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Lord’s Head Groundsman Honoured

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Lord’s Head Groundsman Honoured: After 48 years of service, Lord’s head groundsman Mick Hunt has been recognised by the ECB and MCC for his work, with the MCC also awarding Mick with an honorary lifetime membership.

England recently became the first ever team to complete the milestone of playing 1000 Tests. They celebrated it with a 30-run win over India at Edgbaston in the first Test of the series. Youngster Sam Curran was the top crusader for the English side as they won a humdinger of a contest. As the hosts headed to Lord’s for the second Test, there was another milestone by an Englishman.

For a change, it wasn’t a cricketer but a groundsman. Mick Hunt who has been the Head Groundsman was felicitated for his tremendous 48 years of service. The England skipper Joe Root presented him with an autographed bat at the Home of Cricket. The event took place just moments before play began on Day 3. The Lord’s Cricket Ground handle on Twitter posted a picture of the same.

It was indeed a busy morning for the groundsman. Not because he had a lot of ground related work but that the rewards didn’t stop coming his way. In what was a wonderful gesture by the England Cricket Board, Mick was also awarded the MCC honorary lifetime membership.

The first day at Lord’s was completely washed out. The second day saw just 212 balls being bowled. However, it was enough for the England pacers to bundle the Indian batsmen in overcast conditions. The ball swung like a snake out of James Anderson’s hands and all the bowlers took full advantage of the same. England don’t have a great record at Lord’s recently and they will be looking forward to changing that. They haven’t beaten an Asian team at the ground in their last five instances.

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Amenity Forum’s Glyphosate Statement

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Amenity Forum’s Glyphosate Statement: The Amenity Forum have released a statement discussing the use of glyphosate after the outcome of a US judgement.

Managing weeds in amenity situations is a vital task – it impacts on every UK citizen every day providing safe and healthy environments. It really keeps Britain moving. As we move forward in this continually changing world, the need for decisions to be based upon proper evidence and science has never been so important. Chemicals used for amenity management are more rigorously tested than many household products. Not only are amenity chemicals thoroughly tested and approved but they are continually monitored.

Amenity Forum's Glyphosate Statement

In the case of the active glyphosate, it has only recently undergone a thorough review in Europe and been re-approved for use in amenity situations as a safe chemical. This review, conducted by the Expert committee of scientists in Europe and approved by vote of member states, took into account some concerns expressed about the active possibly having carcinogenic effects. Based on all the science and evidence available, it was concluded that these were unfounded and it was safe to use.

In that context, the Forum is very surprised to hear the outcome of the recent judgement in the USA relating to glyphosate in the product Round Up. We understand that an appeal is to be made by the manufacturer and so it is inappropriate to comment further on this.

The Forum seeks to work with everyone across the important sector of amenity promoting best practice in all aspects of weed management, chemical and non chemical. We support an integrated approach making best use of all tools available to ensure a safe and healthy environment fit for purpose whether it be streets and pavements, parks, railways, sports grounds and indeed all amenity spaces. Glyphosate has proved to be a very important and essential element in such management programmes as an approved, regulated and fully authorised chemical.

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Limagrain Praised At Peterborough

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Limagrain Praised At Peterborough: Rob Bradshaw, currently operating as head groundsman at his beloved Peterborough United FC’s Mick George Training Academy, has spoken of his satisfaction at both the product and the service he receives from Limagrain UK.

Rob has admitted that he is currently ‘living the dream’. As a lifelong Posh fan, not only is he working for the club that he loves but he is also doing a job that he loves. After starting his career working for Huntingdon District Council he accepted the head groundsman position at One Leisure sports centre in St Ives and during his time here he picked up two Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) national awards.

Limagrain Praised At Peterborough

In between his current full-time role at the Mick George Training Academy, Rob is a pitch advisor for the Huntingdonshire FA and also runs a Sport England funded grounds association in the areas of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. So passionate about providing the best surfaces he can, he even admits to sleeping in his car after tending to the pitches through the night.

“Yes, I’ve had nights out in the car park but you have to do it sometimes,” he said. “I take pride in my work and I want what is best – for the players and for the club.”

Rob has been at Peterborough United FC for two years now and after a season of settling in he soon decided it was time to make his mark.

“It got to February time when I really wanted to start planning, make some improvements and finalise where we were going to go with our end of season renovations. Firstly, I needed to choose a good grass seed because I only want to use the best products here. I did my homework on various products and gave a number of companies the opportunity to come in.

“The Limagrain MM60 seed seemed to be the number one choice in my opinion. I know that a lot of other professional clubs use it and I have used various Limagrain products in the past – it has always been a proven package.”

Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed is renowned for producing an excellent playing surface on a number of winter sports pitches. It is a 100% Ryegrass formula which is perfect for renovation and divot repair, has a high disease resistance, fantastic aesthetic qualities and offers extremely fast germination – which is boosted by the inclusion of Headstart GOLD®.

Developed using the latest scientific findings and field experience, Headstart GOLD® is a natural revolutionary grass seed treatment that ensures rapid germination and is perfect for enhancing performance on grass seed coatings for sports fields, golf courses, lawns and amenity turf.

“We had good germination within 10-12 days and we had excellent coverage,” said Rob. “It’s important that I have a seed like MM60 which recovers quickly from damage and wear because of the amount of usage we have here. Last year, as well as training, we had 260 games on the two pitches so to have that dense, hard wearing sward which the MM60 provides is ideal.

Limagrain Praised At Peterborough

“I’d also like to add that, aside from the success of the products, I have been really impressed by the service, the back-up and the advice I receive from Limagrain UK. When I was deciding on what seed to use Richard Sheppard (amenity seed specialist for Limagrain UK) came in and was very helpful. In my experience you don’t always get that level of professional back-up and I just can’t fault the company in any kind of way.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm.

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Wilson Top Of The Turf League

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Wilson Top Of The Turf League: Eric Wilson from Whitby Town has been named as the best groundsmen in the Northern Premier League, along with Non-League’s national runner-up at the Football Association’s 2018 Groundsmen of the Year Awards.

Pictured last season after being highly commended by the judges of the annual contest to honour Non-League’s top turf stars for his work at the Turnbull Ground, Wilson easily outstripped that this time around to collect the EVO-STIK League’s top honour and take second spot nationally at Steps 3 to 4 of the National League System behind Tonbridge Angels.

Like the groundsmen and women at the number one clubs in the Isthmian League, Southern League and National League, Wilson and the Seasiders are also looking forward to banking cheques for £12,500 to spend on ground maintenance from Budweiser, the new sponsor of the annual accolades.

The EVO-STIK League Premier Division club and Wilson are no strangers to honours after being named in June alongside Trafford and Loughborough Dynamo at the NPL’s end of season awards as one of the inaugural winners of the GreenFields Pitch of the Year accolades.

Matlock Town’s Richard Lomas left the FA’s St George’s Park on Thursday with plenty to shout about too, second place behind Wilson, both in the NPL and nationally. Elfyn Jones at Colwyn Bay will have an extra spring in his step around Llanelian Road as he prepares for the new season after taking third spot in the EVO-STIK League and being highly commended nationally.

Regular finalists Mick Grimmer at Stocksbridge Park Steels and Witton Albion’s Peter Robinson, along with last season’s NPL number one, Belper Town’s Phil Varney, all left the event with high commendations from the the FA’s judging panel of expert professional groundsman from the English Football League and Premier League.

The league’s representatives were honoured after a series of on-site assessments at nominated grounds last season that not only looked at the quality of the pitches but also took into consideration the skills and knowledge of the finalists, their ambitions for the pitch, the resources available, pitch use and the amount of time they were able to work on their surfaces during one of the worst winters and toughest seasons in years.

More than a 100 groundsmen from all levels of the game were rewarded for their work at this season’s ceremony in front of their peers. EVO-STIK League representative Paul Hatt, along with Brent Clayton from the NPL’s sponsors at the Frank Whittle Partnership, were also at the prestigious state-of-the-art venue near Burton to congratulate the 2018 winners.

Guests at the 17th running of the annual awards also got the chance to quiz a panel of professional groundsmen at a Q&A session and enjoy a presentation from Mark Pover, the FA’s head of facilities and investment, before lunch and the awards ceremony.

* Official pitch partners GreenFields agreed a new three year deal with the EVO-STIK League in June after honouring their inaugural Pitch of the Year winners at Blackpool’s Hilton Hotel. Appointed last summer as the NPL’s official pitch partners for the historic 2017-18 50th anniversary campaign, the sports turf specialists are looking forward to working with clubs until at least the end of the 2020-21 season.

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Centenary Fields Legacy

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Centenary Fields Legacy: To mark the conclusion of Centenary Fields, the Fields in Trust World War I commemorative programme, communities across the UK will demonstrate their gratitude to the WWI generation with a series of events and activities on these legally protected parks and green spaces. Fields in Trust will reveal the story of one Centenary Field each day in an online interactive map. Staring on 8th August the Centenary Fields legacy programme will run until the anniversary of Armistice Day on 11th November. This campaign is in delivered in partnership with the Royal British Legion’s “Thank You” project highlighting the nation’s gratitude to the generation who served in WWI.

Stories featured will highlight the contribution of individual combatants, those who returned – and many who did not. We will also look at memorials to the fallen, ranging from simple village stone cross to more intricate commemorative sculpture. We will explore how these parks and green spaces served the War effort – for example providing timber for trenches. We will also address the contemporary resonance – communities doing something now to remember the sacrifice of 100 years ago.

Centenary Fields Legacy

The Centenary Fields Legacy campaign will start on Wednesday 8th August by featuring War Memorial Park in Coventry. This large 120-acre site was the location for the launch of Centenary Fields in July 2014 by Fields in Trust President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge. His Royal Highness laid a wreath at the foot of the war memorial, took part in sport and educational activities and helped local school children plant poppy seeds. Speaking at the launch in 2014 Fields in Trust President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, said:

“The Centenary Fields programme aims to save in perpetuity scores of memorial spaces around the country.  Each moment of play or leisure that takes place on a Memorial Field is, in a way, an act of remembrance. I am delighted that Fields in Trust have identified these Centenary Fields as a vital part of our national heritage and well-being, which we cannot take for granted.  I encourage local authorities to support this cause and to safeguard these living spaces of remembrance for generations to come.”

As the programme reaches its conclusion, communities across the UK will be making significant anniversaries with events at parks and green spaces to say thank you to the WWI generation, Whilst online, a Centenary Field will be revealed on our website map each day at 11 am, (see www.fieldsintrust.org/centenary-fields-legacy). The stories of each of the sites, and those individuals commemorated there, will be shared in local press coverage and social media as the green spaces around the UK are revealed.

Fields in Trust’s Centenary Fields programme legally protects parks and green spaces in perpetuity. The Centenary Fields legacy project honours the memory of the World War I servicemen and also those – military and civilian – who played their part on the home front to build a better life for the benefit of generations to come.

 Centenary Fields protected as part of the programme include war memorials, parks and recreation grounds, memorial gardens, playing fields or other green spaces with a significant World War I link. The Centenary Fields legacy project contributes to the Royal British Legion’s Thank You movement. These important spaces form a vital part of local heritage and play a key role in making the First World War relevant to today’s generation – fully embracing the spirit of this centenary year.

Fields in Trust Chief Executive Helen Griffiths comments:

“Congratulations to the parks and green spaces selected as part of our Centenary Fields legacy project. These sites will be included forever in our national programme to commemorate the centenary of World War I. Dedicating these spaces not only commemorates the sacrifices of those who gave their lives during the conflict but also ensures that future generations have valuable places to enjoy as a living legacy.”

The Fields in Trust Centenary Fields programme publicly demonstrates our gratitude to the World War I generation in a unique way. Protecting parks and green spaces means local communities will always have somewhere for play, sport – or a quiet moment of reflection.

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