Summer Sports - Tennis
We will already have an idea of what we think the courts need, based on how they have played that day, what the weather has done, and our general perception of how the court feels
Water has to be applied to the courts to keep them in optimum condition
we will also have to give a precise time for when the players will be able to come back on to court. This is partly so the referee can ensure they are at the court when they should be.
The bigger reason though is that TV need
to set their schedules around it, whether it be fitting in commercial breaks, studio time or any other filler, but making sure that they are ready to resume production of the on court match at the exact time we say we will be ready. There is certainly a lot of pressure riding on our shoulders, but it is this pressure which makes the job exciting and fun to do! Regardless of whether it rains or not,
there is still plenty to do during the day, such as keeping the site clear of rubbish and litter, servicing player areas with drinks, towels, tennis balls etc. and making sure courts are serviced between games, so emptying court bins, topping up drinks fridges, replenishing ice boxes etc. We also have a significant workload to get
through once play is finished for the day. Stands have to be litter picked so that rubbish doesn’t blow all over the site overnight. We also do a full litter pick of the site and empty all bins so that we start the
Stock #: 41030400 • 235 hours • 66hp diesel engine
• eHydro hydrostatic transmission • Comfort cab with aircon • John Deere Warranty until Nov 2016
£22,995 +VAT
Milton Common, Thame Oxfordshire ....... Hinckley, Leicestershire ........................... Shefford, Hungerford, Berkshire .............. Midhurst, West Sussex ............................
Mil C Th Of d
01844 278843 01455 638960 01488 648552 01730 819981 01327 264844
4720 • 79 Hours • 44hp diesel engine
• 3 range eHydro transmission • Cab with aircon • Full 2 Year John Deere Warranty
£20,995 +VAT
www.farol.co.uk e-mail:
sales@farol.co.uk
FarolLtd @FarolLtd PC JUNE/JULY 2015 I 63
following day on the front foot. Paths are swept so that wood chip and gravel is back where it should be, ornamental plants are watered and any other furniture around the site is straightened up so that it looks tidy for the following day. With regards to the courts, we will remove
any debris as required. We will rotary mow behind the baselines, and also the lines themselves to ensure there is a clean surface for paint to transfer to when they are over- marked. We also repair any surface damage as necessary. Whilst the WTA are taking a much stricter line with handing out punishments and fines, we still get instances where players and their racquets become temporarily estranged! Unfortunately, the court normally bears the brunt of their frustration, meaning we will have to repair the surface ready for the following day in order to ensure the bounce remains consistent. Normally, there are two ways of doing
this. For some, we will try and lift the damage and then re-pack underneath with fresh, dry topdressing. However, this method only really works with more minor damage. Where more significant damage has been caused, we will transplant in a new piece of
turf, cut from the edge of the court so that the playing surface is consistent. Either way, these sort of repairs cause a significant amount of frustration! The last thing we do before pulling the
covers on at night is apply irrigation. We test the courts first thing in the morning, again just before play, and then again after play has finished. We take readings for the surface hardness using a Clegg Hammer, and moisture readings using a soil moisture probe. By means of a basic explanation, the more moist the soil, the lower the surface hardness. We aim for a surface hardness of around 200 gravities, putting us in the same sort of bracket as Wimbledon, ensuring that players get the opportunity to play on a surface as close to that as the courts at the All England Club as possible. We take these readings so that we can then decide how much water to apply using the irrigation system. It should be noted that we will already have an idea of what we think the courts need, based on how they have played that day, what the weather has done, and our general perception of how the court feels. The scientific data is there to confirm what we are thinking, and to quantify what we are doing to those who
Stock #: 11034300 3720
”
Connect Deck 72” Auto
ex-hire ex-demo
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