Terra Spike GXi8 HD gives boost to College grounds

Terra Spike GXi8 HD gives boost to College grounds: Myreside Stadium in Edinburgh is home to George Watson’s College and Watsonian rugby club. Regular fixtures held there include Tennent’s National League Division 1, FOSROC Super Six Championship and Tennent’s Women’s Premier League matches.

Beside the main pitch, Head of Grounds, Craig Eccleston, and his team of five, have eight other full size rugby pitches, two large training areas and three cricket squares to maintain, as well as the school’s estate.

Terra Spike GXi8 HD gives boost to College grounds

Terra Spike GXi8 HD gives boost to College grounds

In September, they took delivery of a Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD deep aerator from Wiedenmann UK’s Scottish dealer, Fairways GM.

Craig Eccleston said: “Aeration is a massive part of pitch playability and it’s important that we give all our surfaces best care. In summer I went to a demo at Dollar Academy, where the Wiedenmann team answered my questions. I thought the GXi 8 pricewise would be out my range, and we’d go for a smaller one, but I was pleasantly surprised when it came in under my budget.

“The long life of the Wiedenmann was a big consideration. The school plays so much rugby, and if you factor the FPs’ activity too, all pitches are busy right through until the summer term, when focus switches to athletics and cricket.

“We’ve relied on contractors to come in on a pre-booked day which can bring limitations. Sometimes the conditions don’t suit, or fixtures change, and it doesn’t get done. I made a financial case that if we owned our own machine, we could go out as often as necessary, making use of any windows of opportunity, especially as a full pitch can be done in just over 2.5 hrs. Having as many pitches, the numbers stacked up.

Craig, who took up his position almost three years ago had previous experience of working with Terra Spikes when he was head groundsman at Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire.

“This is a newer model to what I had before and I like that there are minimal grease points, so it is easy to maintain. This one is so quick and so smooth. When we look at the weather forecast for the week ahead, I say to the team, ’let’s get the machine on and we’ll pick a couple of pitches off each day and get around everything’. It makes such a difference.

“As soon as the GXi8 arrived in September we did all, rugby pitches with 20 mm tines at once. A few had a second aeration in November. During January or February, we will go again once, leaving them until renovations time, which for us is the end of July.

“Our cricket wickets only need to be done annually so ours were aerated at the end of October with 8 mm tines.

“I’m happy with its progress. Ultimately, we invested in the machine to improve the overall playability of the pitches to enhance their durability and performance. This enhances the enjoyment for the pupils, letting them play fast expansive rugby. The school has been particularly good investing in what we need.”

George Watson’s College is a single campus co-educational independent day school in the heart of Edinburgh, for young people from 3-18 years.

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Big Success for the Micro-Spray

Big Success for the Micro-Spray: The demands from an amenity sprayer extend far beyond reliability. Strength, durability, and flexibility are naturally important, but a key requirement is low impact on the surfaces where the sprayer will be used.

For sports turf professionals, the Martin Lishman Micro-Spray is the number one choice of pedestrian sprayer. Combining control and power with responsive easy handling in a compact form, the fully electric Micro-Spray delivers a precise application with minimal turf impact, making it ideal for use on sports turf and golf courses.

Big Success for the Micro-Spray

Big Success for the Micro-Spray

Amenity specification with agricultural strength and durability has been the key design element of all Martin Lishman compact sprayers, and the Micro-Spray is no different. Its unique design and versatile functionality have captured the attention of the industry.

With satisfied users worldwide, Martin Lishman have reported a very successful year for the Micro-Spray. This is thanks to an exclusive partnership with Campey Turf Care Systems, who brought their expertise and delivery network into the mix to put Micro-Spray units in every corner of the globe, from Europe to Australia.

Designed and manufactured in England at the Martin Lishman site in Bourne, Lincolnshire, the combination of accurate control and spraying power in a lightweight package to prevent compaction and turf damage is at the forefront of the Micro-Spray’s design. A strong powder coated steel chassis, driven by an advanced rear wheel drive system and two large deep cycle batteries help maintain a low centre of gravity and weight balance.

The UV-safe 120 litre tank feeds the 23 litre/min pump which can accommodate a 2.5 to 3.5m folding boom and a wide range of application rates. Easy-to-reach controls enable the operator to quickly adjust sprayer settings including drive direction, speed, pump pressure and optional bout marker controls.

“It’s been great to watch the Micro-Spray gain traction and carve its way into the amenity industry”, explains Joel Capper, Managing Director of Martin Lishman Ltd. “We have worked with some very talented and influential people to make the sprayer what it is today. Now with the sales and distribution support from Campey Turf Care, we look forward to the next chapter in the Micro-Spray success story”.

The Micro-Spray forms part of the Martin Lishman compact sprayer range, including trailed, ATV mounted and demountable models. Tank sizes range from 70 to 600 litres and boom widths from 1 metre to 8 metres. Specialist or bespoke requests can also be catered for which allows considerable variation of models to meet the specialist needs of customers.

The Micro-Spray along with a selection of other Martin Lishman sprayers will be on display at the BTME event, Harrogate (stand 248) in January 2023.

For more information on the Martin Lishman Micro-Spray and compact sprayers, visit their website at www.martinlishman.com.

“For more information or a demonstration of the Micro-Spray, contact Campey Turf Care or visit www.campeyturfcare.com

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