RUGBY


We had Paul Ashcroft, Stadium Head


”


Groundsman from Arsenal here last year to look at the Eclipse system, and he could not believe how few staff we have for the size of the site


Lee is happy with the kit available to him and the team, but would like to demo the new Dennis Pro 34R rotary clean up mower with a view to purchasing when possible. Lee tells me he finds it cheaper to get a contractor to carry out his aeration and spraying programmes rather than invest in their own equipment. It also gives him more time to get on with the other tasks around the extensive site.


When it comes to pest control, Lee has a big problem with rabbits and moles. “It’s a nightmare; half the site has a rabbit fence, but they are very good at digging under that. We are looking at extending the fence around the site, and we have people who come in to help control the population. Moles have started to become a big problem lately, so I have a guy who comes in to set traps. They mainly cause us problems on the outer sand/clay pitches.”


There are no further projects planned with the pitches, but the club is going to invest in a perimeter fence to help secure the site. “We are going to put up a prison grade


The top tier is well backed but, when you look at the pitches in our league, the Championship, there are some brilliant


”


groundsmen out here doing a grand job with little money


110 PC December/January 2019


fence around the whole site, to protect the kids and adults using the facilities. It will also help protect the pitches from any unwanted use during the week, so we can make them as good as we can. We are looking at expanding our car parks as we have a lot of conferences and events at the club during the week and, at present, we can only accommodate around 100-150 cars.” Lee tells me the club are very supportive. They try their best to invest and get what he needs to help improve the facility, as well as funding any training courses that he and his team would like to attend, but this can be difficult.


“I would like to go on more courses and attend seminars, but the problem is time with limited staff available. We had Paul Ashcroft, Stadium Head Groundsman from Arsenal here last year to look at the Eclipse system, and he could not believe how few staff we have for the size of the site.” “I hope to have a catch up with the chairman soon to see if it is feasible to employ two more apprentices, plus


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  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164