MM Seed – Fit for a King

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MM Seed – Fit for a King: The market leading MM grass seed is working wonders for the King’s Bruton Foundation according to Director of Grounds, Graham Kitley.

The King’s Bruton Foundation, in Somerset, comprises three schools – King’s Bruton, Hazlegrove Preparatory and Bruton School for Girls. The three boarding schools are united by a common set of values and principles and bound by a shared history that stretches back five hundred years to the foundation of King’s in 1519.

MM Seed - Fit for a King

MM Seed – Fit for a King

Standards are everything to the Foundation and that also applies to the extensive twenty-two acres of grounds which are managed by Graham Kitley. With twenty years’ experience of working in independent schools, it is safe to say that the grounds and sports facilities are in good hands.

Before being promoted to the position of Director of Grounds in July 2021, Graham spent just over four years working solely on the Hazlegrove site. He now oversees the King’s Bruton and Hazlegrove sites the two separate grounds teams.

“How the schools are presented is incredibly important,” said Graham. “We take pride in the grounds because it is the first thing you see when you arrive, and first impressions are everything. Furthermore, both of the Headmasters are very sport minded people, and it is important that the pupils are out playing as much sport as they can on the very best facilities.

“As a grounds team we are backed by the School and the Bursar in terms of budget for products and machinery.”

Graham admits to being in a fortunate position and insists on using only the finest products. This was certainly the case when it came to choosing a grass seed.

“I speak to many people in the industry about products and it became apparent that a lot were using MM seed. Because everyone was raving about the benefits of MM, I thought I’d try it. It did exactly what everybody said it would do and it has been phenomenal ever since.”

MM is one of the most respected brands in the UK amenity industry, with over 40 years of experience and knowledge. The extensive product portfolio is second to none with performance proven mixtures that are used at many leading venues in the UK and Europe.

All the varieties have an excellent breeding pedigree and have been selected and bred for their ability to deliver a range of quality turf characteristics.

Graham uses MM50 – a hard-wearing ryegrass mix and MM7 – a mix of fine leaved ryegrass, fescue and bent which is suitable for fine turf.

“Across both schools, we use MM50 on all our cricket pitches and all our formal lawns, and then we use MM7 on our golf greens.

“We have such a short turnaround period between terms, and I need to have faith in the products,” he continued. “MM seed has excellent germination and is up and growing strong within days. This is particularly beneficial because it allows us to get on with other jobs while having confidence in the seed to be working away.

MM Seed - Fit for a King

MM Seed – Fit for a King

“It also responds well over the winter, and we have very little disease. The recovery is good, the colour is good, and it has never let me down.

Graham purchases MM seed from David Bevan of Agrovista Amenity and was quick to praise the support he receives.

“David and Matt Gresty (MM and Designer Sales and Brand Manager for DLF UK) are both brilliant in looking after me in terms of what I need. They are both very knowledgeable and are always available to talk to, and I’ve never had any problems with MM seed. Quite simply, I order what I need, it arrives on time, and it always works.”

For further information, please contact MM Sports Seed on 01386 791102 or visit the company’s website www.mm-seeds.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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AMS provide vital secondary drainage

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AMS provide vital secondary drainage: Cricket is a cornerstone of Winchester College’s student experience, and to enhance their already exceptional standards, the school enlisted AMS Contracting to install secondary drainage on their outfield.

Head Groundsman, Kim Larcombe, oversees the 250-acre site with the help of four groundsmen and five gardeners. Sixty acres are purely dedicated to sport, with cricket having a long and distinguished history at Winchester.

AMS provide vital secondary drainage

AMS provide vital secondary drainage

The programme is devised and run by the college’s cricket professional and is supported by several highly qualified coaches. A winter programme runs from October to the start of the playing season to help players reach their full potential, and it’s when the season comes around that the surfaces are vital.

With a tight 55-day schedule planned for summer 2022, Kim must ensure that matches go ahead as scheduled, with rained off games one of the most significant risks. Having had the outfield levelled in August 2021, the experienced 39 and a half year Winchester team member wanted to enhance the drainage with AMS.

Kim explains: “We had the outfield levelled back in August/September last year, and the plan was always to have some secondary drainage put in. We didn’t want primary drainage because we’re on chalk, so the water just goes away anyway, but we wanted to help the drainage and levelling a little bit as well.

“I had a preference on what secondary drainage I wanted to use, and I talked it through with AMS, and we looked at other options, but I had my preference.

“It was good to be working with a company who wanted to put options forward and explore them, but at the same time, they weren’t pushy at all. They just presented their opinions and were happy to proceed with what we wanted and work to get the best result.

“I’m really pleased with how the project went. It all ran very smoothly, and I think that was due to the project’s planning and then the execution. It’s filling in nicely, and it was left in good condition, so we were able to play on it a week after the work was completed, and that is a testament to how well everything went.

“We’ve got about 55 days of cricket coming up on there, so it’ll be very busy. Because we have such a busy schedule, we need to play the matches when they are planned, and that’s why having good secondary drainage is so important.”

The method of drainage requested by Kim was the Blec Vibramaster at 20mm sand slits, 250mm apart and 150mm deep. This was implemented after the whole outfield had been ShockWaved and was followed with topdressing, drag matting and overseeding using a 2.5m Vredo overseeder in two directions.

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Dennis PRO 34R a time saver for The Swans

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Dennis PRO 34R a time saver for The Swans: A fleet of ten Dennis PRO 34R rotary mowers has saved the Swansea City FC groundstaff a huge amount of time and made their working day more manageable according to Head Groundsman, Evan Davies. 

After working at the club for nearly a decade, Evan was appointed as the Head Groundsman in April 2021. He claims that his journey to this point has fully prepared him for the challenge ahead.

“The first 3 or 4 years were tough, especially when Swansea were in the Premier League,” said Evan. “The club has always demanded excellence from everyone, and I like to think this has brought the best out in me.”

Dennis PRO 34R a time saver for The Swans

Dennis PRO 34R a time saver for The Swans

Evan now oversees the maintenance of all three club sites – the Swansea.com Stadium, the first team Fairwood Training Ground and the Swans Academy which is situated at Landore. With a vast number of games and training sessions across all three sites, the grounds staff work around the clock to maintain the pitches.

Evan was keen to stamp his own mark and implement some of his own ideas and he quickly identified that a change in his fleet of rotary mowers could offer a significant benefit.

“It is essential that the cleaning of pitches is completed as quick as possible,” he said. “The only way to achieve this was with a rotary mower with a bigger cutting deck which had the ability to increase the speed. I quickly found that it was only the Dennis PRO 34R that would work in this respect. Therefore, one of my first purchases when I started the role was ten Dennis PRO 34R rotary mowers.”

Designed to help groundsmen achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance and desired playing surface the Dennis PRO 34R is a 34” (860mm) rotary mower ideal for sports pitches and lawns producing the enviable ‘Dennis Stripes’ while a powerful vacuum flow collects debris quickly and efficiently.

The angle of the cutting deck and twin blades can be easily adjusted using a single ‘click adjuster’ ensuring the mower is suitable for changing conditions and meeting groundsmen’s requirements.

“The PRO 34R’s allow us to manage the working day so much better,” said Evan. “At the training ground, for example, three members of staff can clean three pitches in two hours with the Dennis PRO 34R’s. With our previous rotary mowers that would have been a full 8-hour day carried out by 6 members of staff. This has allowed us to focus more on other tasks such as divoting and repairing the pitches, all things which we wouldn’t have had time to do before.

“The presentation it offers is also first-class,” he continued. “Leading up to a matchday we like to give the pitch a rotary cut on the Friday or the Saturday because it helps to make the pattern stand out. The leaf itself seems a bit happier after being cut with a PRO 34. They are so easy to set with just a little pin drop. With other rotary mowers you just can’t get that precise height of cut.

Dennis PRO 34R a time saver for The Swans

Dennis PRO 34R a time saver for The Swans

“For cleaning, you’ve got the brush on it which you can use aggressively or use it lightly on the surface to pick the debris up – it is just a win-win for us. There are not many mowers that give you an outstanding clean, cut and finish.”

Evan is also of the opinion that the Dennis customer service equals the standard of the product.

“The back-up I receive from Jason Briggs at Dennis is quality. He keeps in touch and has been to visit all three sites. He is very comfortable around all the staff, and he provides us with a lot of knowledge on the machines, which is beneficial for the younger members of the team.

“I also like the fact that Dennis is always thinking ahead,” he continued. “Dennis is a company that always listens to customers and then in turn comes up with ideas and technology to make our working lives easier. It certainly takes the pressure off us.”

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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