Greenkeepers work fury

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Greenkeepers work fury: Greenkeepers at Caird Park Golf Club in Dundee are said to be fuming they are being forced to continue going in to work despite two of their colleagues testing positive for coronavirus, according to the region’s Evening Telegraph.

A report from BIGGA last week claimed that it was in their understanding that greenkeepers are able to keep “essential maintenance” of golf courses should they wish to, despite the UK lockdown for COVID-19 so that golfers would still have courses to play when the health crisis is over.

Union bosses are said to be backing the call for greenkeepers at the club to be off work due to two members of staff testing positive for COVID-19, with one other self-isolating due to having symptoms.

A decision to remove staff workers from the course is now being strongly backed by union bosses representing the club.

“Following the confirmation of the cases the remaining staff feel they shouldn’t be asked to go into work,” said Dundee branch secretary of the GMB, Jim Cunningham.

“The union is backing this call and we are demanding that our members should not have to go to work in the meantime. We have asked that the remaining workforce is currently removed from such  hazardous duties.”

He added: “We have been told that golf courses must be maintained so that when the current crisis is over they can immediately come back into use.

“However, we don’t believe that the greenkeepers and groundsman are essential staff currently. City council gardeners are not working at the moment and we don’t think our members should have to either.”

It is also claimed in the report that members of staff were not being supplied with the correct level of protective equipment with which to go about doing thejr jobs on the course.

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Vandals damage golf club

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Vandals damage golf club: Vandals have damaged the course at a north-east golf club.

Vehicles were driven on to the site at Oldmeldrum Golf Club on Thursday night, leaving tyre tracks on the grass.

It’s not the first time the course has been targeted. Last year parts of the site had to be closed following a similar incident.

Mitch Good, greens convener at the club, said a passerby told him about the damage.

He said: “It happened in June last year, but the damage was more extensive then.

“They haven’t spun the wheels on the green like they did last time, but they drove the car over it.

“These idiots are out doing this and we’re supposed to be on a Covid-19 lockdown.”

Mitch said he felt he had to report the crime to the police.

He said: “I felt reluctant obviously, because of the climate of Covid-19.”

He added a new fence would now be installed to help protect the area.

He said: “The greenkeeper will go over it but if we don’t get much heat this year, or we get frost, the grass won’t grow.

“We had put boulders in place, but obviously not enough to stop cars getting in.

“To be effective, we need to spend money and put a fence all around the road area.”

Sergeant Niall Mullen, from the Peterhead police office, said: “We can confirm that officers have received a report of vandalism to Oldmeldrum Golf Course.

“This is believed to have taken place overnight between Thursday and Friday.

“Inquiries are at an early stage and anyone with information is urged to contact the police on 101.”

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Askam rugby club’s NHS gesture

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Askam rugby club’s NHS gesture: Askam Rugby League Club have gone above and beyond to show their appreciation for the NHS. 

Groundsmen took advantage of the suspended season to say thank you to local healthcare workers.

Lines have been painted on the club’s pitch with ‘NHS’ printed inside a large heart.

The club posted on Twitter: “Showing our support for the brilliant work done by the @NHSuk
#StayAtHome #StaySafe”

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ECB unveils interim support package

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ECB unveils interim support package: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced a £61 million package to help cricket withstand the financial impact of COVID-19.

The plans detail a number of measures for the whole sport from elite to grassroots, including the MCC, the First-Class Counties (FCCs) and their County Cricket Boards (CCBs).

Local cricket clubs will also be offered support to see them through the coming months.

In accordance with Government advice the start of the cricket season has been delayed until at least 28 May. A range of options for cricket to begin in June, July or August are currently being modelled.

With revenues impacted across the game – from both cricket and non-cricket activities, the ECB Board today approved plans to expedite payments from a number of areas within its 2020-2021 planned distribution budgets.

Around £40m will be made immediately available through:

  • Early release of three months’ (May-July) county partnership distributions to FCCs and CCBs
  • The immediate availability of two years’ facilities maintenance distribution
    – Funds available unfettered and not restricted to facilities maintenance expenditure
    – A further £5.5m to be made available for counties who are not eligible for 2020-2021 ordinary facilities maintenance distributions
  • Suspension of international staging fees for four months and waiving of international staging fees payable in 2020 if the match is not played as scheduled due to COVID-19

An extra budget of just over £20m will become available to the recreational game through a cricket club support loan scheme, grants through the “Return to Cricket” scheme and a 12-month holiday on loan repayments for recreational clubs.

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Groundsman’s sense of normality

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Groundsman’s sense of normality: Amid all the uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, it is reassuring to know that some routines have hardly changed.

“The grass doesn’t stop for coronavirus,” Scott Humphries, groundsman at Oxford United’s training ground says.

This is the start of the third week without players working on the pitches at the club’s headquarters near Horspath.

But while the squad are cooped up, Humphries cannot work from home.

Instead, he is isolated in his tractor, trundling up and down the vast expanse of green, keeping it in shape for when the season can restart.

He said: “It’s just about giving the pitches some tender loving care.

“Grass is like a human, it requires food, drink and oxygen.

“People don’t see it like that, but to me it’s my second baby.”

Other than not marking out the pitches, his job has barely changed in the last fortnight.

The lack of wear and tear, coupled with the sudden burst of sunshine, has helped restore the pitches to pristine condition.

But there is a snag to this unscheduled break, which is centred around just how long life will be on hold.

Groundstaff count on the long summer break to give them enough time to undertake essential major pitch renovation works.

But with the current campaign set to be extended, it is likely the gap between seasons will be shorter.

Humphries said: “We all need a holiday now and again because otherwise we burn out – and pitches are no different.

“You would normally rip the surface off and then it’s about six weeks to grow.

“The training pitch is vital, especially with the way our boys want to play.

“The community use the facilities as well and you want them to have a good surface when they’re allowed to come out.

“It’s so frustrating because we can’t plan anything – and it needs to be ready for Championship players next season.”

A lifelong United fan, Humphries has lived the dream since arriving in August 2017.

And although he is working separately to the rest of the club at the moment, the connection is still there.

“Derek Fazackerley (first team coach) rang me up the other night, just to see how things were,” he said.

“That’s brilliant and it just makes you feel part of it.

“Faz is a football legend and he’s taken ten minutes out to give me a ring.

“It’s the club I love and you are always going to go the extra mile in that situation.

“It’s brilliant to see it on the Saturday. At 5pm you can say ‘I’ve played a little part in that’.”

In that context, the current situation – surrounded by pitches, but without any football – is torture.

“I can’t wait for football to be back,” he said.

“I just keep thinking about that first game and how much we’ll all be looking forward to it.

“We took a Tuesday night in Rochdale for granted, but everyone will be buzzing to go now.”

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