Greenock’s £8k Pitch Revamp

Greenock’s £8k Pitch Revamp: Life’s a beach for Morton’s groundsman after 60 tonnes of sand was spread onto the Cappielow pitch as part of an £8,000 renovation project.

The hallowed turf is undergoing an annual overhaul to ensure the playing surface is in pristine condition come the start of the new season.

Greenock's £8k Pitch Revamp

Award-winning groundsman Mark Farrell, 42, is leading the two-week, intensive restoration work.

A total of 52 matches were played on the pitch last term by the Ton’s first team, development squad and Celtic’s Under-20s.

Despite still looking like a carpet come the end of another long season, Mark says it is vital to keep on top of the pitch, which is regarded as one of the best in the country.

He told the Tele: “The pitch had a lot of games and a lot of usage.

“It was getting tired and needed a rest.

“We’ve put some sand deep down to improve drainage a bit more, smoothed off the surface and put some fresh seed in.

“The surface was looking a bit tired so the key now is to make sure it’s looking healthy again.”

Around 150kg of grass seed has also been planted and Mark has been working once again with specialist contractors Campey Turf Care.

Mark said: “It’s coming along nicely and the weather has been great.

“This time last year it was a case of trying to get water off the pitch because it was so wet and this year I’m trying to get water on it.

“It will be fifteen years in September since I started here so I know the pitch inside out now.

“The club have never refused me whenever I’ve asked for anything and that’s a good thing.

“The club wants a good pitch that’s ready for matchday and that’s what I always work towards.”

The Cappielow surface is regularly praised by fans, players, managers and club officials from across the footballing world.

Morton chief executive Warren Hawke paid tribute to the hard-working grounds manager.

He said: “The pitch is one of our biggest assets and that’s why we continue to invest in it.

“We’re lucky to have an excellent person in charge of the playing surface in Mark.”

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Work Underway At Ewood Park

Work Underway At Ewood Park: Work is underway on the pitch at Ewood Park as Rovers prepare for life back in the Championship.

Head groundsman Trevor Wilkin admits preparations for the 2018/19 campaign are well underway and will step up over the next few weeks.

Work Underway At Ewood Park

The Ewood groundstaff were highly commended by the EFL for the condition of the pitch during the course of the League One season.

And Wilkins, who has worked for the club for over 35 years, explained the process which will take place over the summer.

He said: “All that’s happening is what we do every season, which is stripping the old turf off, adding some fresh root zone, freshening everything up and reseeding.

“People get it in their head that it’s a brand new pitch, but it’s not. It’s more of a make do and mend job.

“Over the next few days, the old turf will be stripped off, then we’ll get the new root zone on, mix it all together and by the end of the week it should all be levelled and seeded.

“It will then be put to bed for two weeks, then hopefully it should be totally green and ready for me to start cutting again.

“Hopefully we get a decent summer and then we’ll be ready to go from mid to late July.”

Wilkin admits there has been investment from the owners on the pitches at the club’s Senior and Academy training centres at Brockhall with that work also underway.

And he hopes that will bear fruit for the players and coaching staff during the course of the 2018/19 season.

He told the club website: “There’s lots of work going on down at Brockhall as well.

“The owners have spent money on every single pitch this summer, which is great – a good investment.

“Every single pitch at the Senior Training Centre and the Academy is having some work done on it, and that’s the bread and butter for the players.

“We’ll be doing the best we can to produce training pitches as good as Ewood for Tony (Mowbray) and his staff.”

The club were two League One clubs to be highly commended by the EFL for the condition of the pitch, with the overall honours going to Rotherham United.

The rankings are based on marks from referees and away managers, as well as detailed pitch inspections and a review of management operations.

And Wilkin added: “This is a great achievement for everyone involved after what has been a difficult season fixture and weather-wise.

“We had a tough period from late January through to the middle of February, but the winter we had, as everyone knows, was horrendous, plus this season what really hit us was the amount of fixtures we’ve had.

“I think the last league game of the season against Oxford was our 40th fixture here at Ewood, which is an unbelievable number for this stadium, so overall we’re very pleased.”

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Contractor Fined After Wall Collapse

Contractor Fined After Wall Collapse: A landscape contractor has been fined £20,000 plus costs after a worker was seriously injured injured when a retaining wall collapsed and trapped him underneath.

Contractor Fined After Wall Collapse

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard that while he was excavating a trench in front of an existing blockwork wall, a section of the wall collapsed and fell on him trapping him underneath. He sustained a complex fracture to his pelvis which required surgery and he has not been able to return to work since the incident.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to properly plan and manage the installation of the timber structure, and had not put sufficient control measures in place to prevent the collapse of the existing blockwork wall.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 19 (1) of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1048.86 and a victim surcharge of £220.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Cain Mitchell said: “This case highlights the dangers of undermining a free-standing wall by excavating alongside the structure without appropriate planning and the necessary precautions in place.

“If the company had implemented reasonably practicable measures that minimised the risk to persons working next to such structures this incident could easily have been avoided.”

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Sierrablen Plus A Game Changer

Sierrablen Plus A Game Changer: Course Superintendent at Castleknock Golf Club in Dublin, John Jennings, always used to have difficulty with achieving longevity from the fertilizers he was using – that was until he applied ICL’s Sierrablen Plus Stress Control 15-5-22 +2MgO.

Located in the leafy suburbs of Dublin, Castleknock Golf Club is one of the finest parkland courses in the country. With its undulating greens, the course is designed to test golfers while maintaining that all important element of fairness. There are a number of memorable holes on the course, most notably the 9th and 18th, and two par 3’s over water that share a double green, with the clubhouse providing a stunning backdrop.

Sierrablen Plus A Game Changer

Tasked with keeping the course in impeccable condition is John Jennings. John started his career at Castlebar Golf Club before moving to the Grange Golf Club in 1984 – where he worked for 16 years.

In 1999 John accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent at Carton House where he worked under John Plummer. During this time he undertook the responsibility of the grow-in of the O’Meara and Montgomery Courses. He spent four years in this position before taking the role of Course Superintendent at Castleknock Golf Club in 2004 – which corresponded with the opening of the course.

Now a vibrant club with a growing membership which currently stands at approximately 900 members, Castleknock can see up to 40,000 rounds of golf a year played on the course. As you would expect, to cater for this high amount of usage the course is maintained to the highest standard.

Generally, John does not encounter too many issues, which is testament to his work, but he does admit to a slightly problematic area on his fairways.

“I have used many controlled release fertilizers over the years and struggled to get longevity and colour due to the high sand content in my fairways. However, since I began using Sierrablen Plus fertilizers two years ago it has become a game changer.”

John is one of many turf managers who has benefited from using a range of products in the Sierrablen Plus portfolio. This is largely thanks to the Poly-S and PACE technologies which are contained within each analysis. They have been scientifically proven to provide consistent feeding, enhanced longevity and a low-scorch risk. Furthermore, its small-sized granules allow for even coverage and equal nutrient distribution. These fertilizer products offer a wide choice of analyses for proper nutrient input for every growth phase of the turf, and John has certainly noticed significant improvements since the product.

Featuring high potassium content to strengthen cell walls, John applied the analysis to his fairways in September 2017 and despite the incredibly harsh winter, it was still having a positive effect in March 2018. John was so impressed with the product that this year he applied Sierrablen Plus Stress Control to his tees and was pleased to see remarkable progression so soon – again in unfavourable weather conditions.

“I am extremely impressed with the early response and sward density achieved when using the product, giving uniform growth that lasts 6 – 7 months. I will continue to use it and would highly recommend it to anyone,” he said.

For further information, please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie

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Rigby Taylor Brings Swathe Of Colour

Rigby Taylor Brings Swathe Of Colour: As part of Course Manager Matt Aplin’s plan to enhance the ecological footprint of the Goring and Streatley Golf Club, the “amazingly colourful results” of sowing Euroflor wildflowers “attracted as many complimentary comments about the outstanding display of colour as about the quality and performance of our greens”, he says.

“That was in a year when the course was magnificent – it was looking immaculate and was playing very well – so the display of wildflowers obviously made a massive impression on everyone who saw them,” he adds.

Rigby Taylor Brings Swathe Of Colour

“The news travelled fast about the swathe of colours and we even had non-playing visitors coming to see the display!”

Since Matt was appointed Course Manager at the Berkshire club in 2015 – after joining the greenkeeping team as an apprentice 20 years ago – he has constantly been looking for opportunities to improve the course’s ecological footprint and last year identified a rough area adjacent to the 14th hole that he wanted to improve.

“I was bouncing my thoughts about the possible use of wildflowers off Gareth Acteson, Rigby Taylor’s area sales director, and he suggested that the Euroflor mix (rather than native species) might work better in that spot.

“The Sarah Bouquet mix of annuals was chosen on the advice of club member Joyce Gustard, who is renowned among the membership for the quality of the floral display in her own garden, and that was definitely a wise move because a few months after sowing the area was awash with colour.”

Sarah Bouquet is a mix of 30 different species, including Anethum Graveolens, Borago Officinalis, Callistephus Chinensis, Helianthus Annuus, Helichrysum Bracteatum, Lobularia Maritima, Lupinus Nanus and Rudbeckia Gloriosa, and has a flowering height of 70-90 cms.

Adding that he uses a lot of Rigby Taylor products on the 18-hole, par 71 course, not least the R9 100% ultra-fine rye seed mix – “R9 has outstanding wear qualities, for example, and is the best seed on the market”, as well as the Propel-R wetting agent and a range of conventional and controlled-release fertilisers – Matt confirms:

“We didn’t do too much preparation for sowing the wildflower seeds and we undoubtedly over-sowed in terms of seed ratio, but the impact was tremendous from June right through to October.

“That success, and the number of favourable comments we received, has spurred us to double the overall amount of space sown with Euroflor wildflowers this year and because we have used less seed (perhaps just 65% of what we sowed last year on a similar-sized plot), we will effectively have double the amount of colour for a relatively low additional cost.”

Another way in which Matt recovered some of the cost of the outlay on seed was to re-sell small Discovery packs (also supplied by Rigby Taylor) of the wildflower seeds. “After seeing the flowers a number of members wanted the seeds for their own gardens,” says Matt.

The cost savings to the club have also been aided by the fact that at the end of last season Matt cut down the plants and left them where they fell, to encourage natural seeding. “Already now [in May] some of last year’s seeds are 45 cms high”, he adds, “and that is as a result of using an annuals mix. That equates to real value for money.”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Trilo Eradicates Leaf Problem

Trilo Eradicates Leaf Problem: Norwich based Eaton Golf Club describes itself as ‘owned and run by the members, for the members’ – a motto also supported by Course Manager Rob Ransome. Despite being there for less than a year, he recognises that the club’s “fantastic membership gives the club a thriving, upbeat feeling”. However, what didn’t leave such a positive feeling in previous years was the leaf-fall from the courses’ extensive tree population! Before he even began his position at Eaton, Rob purchased an S3 from Trilo, which has transformed the task of leaf collection at the club.

“I started at Eaton in September 2017 and it was evident right from my interview that the club had a big problem with leaves. The team were getting a lot of negative feedback on the conditions and players were frustrated with losing their golf balls! It was something I was keen to tackle straight away” explains Rob.

Trilo Eradicates Leaf Problem

Recognising Trilo offered good quality equipment he arranged for a demo of an S3 collector with local dealer Ernest Doe. “We were instantly impressed and you could see how it was going to transform the task for us so I placed the order so that it arrived in time for my arrival at the club. We found that we could run the unit with the brush attachment just above the height of the grass to collect the leaves into a high capacity hopper, without having a detrimental effect on the grass. The overall weight and compression tyres also help, leaving a minimal footprint on the ground, meaning we could get out everyday without the risk of causing any problems.”

The S3 was in action as soon as the leaves started to fall in October, for anywhere between 3 and 7 hours a day, until the end of the fall. “I delivered a presentation to the members in December and was apprehensive when I got to the topic of leaves, but people were so complimentary of what we’d achieved. It has transformed the winter presentation of the course so much that members are now going out on the course looking for leaves – and can’t find any! We can’t ask for better than that.”

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OARS PS Used At Le Golf National

OARS PS Used At Le Golf National: AQUA-AID EU’s OARS Penetrating Surfactant (OARS PS) has been extensively used at Le Golf National as the club in Paris gets ready for the 2018 HNA Open de France and the 2018 Ryder Cup.

Golf courses and estates manager, Alejandro Reyes, was appointed to his position in 2013 and was tasked with creating a Ryder Cup landscape using the 7,331 yards of The Albatros course, and extensive product testing was carried out to find the best programme possible.

OARS PS Used At Le Golf National

Following recommendations from those within the industry Alejandro was supplied by his local dealer Jacques Laborier of Celtic France and tested the OARS PS for himself and has been using it ever since as part of a programme that had the course in spectacular championship condition through 2017.

“I first heard about OARS PS in Spain, but I didn’t use it until I came to Le Golf National,” Alejandro said. “I’d had good feedback about OARS PS from different colleagues and had quite few telling me to test it because it was working very well for them.

“With OARS PS we saw a reduction in dry patches and what I really liked the most was that I had the feeling, and still have the feeling, that it works and the water moves better throughout the profile, and for me, that’s the key.

“We use it every other week all around the course. We have two kinds of tank mix with a pure foliar, so we have all the package we need to give to the plant. Then on the alternate weeks to that, we are spraying an irrigated mix where we are using bio stimulants that we are mixing with the OARS PS.

“We have very little issues with dry spot on the course now but if we do we’ll use OARS Pellets for hand watering to fix local dry spots.

“We’ve been testing many different products and 2017 was the last year for us to test anything, and it was a very good year for us when it came to maintaining the golf course. We were very happy with the condition, and how it was looking at the end of September was awesome. I have the confidence that we had found the winning formula and we need to stay with it, to maintain continuity of the condition of the course. We had a great 2017 HNA Open de France and really within this year it’s just about replicating those standards.”

OARS PS is a combination of the university researched, field proven and patented organic acid redistribution system, OARS, and multi-branched penetrant chemistry. OARS PS controls soil water repellency while providing uniform soil moisture for a longer period of time, providing a firm, fast surface.

The OARS pellets used at Le Golf National to combat localised dry spots work as a corrective approach and remove the build-up of organic acids that coat the surface of sand particles, which cause water repellence and localised dry spot conditions.

For AQUA-AID EU managing director Hans de Kort, having the opportunity to work with Alejandro alongside distributors Celtic France is a fantastic chance to see OARS PS in use.

“It is great to have professionals like Alejandro in the industry,” he said. “When it comes to products like surfactants you have to be able to judge it on its functionality, and Alejandro has done that with great success.

“We are very proud to support the green-keeping staff at Le Golf National in the lead up to this year’s golf events and like all golf fans we look forward to watching the 2018 Ryder Cup in September.”

Whilst Le Golf National, owned by the French Golf Federation, is no stranger to hosting major tournaments with 25 French Opens already played on the course since 1991, the scale of the Ryder Cup challenge is massive. The regular team of 30 increases to 80 for a French Open but for the Ryder Cup it will grow to 180 with the full support of Official Ryder Cup Supplier Ransomes Jacobson.

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Wolves Install New Pitches

Wolves Install New Pitches: Two brand new state-of-the-art football pitches are being laid at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ training ground to help Nuno Espirito Santo improve his players’ passing game.

The head coach wants his side to train on the same surface that was laid at Molineux last year as he continues to stamp his tactical approach on the club ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Wolves Install New Pitches

And head groundsman Wayne Lumbard revealed the project should be completed by July, in time for when the players return from their summer break.

Asked if the project would help the players, Lumbard said: “Yes, exactly the surface for the type of players that we have got that play passing football and like a good surface, a good level surface.

“That obviously helps with their style of football and helps us rather than the away team.

“Nuno obviously wants the best playing surface that we can possibly get.

“The only way forward with that was to do what we did at Molineux because that has been so good, and what they have got at Molineux, they want down the training ground. So what they train on, they play on. So the only way was to invest in the new pitches, which will hopefully be as good as Molineux.”

The project was kick-started after talks were held with the club’s senior management and spearheaded by Nuno.

The plans were first mooted last year but work only begun several months ago so the pitches could be ready in time for summer.

Lumbard said: “We have been talking about it for the last six, seven months. Obviously it is not something you can decide overnight. There is a lot of planning that goes ahead.

“We started about four or five weeks ago purely so we could have pitch one back for when they come back in July.

“Everything was geared up really to have an early start so we could have one pitch back for them to train on as soon as they came back after the close season.”

The new training pitches will be state-of-the-art Desso GrassMaster surfaces.

They are the same ones which were laid at Molineux last summer as part of a six-figure investment.

Lumbard added: “They will be maintained and constructed exactly the same as Molineux.”

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Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen

Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen: “Camera rolling. Sound rolling. And ACTION!” When it comes to expertly setting the stage for movie stars and sporting legends, the Polaris RANGER EV is perfectly at home in the limelight. The film experts from HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution use this versatile, purely electrical all-rounder for TV productions as well as live broadcasts of top sporting events. With its quiet and locally emission-free electric motor, the RANGER EV offers unbeatable advantages on set. Equipped with HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution’s special camera system, a RANGER even stole the show itself at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, the world’s largest broadcast fair.

As a real all-rounder, the Polaris RANGER copes with every job. On-demand all-wheel drive means it’s at home on any terrain. What’s more, this versatile side-by-side boasts state-of-the-art technology and excellent production quality. More than a million buyers worldwide have already opted for a RANGER – meaning the off-road specialist has set a new record as the most successful Polaris series ever. In 2018 the model celebrates a special anniversary: It’s been 20 years since the RANGER first began inspiring workers, recreational drivers and sports enthusiasts around the globe. The utility vehicle (UV) has regularly demonstrated its enormous versatility over the past two decades. One current and particularly impressive example of this is the RANGER EV with electric motor: The team from HS-DynaX5 Cam Solution use it to expertly set the stage for stars from the big screen, television and sport.

Ranger Brings Stars To The Big Screen

“No exhaust fumes, no engine noise – this makes the Polaris RANGER EV perfectly suited to the film set,” explains Reiner Ellwanger, Managing Director of the Sinzheim-based company. Reiner Ellwanger is a true pro of the film business and specialises in professional tracking shot solutions. His RANGER EV has an ultra-modern, gyro-stabilised camera system that is operated from the passenger seat and is worth the equivalent of a fancy detached home. “Normally, if we were to drive alongside the protagonists during filming, engine noise would of course be a real nuisance. With the RANGER EV this simply isn’t a problem,” stresses Ellwanger. Another important plus is the emission-free motor. “We also use the RANGER EV at sporting events, from marathons to mountain bike races to horse riding. Here we get very close to the athletes with our camera. Thanks to the electric motor, the athletes are not exposed to exhaust fumes.” The RANGER EV is equally adept at mastering off-road shoots and applications with flying colours: “With its on-demand all-wheel drive, the Polaris offers us completely new possibilities in eventing, for example. We can effortlessly ride alongside the horses’ obstacle course. This allows us to provide viewers with breathtaking, varied shots and at the same time save on additional cameras.”

While the Polaris RANGER is usually making sure others show their best side, at the beginning of April it put itself in the limelight at the world’s largest broadcast show in Las Vegas: “The NAB Show is where the who’s who of the scene come together. We exhibited an identically constructed RANGER there, and the response was phenomenal. We had to answer all sorts of questions about the vehicle,” recalls Reiner Ellwanger.

The Polaris RANGER is currently available in a variety of different versions and with a number of seating solutions. Customers can choose between different vehicle configurations for use on snow, sand, in wooded areas or rocky mountain regions. The RANGER EV is propelled by a modern, 30 HP, 48V induction motor. Thanks to on-demand all-wheel drive and the VersaTrac Turf Mode – where the rear-axle differential distributes the power to the two rear wheels as needed – the versatile UTV will reach its destination even on rough terrain and is gentle on the ground at the same time. In addition to the electric version, Polaris offers petrol and diesel engines for the RANGER that are powerful and efficient in equal measure.

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Kubota Helps Transform Pitches

Kubota Helps Transform Pitches: Kubota, the market leading manufacturer of high performance groundcare solutions, has assisted a team of dedicated volunteers to transform the sporting facilities in one of the country’s most deprived areas.

72-year-old Philip Swann and his team of six volunteers have given up their time to dedicate countless hours to make huge improvements to the state of the grounds for Handsworth Old Boys FC and Handsworth Old Boys Cricket Club in Birmingham.

Kubota Helps Transform Pitches

Philip has been a Handsworth Old Boy member for over 55 years, started volunteering at the ground following his retirement as a sales director for a hardware manufacturer.  He said: “When I volunteered to be groundsman, I had absolutely no experience, it was more because I had a passion for the club and wanted to help in anyway I could.  However, I soon realised the magnitude of the issues I faced, which even experienced groundsman might have seen as a challenge!

“The main issue at the site is access.  The grounds are enclosed by railway lines on all sides, with only one access point over the tracks that also has a very steep and dangerous incline.  This makes it almost impossible for any larger machines to be able to access the site safely.  To compound this, the driveway down to the facilities is only 7ft in width, which means the maximum size of a vehicle that can fit down the drive is a transit van.  For bulk deliveries, HGVs or 3.5t trucks have to park over 250m away at the entrance to the grounds, adding serious workload to an already demanding job!”

“What’s more, when I first started, everything was done on the seven-and-a-half-acre site by hand, the cricket square was in terrible condition and too many football matches were being cancelled because of water logged pitches as a slitter was needed.”

Philip knew that he needed the right machine to help him start tackling these issues.  Due to budget restrictions of this amateur club, it needed to offer excellent value for money, be versatile and durable, but also be easy to operate for the volunteers that would be using it with limited to no machinery experience.  The final requirement was to ensure all the retired volunteers could carry out their work comfortably.

Kubota’s STa-30 (which has more recently been superceded by the STW30 model) was the ideal choice, with the ability to handle a range of tasks with quick and powerful performance, a large hydraulic pump capacity to operate a wide range of attachments and excellent comfort for operators.

Philip continued: “The Kubota machine has been invaluable in helping us carry out a wide range of jobs with ease.  During the summer months, the grass is cut twice a week (which takes roughly four and a half hours to complete each time) and it also allows us to use other key attachments for aeration and scarifying.  The tractor also enables us to move and transport all sorts of materials around the site, as well as load up the trailer when we are tending to the 160 trees around the perimeter.

“So much of the work on the playing fields is carried out by the tractor, that in the event of it breaking down, all work on the grounds would come to a standstill.  But it never does, it’s an absolute workhorse, clocking thousands of hours and it’s still going strong, a real testament to the reliability and durability of Kubota machinery.”

The result of all this hard work, commitment, and hours and hours of volunteering time by Philip and his friends – success on the pitch for Handsworth Old Boys.  This season, three out of the five football teams are top of their respective divisions and the cricket team has been promoted in three of the last four seasons.  The grounds are also now a valuable asset for the local community, with many local football and cricket teams using the facilities, providing vital additional funding for Handsworth Old Boys.

Philip concluded: “My aim over the years has been to gradually improve the sports pitches.  I’ve taken advice from turf specialists and also had advice from the groundsman Ian Allmark at Handsworth Grammar School for Girls to help us achieve this.  Today, the satisfaction the volunteers get seeing a beautiful sports ground being maximised to its potential makes me extremely proud and is a validation of all the hard work and effort that has been put in over the years.”

Following its partnership with Kubota, Philip is now looking to invest further in his machinery, with Kubota’s experts recommending its new L1361 compact tractor as the best model to suit the demands of the sporting facility.

For more information on Kubota and its extensive range of solutions for the groundcare sector, or to find your local dealer, visit www.kubota.co.uk or call 01844 268000.

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