Elgin pitch in to thank NHS

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Elgin pitch in to thank NHS: Elgin City’s Borough Briggs pitch displayed a special message to the heroes of the NHS thanking them for their efforts during the Covid-19 crisis.

Club director and groundsman Cecil Jack came up with a unique way for City to express their gratitude by marking a huge love heart and the words “Thank you NHS” in the centre of the park.

Elgin pitch in thank NHS

Elgin pitch in thank NHS

The club then recruited local firm Rotorworx Aerial Media and Andy Innes Aerial Photography to take drone pictures of the markings, which then went down a storm on City’s Facebook page.

Jack teamed up with fellow ground helper and former director Jim Farquhar to do the design.

“I was thinking what we could do on the pitch so I phoned Jim and asked him how good he thought he was with the wheelbarrow and the pitch lining,” he said.

“Jim said his grandson had been doing something at the school with a heart so we concocted a plan and then we decided what to do from there.

“It was quite a fun thing to do.”

Club secretary Keiran Carty organised the drone photography to ensure the finished product could get the best exposure from high above the stadium.

“The NHS have been absolutely fantastic with any experiences I have had and I think everyone agrees with that,” Jack added.

“They do a great job and you find that out in times like these so we just wanted to do a small gesture to show our thanks.

“It would have needed a lot more writing to include the other essential workers but their work was very much in our thoughts as well when we did this.”

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Arb 130 arrives right on time

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Arb 130 arrives right on time: After making the switch from graphic design to tree surgery in his mid-twenties, Tim Hill then went on to found Twentyeight Trees… when he turned 28!

Now two years later and with an ever-growing order book, the time was right to invest in a woodchipper and it was a GreenMech Arborist 130 that fitted the bill. Having previously hired chippers when required, Tim is quickly noticing both the practical and economical benefits of owning his own.

Arb 130 arrives right on time

Arb 130 arrives right on time

Twentyeight Trees undertake a variety of tree and hedge maintenance projects in and around Wiltshire. “Over the last 18 months, we were hiring in chippers on average three times a week which is not only expensive but comes with the stress of looking after and safely storing a machine that’s not your own.” With the majority of Tim’s work being domestic in nature, he knew that when it came to buying a chipper, a small machine that could easily navigate residential streets and restricted access properties and gardens was what he needed.

“I looked at a few different makes and models but there were a few reasons the GreenMech machine came out on top. Simple things like the fact the Arb 130 is fitted with a handbrake, which makes manoeuvring the chipper on sloped driveways or paths much easier, and the foldable discharge chute which makes storage of it nice and easy. Another positive, again simple, is the fact it has a bonnet – not all chippers do! With outdoor working, in particular the weather and risk of debris, it gives the engine valuable protection as well as making the chipper better visually.”

Tim took delivery of the Arb 130 from GA Groundcare at the beginning of April. “Ashley at GA Groundcare was knowledgeable and helpful throughout the process, making me feel confident and comfortable during what has been such a worrying time for a lot of companies. By following the AA guidelines, my team and I have been able to continue working and, with many people at home, our workload has rocketed.” Tim concludes, “We’re thankful we purchased the Arb 130 when we did and it has certainly been put through its paces these last few weeks, processing brash and timber of all shapes and sizes. It’s been spot on.”

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INFINICUT® & TMSystem™ the perfect match

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INFINICUT® & TMSystem™ the perfect match: Having played the sport from the age of 10, in 2012 Dean Gibbons combined his passion for bowls with his interest in turf maintenance, becoming Greenkeeper at Wantage Bowling Club.

At just 28, Dean brings youthful enthusiasm to improve standards whilst exploring new, greener alternatives for the club. On Dean’s recommendation, the club purchased a 22” INFINICUT® FX and a selection of TMSystem™ cassettes last year, meaning he can now mow, aerate and verti-cut the green, all with one battery-powered unit.

INFINICUT® & TMSystem™ the perfect match

INFINICUT® & TMSystem™ the perfect match

“I’d always had an interest in gardening at home so used that to assist the former greenkeeper at the bowls club, where I gained knowledge and invaluable hands-on experience. After taking over and familiarising myself with the programme, I then began to look at new machinery to make the tasks easier.” Over the last few years Dean has gradually taken on all of the maintenance work, meaning the club no longer require the service of external contractors – the savings from which went towards purchasing the INFINICUT® in July 2019.

“I’d had my eye on the INFINICUT® for a few years. The fact it is battery powered makes it greener, cleaner and quieter to operate and in addition, the versatile range of cassette options available meant we only needed to fund, and subsequently store, a single machine. When they introduced the Fixed Head model it offered all of the above benefits, wrapped up in a more affordable package for us.”

During a regular season, Dean and his team of volunteers would mow the green up to four times a week, adding that the “simplicity of use and well-balanced manoeuvrability of the INFINICUT® has taken the strain off the maintenance.” Their TMSystem™ cassettes – the SarelRoller and UltraGroomer – are then passed over the green on a bi-weekly basis. Preventing surface sealing, the SarelRoller helps to improve filtration rates and gaseous exchange into the upper rootzone, while the 80+ tungsten carbide tipped blades of the UltraGroomer minimise puffiness and effectively remove thatch and lateral growth.

“The multi-functionality of the INFINICUT® is excellent – the flexibility I have to conduct those three tasks, exactly when we need to means our green is now in better shape than ever. Not only that, but the quality and cleanliness of cut has helped to boost overall plant health, helping me to fulfil my organic approach to greenkeeping.” Enjoying the fruits of his labour, Dean remains a keen player and hopes that the quality of the bowling surface may encourage new, and perhaps younger, players to the club.

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Groundsman keeping Keepmoat pitch ready

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Groundsman keeping Keepmoat pitch ready: The pitch at the Keepmoat Stadium would be ready for Doncaster Rovers with just a couple of days notice – but that has been no mean feat during lockdown.

Operating in an environment of uncertainty with football and rugby league halted due to the Covid-19 outbreak, head groundsman Andy Thompson and his depleted team have done all they can to ensure the pitches at their disposal are primed for use.

Groundsman keeping Keepmoat pitch ready

Groundsman keeping Keepmoat pitch ready

“It’s sound,” Thompson told the Free Press. “It’s in good condition.

“All the areas that were devoid of grass a bit over the winter months have filled in.

“We’ve been able to continue to maintain the standards that we’ve got by cutting daily, applying chemicals and fertiliser, raking and grooming when we need to.

“And that’s been at the training ground and the ground as well.

“To be honest it’s ready now. If someone said we were playing on Monday morning we’d be ready.

“We’ve kept it in the best standard that we can going forward because like everyone else, we don’t know what is going to happen next.”

It is expected that the remainder of the League One campaign will be cancelled in the coming days, with attention then turning to a possible start date for the 2020/21 season.

For much of the nine weeks since the last matches were played, there was a strong intention that competitive action would be resumed in the summer.

Such uncertainty calls for the most sensible option to be pursued as plans are prepared.

That has been no different for ground staff – though it has come with its challenges.

“It’s been difficult for materials because a lot of the suppliers that we’ve got and machine parts, they’ve furloughed all their staff,” said Thompson, who first started working for the club in 1998.

“We’re just trying to find a happy medium and balance the best I can, spotting any issues before they become big issues.

“If there’s any disease in the pitch I’d rather not spray it because I can’t get hold of any chemicals and then we just have to manage it the best we can.

“It’s good because proactively we’ve got to look at managing finances the best we can, especially when we’ve got no money coming through.

“It’s fine, it’s a good part of the job and it’s good practice going forwards any way.”

Club Doncaster took the decision to place the majority of staff on furlough to help offset the lack of income during the shutdown of sport.

With year round work required to maintain playing surfaces, Thompson’s department was less affected than others but he is short of a few bodies.

And working within social distancing restrictions has proven difficult also.

“Out of the five staff that we’ve got we’ve only got three working across the two sites, which has been fine in the main,” he said.

“Cutting grass can be a long, laborious job sometimes so having a cup of tea with someone and a bit of a chat, winding each other up is good. You miss that sort of interaction sometimes.

“It’s been strange at the ground. There’s two of us and we’ve had breaks at different times. One person works in one half of the pitch, the other in the other.

“It’s been hard with the machines, cleaning them down after every use, just to try to limit any issues there might be working with someone.

“It’s hard to social distance when you’re working, even though we’ve got 8,000 square metres out there.

“We’ve been trying to do that the best we can.”

Typically, at this time of year, Thompson and his team would be putting final preparations in place for the renovation of the pitch at the Keepmoat.

Each year, in a period where home fixtures for Doncaster RLFC are cleared, a process taking several weeks begins where the playing surface is cleared and reseeded in time for the start of the next football season.

As things stand, and with the decision to end the season early likely, the usual plans look set to be largely unaffected.

“We’d planned it around the fixtures and the concert [The Killers were due to play the Keepmoat on May 25],” Thompson said.

“It was all booked in and ready to go for the early part of June. I’m still pushing to get it done.

“A lot of clubs, higher up than us, have taken the plunge to do renovations early, knowing that there would be no games in the stadium for five or six weeks. They saw it as an opportunity.

“We looked at it as if we did that and the players did come back, we could end up having to do two renovations. That would be counterproductive, especially financially.

“From our point of view, we’ve got to plan normally that the season was going to end in June.

“A lot of groundsmen are starting to panic because they would have done their renovation work in early May when the season finished. But because of our usage, we don’t usually do our renovation until June any way.

“For us it’s about waiting for a decision from the EFL saying we’re going to do this and then getting the nod from the powers that be to do the renovation.”

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