Sports & Recreation Clubs
uses the site on weekdays. Hornsby House School at Balham has used the ground for the past six years for football, rugby, cricket and netball. The school would like to secure a long-term tenure. Negotiations continue and, if successful, would open up opportunities for a 4G artificial grass training area; a much needed facility bearing in mind the numbers using the ground! “Prior to 2010, our income only
covered just being there for each of the Ironsides sections,” says Eric. “There has been some leeway in terms of pitch care since then, but our resources remain very limited.” “The real problem is always going
to be massive over use, and the overlapping of winter and summer seasons makes it worse. The outfield here is used seven days a week, and rugby training, in particular, takes a real toll. It’s quite normal for sixty-odd players to be training in a limited area of the ground in all weathers.” Judging by the mud in the changing rooms, quite a lot of the surface keeps being taken away! “It’s great to have growing numbers of players, winter and summer, and fantastic that now the rugby club has become so successful on the field, but it does present more and more pitch problems. We’re the victims of our own success, you might say.” Eric then takes me on a tour of
the ground. It has contrasting highs and lows. The football pitch looks verdant and inviting, as does the cricket square, where Simon Mills is near to finishing the mini granular fertiliser application. Beyond these two gems, on what is the cricket outfield, is a pitch area which, even in just mid-November, is heavily worn by a constant succession of school football by day and evening rugby training. Worse still is what can best be described as a grass free area, where heavy mud is ameliorated only by visible signs of
sand spreading. This, I’m told, is where the 4G surface will go if current plans reach fruition. It’s easy to understand such
contrasts in appearance when you realise that the football pitch gets a maximum of say five hours play a week and the outer training areas can be subjected to twenty hours and more ‘under the stud’. It’s ‘cuppa’ time for Simon and he
tells me about his baptism into groundcare and how he does what he can to keep Battersea Ironsides’ pitches half decent. As autumn turns to winter, it’s all about keeping the outfield fit for winter games training and matches and, at the same time, keeping the hallowed cricket square in good shape. He has been looking after the
ground for five years, effectively taking over from Mick and Eric. He had no previous experience and, before the London Marathon Trust came along to change things for the club, he’d been report writing for a metal industry magazine and playing cricket for Battersea Ironsides at the weekend. Simon’s had no formal training,
but says he owes a lot to Pitchcare courses. He’s been on half a dozen: two cricket at Guildford, winter- pitch at Horsham, artificial surfaces at Southampton, and spraying at Telford. “I really enjoyed these courses.
They gave me masses of basic advice and I certainly got a lot out of them,” says Simon. “Also of great help in learning the ropes has been Steve Irons, the head groundsman at our neighbours, the Spencer Club.” “Unfortunately, we are still very
limited in what we can do with the budget and equipment to hand. I have to use a Westwood ride-on to cut the outfield areas all year round, though I do have two old, but decent Toro and Ransomes Auto Certes pedestrians for cutting the
Heavily studded - the ‘non-grass’ rugby training area
Battersea Ironsides' football pitch looking immaculate well into November
Spring renovation courtesy of A T Bone
Manufacturers of quality PVCu fencing systems.
Made in Britain. Approved and used by equestrian and sporting associations worldwide.
t:01608 678238 e:
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duralock.com PC DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016 I 65
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