Diesel Used To Vandalise Greens

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Diesel Used To Vandalise Greens: Cessnock Golf Club have suffered from vandalism three times in the past two weeks.

Greens at Cessnock Golf Club have been vandalised three times in the past two weeks.

The first incident occurred on the night of Wednesday, February 14 when diesel was poured onto the twelfth green (which backs onto the Calvary grounds).

The fourth green had also been targeted the Saturday night prior, when vandals left a series of holes in the grass.

Course superintendent Merv Hayward said it was devastating news for the staff, the golfers and the club volunteers (who give their time for several hours a week to keep the course in good shape).

“Our volunteers do a great job,” he said.,

“The course was really starting to look nice.

“You wonder what they (the vandals) get out of it.”

Mr Hayward said the diesel stains are irreparable, meaning the damaged sections of each green will have to be dug up and re-turfed – costing the club about $2500.

Anyone with information about these incidents should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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BASIS Points Reminder

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BASIS Points Reminder: Members of the BASIS Professional Register are being reminded that there are just three months left until the end of the points year.

BASIS Professional Registers and accounts manager, Michele Williams, explains that members must collect a specified number of BASIS CPD points by 31 May 2018, to maintain their Professional Register status.

BASIS Points Reminder

“There are numerous ways in which BASIS members can top-up their points before the 31 May deadline, including visiting exhibitions, conferences, trial sites and technical seminars,” she says.

A maximum of eight points per year can also be collected from reading a wide range of technical industry publications and newsletters.

The number of points an individual member must accrue depends on their qualification and category of membership. For example:

  • Certificate in Crop Protection (agriculture, vegetables or horticulture) – 40 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection (agriculture, vegetables or horticulture) with FACTS Certificate – 50 points
  • FACTS Certificate only – 20 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection (amenity horticulture) – 20 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection (amenity horticulture) with FACTS Certificate – 30 points

“We’ve currently got 5,591 members, with over 200,000 CPD points to be collected during the year, and encouragingly, over three quarters of these have already been allocated. But there are still plenty of opportunities to meet your quota before the end of May.”

Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO reiterates the importance of Continued Professional Development (CPD), explaining that it is essential for agronomists, advisers and farmers to stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly developing agricultural and horticultural industries.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen agronomy step up a gear, and with the uncertainty around Brexit, and tightening regulations, this is expected to continue,” he says.

“New technology, restrictions and stewardship guidelines are being introduced all the time, so it’s essential that those providing advice remain up-to-date, and collecting BASIS CPD points will help to do so. This will allow consultants to deliver the latest information and assist farmers in making informed decisions.”

Points requirements

Members can access their training record on the BASIS website, or via the BASIS app at www.basis-app.co.uk, to find out how many more points they need to collect.

For more information please visit www.basis-reg.co.uk or contact a member of the BASIS team on 01335 343945.

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New Synthetic Bowling Green

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New Synthetic Bowling Green: Moe Bowling Club have been subjected to a longstading problem with soggy greens, but new work on the club’s bowling greens are going a long way to solving that issue.

Water-logged playing surfaces will soon be a thing of the past as new synthetic turf is rolled out across the club thanks to funding from the Latrobe Valley Authority and the state government.

Moe Bowling Club president Les Stolarik welcomed the facelift and said it had already raised the spirits of members.

“We realised a few years ago that the way we were going, there wouldn’t be a long-term future for the Moe Bowling Club,” Stolarik said.

“We had to do something a bit different and we’re very thankful for the new greens. It’s been enormous for us.”

Since the club was formed in 1946, the bulk of its spending has come at the cost of annual green-keeping fees, which will be eliminated with the new synthetic greens.

Turf greens also meant the club was forced to shut down for four months every year during winter.

“We looked like we were going to be going out the back door in about five or six years time, we just couldn’t continue pouring money into greenkeepers and not get the results we needed,” member Ian Caines said.

“With these greens, we can eliminate the greenkeeper side of things and instead do things for the club and the members.

“Now that we can be open 12 months a year we can get the community more involved with the club and open it up to the whole of Moe.”

Adding to its new look, the Moe Bowling Club has rebranded this year to join the pride of lions sporting clubs in the area.

“For a long time we have maintained the koala shirts but one of the young members suggested we join the football, netball and cricket clubs in the lions’ den,” Caines said.

“And here we are as the mighty lions. It has made a huge difference for us in terms of recognition from other clubs and the town so these little things help bring the club together and the broader Moe sporting community together.”

The front green is scheduled for completion in early April while works on the back green will begin shortly after.

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Posh Defender Turns Groundsman

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Posh Defender Turns Groundsman: Peterborough United defender Steven Taylor played an extended role in his team’s victory on Tuesday night, by helping to sweep snow off the lines at the ABAX Stadium.

Peterborough were hosting Walsall in a League One clash but heavy snow in the second half meant the pitch was hardly visible.

The Posh were 2-1 up in the 80th minute when the referee halted play to ensure snow could be cleared off the pitch.

And it was former England U21 captain and Newcastle centre-half Steven Taylor who was the hero of the hour.

Taylor was seen desperately shovelling snow to make the lines visable so play could continue.

“Steven Taylor is a hero,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

Another said: “Steven Taylor not only clears the backline he now helps clear the lines on the pitch.”

“So Steven taylor was literally playing the ‘sweeper’ role tonight. #PUFC,” said another supporter.

There was a seven minute break in play as the ground staff and home players brushed the snow on the pitch.

Peterborough eventually ran out 2-1 winners to earn their first victory in eight games.

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2018 Groundsman Award

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2018 Groundsman Award: Now taking place for the 11th year, The FA’s Groundsman of the Year awards were created to recognise the contribution of these unsung heroes of the grassroots game and encourage the development of groundsmanship.

The majority of football in this country is played outside the Football League. Quality pitches are therefore essential for the development of football at every level. Grassroots groundspeople, the vast majority of whom are volunteers, play a huge role in ensuring pitches are in their best possible condition, week in, week out.

2018 Groundsman Award

The current award structure is as follows. There are separate awards for:

• The Football Conference (Steps 1 and 2)
• Northern Premier League
• Southern League
• Isthmian League
• Steps 3 and 4 National Award
• Steps 5 and 6 National Award
• Step 7 and Below National Award

Step 1 – 6 Clubs are nominated by their respective Leagues, while Step 7 and below clubs are selected by their County FA following local nominations. The top recommendations from each League and County are visited by FA judges who draw up the final shortlist.

These six judges are all groundsmen at Premier League and Championship football clubs across the country. They not only look at the quality of the pitch, but also take into consideration the groundsman’s skills and knowledge, their ambitions for the pitch, the resources available, how often the pitch is used, and the amount of time they are able to work on the pitch.

Each local winning groundsperson will be presented with a trophy at their respective home grounds on the day of a pre-season friendly or league game and then are recognised again at the Oxfordshire FA Awards Evening later this year. The Groundsman of the Year Awards Presentation brings together all the award winners, runners-up and highly commended groundsman for a day at St. George’s Park which includes lunch, a tour of the facility and the awards presentation.

Oxfordshire nominations for Step 7 and below are now OPEN!

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