultancy work, I see a lot of pitches that are starved, but just need a good application of basic fertiliser.” David is also sceptical of grass seed suppliers’ claims for the latest grass varieties that grow emerald green swards all year round. “Grass just won’t germinate in the winter,
David Powell on the pitch at Franklin's Gardens with the Sturridge Pavilion in the background - it is to be replaced with the new Barwell Stand in time for the 2015-16 season
Grass just won’t germinate in the winter, unless it’s got heat lamps on it - I watch sport on television and wonder what would be so wrong with having pitches that weren’t bright green
96 I PC JUNE/JULY 2015 ”
In early May, two training pitches were mole drained to 12-14in deep at 750cm centres, then stripped with the Omarv flail collector, before being harrowed and swept. The Moore Uni Drill was used to overseed in two directions before a final roll, as the pitches had to be back in action by June
unless it’s got heat lamps on it - I watch sport on television and wonder what would be so wrong with having pitches that weren’t bright green. But I can’t deny that varieties have improved over the years and that it has
The ‘subterranean lake’ under the Burrda Stand which takes drainage water from the pitch and car parks and stand roofs for recycling as irrigation water
made playing conditions better. When I was playing, even some of the international pitches were poor.” He points out that, whilst the Franklin's
Gardens stadium pitch is seeded with a premium mix, and the training pitches a lower cost mixture, it is hard to see the difference between the two. David comments that the club benefits
from being self-contained in its own grounds with ample space and parking, but gets plenty of support from the local community and businesses. “The stadium is at the centre of everything
- from the players’ award ceremony held in a marquee on the pitch in May, to the semi- final play-offs, which followed immediately after. We then had a concert to say farewell to the old Sturridge Pavilion, before the pitch was koroed off ready to be relaid for the new season.”
Looking after the pitches, along with the
maintenance of the stadium, has represented a significant workload for David, who is seventy-three years old, but the help of three men and the right equipment have produced
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