No range anxiety at Trent Bridge with Dennis

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No range anxiety at Trent Bridge with Dennis: The unrivalled battery power of the new Dennis ES-860 cylinder mower is impressing at Trent Bridge, home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club.

For many years, turf professionals have been choosing Dennis for their superb cut quality and reliability, and recently the company introduced the next generation of its mowers. The new and exciting E-Series is a range of battery powered mowers that are no compromise alternatives to the range of petrol machines.

No range anxiety at Trent Bridge with Dennis

No range anxiety at Trent Bridge with Dennis

The E-Series range was built to offer ultimate performance that helps professionals meet sustainability and environmental initiatives, reduce carbon footprint, emissions, running costs and noise without any range anxiety.

Hugh Beesley, an Assistant Groundsman, and one of two dedicated mowing operatives at Trent Bridge, revealed why he felt the E-Series would be a good fit.

“Approximately 90% of the equipment here is petrol and fuel focused,” he said. “Trent Bridge needs to, and wants to, do better in terms of being green and we saw this as a great first step in the right direction.

“Also, with the petrol issues and the prices of fuel becoming more and more expensive, we thought it made sense. Quite often, multiple journeys to the petrol station would be made on a single day. Therefore, the purchase of battery powered mowers is a long-term commitment to decreasing the fuel costs here.”

In their quest to find the ideal battery powered mower, Head Groundsman Steve Birks arranged for various brands to be demonstrated at Trent Bridge. Hugh claims there was one which stood out to the entire grounds team.

“Steve made the final decision but collectively we all decided on the one we liked best,” he said. “We all felt that the Dennis ES-860 would suit our routine better than the others.”

This 34” battery powered turf management system delivers maximum versatility and the range of 13 interchangeable cassette options provide a solution to many day-to-day maintenance tasks such as cutting, scarifying, brushing, slitting and verticutting.

Furthermore, traditional G860 cassettes will also fit the ES-860, meaning that customers will not have to purchase additional cassettes.

A robust LCD keypad screen is an integral feature of the handlebar console providing the operator with a multitude of information options including speed, clip rate, service checks, lifetime running reports and battery information.

Trent Bridge purchased two Dennis ES-860’s and Hugh revealed that one of the main reasons for choosing them was due to the superior battery power.

“We can comfortably mow the entire cricket outfield twice on just one charge with the Dennis ES-860,” he said. “They have been in use consistently for a couple of months and we haven’t run them down to zero – even at 40%-50% we can still cut the whole outfield. It is great because you know you won’t have to start mowing and then stop to put them on charge. The ES-860’s give us the confidence to just keep on going.”

Hugh also praised the simplicity and the finish of the ES-860 and claims that the players have benefited from the low noise levels.

“Simplicity is key because we have so many other jobs to do,” he said. “We need everything to be as streamlined as possible and we can’t afford to spend time on getting used to complicated equipment. Our previous mowers were very mechanical and heavy. The ES-860’s are much lighter and easier to understand. Someone can become a natural on them in no time at all.

“I love how the mower glides across the outfield and when you get to a corner you know you can just turn so easily, it is the smoothest machine I have ever used. You feel so safe and secure using it. The presentation it provides is perfect every time as well.

“The ES-860’s are so quiet, it is unreal,” Hugh continued. “Last year there were times when players were out early around the pitch, and you could tell the noise of the mowers was frustrating them. We don’t have this problem now – the minimal noise is one of the best features of the ES-860.

“The goal is to turn completely electric here at Trent Bridge and the Dennis ES-860’s have given us the confidence to do so.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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Craig Housley joins East Riding Turfcare

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Craig Housley joins East Riding Turfcare: We would like to welcome the latest addition to the East Riding Turfcare team, Craig Housley. Craig has joined East Riding Turfcare with a wealth of experience having spent his career working as a groundsman.

Arriving from Lincoln Football FC where he was Head Groundsman for two seasons. Along with his team at Lincoln, Craig was awarded ‘highly commended’ pitch, and achieved ‘Grounds Team of the Year’. Previous to his time at Lincoln, Craig has served as Heads Groundman at Scunthorpe FC and Barnsley FC before previously being Assistant Head Groundsman at Doncaster Rovers for eight years where Craig obtained his sports turf qualifications.

Craig Housley joins East Riding Turfcare

Craig Housley joins East Riding Turfcare

Craig’s long career either as Assistant or Head Groundsman have filled him with the product know-how and knowledge to managing sports turf, We asked Craig what he has learnt most from his time as a groundsman, “In this role I have learned a lot about using the right product at the right time, and how this can be detrimental in the overall look and quality. I also understand the implications that the Great British weather can bring, including forever changing forecasts which can lead to diseases. This knowledge has allowed me to implement a pro-active approach, rather than reactive.”

Craig joins East Riding Turfcare at a really exciting time for the company, joining us as our Winter Sports Area Sales Manager. Following his appointment Craig said, “I now feel as though I am in a position where I have the experience and qualities to assist, advise and guide others in the same or similar roles of my previous job. East Riding Turfcare seemed like the perfect opportunity where I will be able to utilise my football knowledge and transfer my skills set into something different.”

Commenting on Craig’s appointment, Steve Watson, Head of Turfcare & Landscaping for East Riding Turfcare, said: “Craig is a great addition to the East Riding Turfcare team, we’re delighted to welcome him to our team. He has great knowledge of industry products as well as the right experience and passion for the role.”

Outside of work Craig can be found somewhere in his active lifestyle, playing 5 a side football, squash or golf on the odd occasion, whilst enjoying time with his partner and newborn baby.

East Riding Turfcare is a leading provider of professional products, advice and solutions for the Sport Turf industry throughout the UK. Craig started his new role with East Riding Turfcare in May and will be offering technical advice and product recommendations as well as creating tailored sports turf programmes for nutrition and disease control. To arrange a meeting with Craig or to have a chat with him, call 07546 307052 or email craig@eastridingturfcare.co.uk

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Introducing East Riding Turfcare

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Introducing East Riding Turfcare: East Riding Turfcare are a trusted supplier of high quality products including fertilisers, pesticides, biostimulants, wetting agents and seed for the sports turf industry. Providing professional turfcare solutions and products, alongside expert advice from our Area Account Managers nationalwide.

East Riding Turfcare is a specialist division of the well established supplier and wholesaler, East Riding Horticulture, being a family run business based in the beautiful East Riding of Yorkshire Countryside, we live and breathe our products. From our humble beginnings over 30 years ago on our farm, we have evolved and grown into a major sports turf and amenity supplier nationwide.

Introducing East Riding Turfcare

Introducing East Riding Turfcare

East Riding Turfcare is a thriving, forward thinking business providing quality products for sports turf industry. With multiple on-site warehouses holding an extensive range of stock, spread over 10,000 product lines, we have products ready-to-go, delivered quickly and effective via our own haulage fleet.

We know our customers appreciate good value, high quality and a broad range of products to choose from, combined with our BASIS and industry qualified technical team of experts in the ‘field’, you are guaranteed to receive reliable advice and solutions ensuring you receive the right product at a competitive price. Working with our trusted, solid and reliable supply chain network we can deliver the advice and products you need.

We welcome new customers from all sectors of the sports turf industry and grassroots. Our emphasis is on friendly customer service, knowledgeable technical advice and providing specialist products to the industry, offering professional turfcare solutions across the UK.

Product Areas:
Nutrition
Control
Seed
Wetting Agents
Equipment
Irrigation
Line Marking

Industries Supplied:
Football & Rugby
Golf
Racecourses
Stadia & Sports Fields
Bowls
Tennis
Cricket

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‘Green’ lawncare key for environment

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‘Green’ lawncare key for environment: There are more than 20 million domestic garden lawns in the UK and one man is driving a campaign to ensure that British gardeners get the latest and best possible ‘green’ advice on lawncare.

“There is a place for the occasional use of chemicals in lawncare but there is also a rapidly increasing range of totally green options that are just as effective.  I want to ensure that the new breed of specialist lawncare advisors promote this green route,” says Richard Salmon, managing director of ProLawnCareUK.

'Green' lawncare key for environment

‘Green’ lawncare key for environment

He has spent his entire career in lawn and grass care and is one of the UK’s foremost experts.   Part of his work is training people who want to establish businesses as domestic lawncare advisors and his two and four day courses focus strongly on the environmentally friendly approach.    He believes that too many professional lawncare advisors rely on strong chemical treatments and over-feeding grass with manufactured, expensive and not kind to the environment Nitrogen.  They do this to ensure a quick-fix and a bright green lawn, deliberately ignoring the more gentle and natural true green alternatives.

“We all want verdant green lawns but trying to force this to happen by applying excessive Nitrogen is neither beneficial to the lawns or environment nor is it sustainable.    Steady rain, and even snow, does deliver useful amounts of nitrogen for free.  The problem comes from torrential rain that can wash it away again.”

There are three cornerstones of his training courses: ensuring lawns are compaction free, having access to balanced nutrition and some basic lawn management tips that home owners can undertake.

The benefits of a lawn being compaction free are:

  • Allowing roots to grow deep in search of natural nutrients and water.
  • Allowing rain to percolate down to the roots and not waterlogging the lawn.
  • Preventing the grass from suffocating and dying through lack of oxygen.

“A compaction free lawn will have a healthy soil microbial population,” says Richard.  “The soil is a larder full of natural nutrients vital to grass and delivers it in a form that the roots can take up.   This way there is no need for synthetic fertilisers.”

With this combined treatment package lawn owners should mow little and often.  Richard believes that mulching is best as nutrients are retained in the leaf and put pack into the soil.  In excessively dry weather irrigate using harvested rainwater.  This combination will create a thick sward that keeps weeds and moss at bay.

“Our 20 million domestic lawns, collectively, cover an area larger than any UK National Park.  Lawn owners have a responsibility to ensure that their small part of such a large area is treated with the utmost respect and care for the environment.  It is important that when lawn owners seek professional help and advice, they are not offered a chemical package that runs counter to this objective.  Once trained they will find that being able to promote themselves as environmentally responsible lawncare experts will be a major sales boost,” says Richard.

Courses run throughout the year in Cambridge

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