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Linnets Aim For Perfect Pitch

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Linnets Aim For Perfect Pitch: The Walks might be a far cry from the old Wembley Stadium and Portman Road, but Steven Curtis is relishing the change in role after becoming groundsman at King’s Lynn Town Football Club.

Mr Curtis, who has worked at a number of iconic venues during the last 40 years, is enjoying the challenge of trying to make the surface at Lynn pitch-perfect.

So much so that he has even put his property at Beck Row on the market so he can be closer to Lynn.

As if the task in hand wasn’t big enough when he took the job on, the lack of rain during one of the hottest summers for many years has hindered his hard work even further.

“The weather has been horrible for a groundsman,” said Mr Curtis.

“Water has been a problem, as it has been for everyone, and trying to get the pitch green has been a nightmare.

“Richard (Simper) has been an angel, coming in and moving the hose pipes which we’ve had on the go constantly.

“We’ve literally had two hose pipes on the go 24/7 so I think that Mr Cleeve might have a very sorry water bill, but what do you do?

While several players were dusting down their flip-flops for the summer holidays at the end of last season, Lynn’s groundsman was plotting a pristine playing playing surface for the new campaign.

Mr Curtis, 63, was left with the unenviable task of transforming the surface – which came in for much criticism from the club’s previous manager – into tip-top condition after leaving his position at Mildenhall after two-and-a-half years.

Lynn’s pitch had four thousand metres (two-and-a-half miles) of new drainage installed before it was eventually verti-drained, overseeded and fertilised.

“I’ve certainly done my 10,000 steps a day,” quipped Mr Curtis.

“We’ve had to constantly back fill the trenches to keep them topped up. We’ve shifted about 20 tonnes of sand to help us keep it topped up.”

As previous Linnets turf-tenders will concur, sustaining the pitch’s quality throughout a nine-month campaign is a mammoth task considering its heavy-duty usage.

But it isn’t such an issue for Mr Curtis who worked at the old Wembley between 1986 and 1994, along with clubs such as Ipswich, Norwich City, Leyton Orient and Cambridge United during 40 years as a contractor.

“The club approached me and I was happy to come here,” he admitted.

“It was a step up, bigger facilities, better players and better everything really.

“The players have been great and appreciate what has been done, everyone has been great which is why we’ve put our house on the market and our thinking of moving this way.”

And the chances of Lynn having a surface to be proud of come kick-off on August 11?

“At the moment it’s a seven out of ten for me,” said Mr Curtis.

“Come another three weeks and given a bit of moisture, I think we will be there or thereabouts.”

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IOG Welcomes Lantra As End Point Assessment Organisation

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IOG Welcomes Lantra As End Point Assessment Organisation: Lantra has become the End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) for the new Level 2 Sports Turf Operative Apprenticeship Standard developed by the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) and a large employer group.

There are already more than 50 apprentices undertaking a learning journey to achieve this high-quality standard.

IOG Welcomes Lantra As End Point Assessment Organisation

Commenting, IOG learning programme architect Chris Gray, said: “After sustained work by the IOG which has included advocating for a solution as well as making representation to government and key stakeholders, the initiative of Lantra becoming the government-approved EPAO for the standard is welcomed.

“The development provides further reassurance to the industry that we are on a sound footing to raising standards within our industry and further promoting this as a sustainable career for many.”

IOG chief executive Geoff Webb, added: “This announcement complements our work in developing a national natural turf Pitch Grading Framework, which charts how grounds personnel can progress from volunteer to professional level – by linking the standards of surfaces to the necessary skills needed to ensure surfaces reach their optimum levels through a blended learning approach to education and training.”

Lantra marketing development manager, Jo-Anne Bryan, said: “Lantra is committed to supporting the development of skills in the land-based sector. Building for the future by developing the next generation of industry specialists is a fundamental business driver. We are therefore delighted to have been approved as an EPAO for the new standard and look forward to continuing to work closely with the IOG in helping to meet the industry’s needs.”

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Double Irrigation At Breadsall Priory

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Double Irrigation At Breadsall Priory: Breadsall Priory Marriott Hotel and Country Club in Derbyshire has renovated two ageing irrigation systems to one Lynx control system from Toro to keep its 18-hole Championship Priory Course and Moorland Course in top condition.

Course manager John Smith explains: “When our previous control systems began experiencing communication errors and electrical breakdowns, we didn’t know if the grass was getting the water it needed. The systems urgently needed to change, but we didn’t want to unnecessarily overhaul all the wiring and pipework.

Double Irrigation At Breadsall Priory

“Completely replacing everything would have resulted in huge costs, but with the help of Reesink Turfcare’s Toro irrigation team, including Peter Newton and Cevan Edwards, we discovered we only needed to upgrade the two control systems and have saved a lot of money thanks to the renovating rather than replacing.”

“The install went without a hitch,” John recalls: “Before upgrading the systems, Toro technicians came to check the 28-year-old wiring would be compatible with Lynx and, finding that it was, returned in the winter of last year to undertake the renovation. Four guys made fast work of completing the install in just one and half weeks, with no disruption to golfers or our maintenance programme.”

Delighted with Lynx, John enthuses: “We’ve been using Lynx since April of this year and, as the oldest Marriott Hotel in the world with a reputation to uphold, having a comprehensive system we can rely on to irrigate both courses has given us great peace of mind. Now we have total control over when water goes on, the flow rate, and the trajectory. Lynx has really improved the efficiency, versatility and reliability of our irrigation routine.”

Having been witness to how well Lynx performs, John decided to add to the renovation project by upgrading the sprinklers, too, hoping to see even more benefit to the club’s irrigation. The perfect partner to Lynx, Toro Infinity sprinklers have replaced the sprinklers across multiple greens on the Championship Priory Course that were “in need of updating.”

John says: “We chose to start changing our sprinklers over to Infinity for improved performance and ease of maintenance. What I like about the new sprinklers is that to perform any kind of maintenance you can access everything you need from the surface. Being able to make changes without digging up or replacing bodies is a real time and money saver. Plus, the sprinkler heads have diversified nozzles offering a range of trajectories to suit the changing needs of the turf. As a result we’ve decided to phase an Infinity upgrade on all of the greens over the next few years.”

With the successful renovation behind it, Breadsall is looking to further innovate the way it irrigates the courses: “Using Lynx and Infinity from April has already made the quality of our turf far better, which is so important for our ancient site. Next up, we want to extract water from our lake to irrigate the courses and, given the great experience we’ve just had with Reesink, we will be working with them again to improve our lake’s water quality with an Otterbine aerator,” John concludes.

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Allett’s New C27 Cylinder Mower

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Allett’s New C27 Cylinder Mower: Allett Mowers have introduced a new 27” cylinder mower to their range of professional mowers. Designed to meet requests from groundsmen across Europe and the USA, the Allett C27 is a welcome addition offering the professional the ‘Quick Cartridge’ options that effectively make these mowers eight machines in one. Powered by the Honda GX200 engine, the 27” cylinder cutting system, with substantial front and rear rollers, ensures you get a superior cut, levelness of finish and longer lasting, more crisply defined stripes. The six bladed cylinder produces 111 cuts per metre (101 cuts/yard) while the eight blade will give you 148 cuts per metre (135cuts/yard) irrespective of forward speed. Effortless mowing is equally assured with handle-mounted levers for drive and cartridge engagement and the adjustable handlebars have anti-vibration mountings.

The C27 provides you with sheer versatility and the convenience of performing multiple turf maintenance tasks using just the one machine. Together with the 6 and 8 bladed cylinders the optional accessories include a scarifier cartridge with Tungsten tipped blades, a Sorrel Roller, Turf Rake, Verticut and Brush. There is also the option of a trailing seat to turn the C27 into a ride-behind for faster cutting over large areas and the large 3.1 litre fuel tank will keep you covering the ground. The Allett C27 gives you a cut height of 8mm to 55mm (0.32”- 2.17”) for accurate adjustment to deal with the changing conditions throughout the season.

Allett's New C27 Cylinder Mower

With the front and rear rollers of a cylinder mower close to the point at which the grass is cut, you can achieve very low heights of cut without scalping. The rear roller on the C27 is a rubber covered 3-piece steel roller with steel spur end differential. The front roller is grooved aluminium with scraper and sealed end bearings, though you do have the option of a plain roller if you prefer. The working width of the mower is of course 686mm/27”, the overall width 900mm/38” and it weighs in at just 135kg (297lb). The grassbox is moulded plastic with a steel reinforcing strip. All round, take a look at the Allett C27 and you’ll find you have a heavily constructed cylinder mower that is compact and manoeuvrable enogh to be used in small spaces as well as open sites. It’s quality-built and performs with excellence all the multiple tasks the professional could ask for.

For more information, visit: www.allett.co.uk

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STIHL Upgrades MultiEngine Offering

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STIHL Upgrades MultiEngine Offering: Adding to its range of MultiSystem tools, STIHL has released the new MM 56 MultiEngine ideal for a wide range of tasks in lawn maintenance, soil cultivation and surface cleaning.

Replacing the MM 55, the new MM 56 delivers more power and torque thanks to the upgraded 2-Mix engine, providing that little bit extra when needed. STIHL 2-Mix technology also offers higher efficiency and lower emissions, rendering it more economical than its predecessor.

STIHL Upgrades MultiEngine Offering

Supplied with a wheel kit as standard, the MM 56 is compatible with the extensive range of existing attachments and is suitable for a host of different applications including edging, lawn aerating and sweeping. Thanks to the intuitive design, the fittings can be quickly interchanged saving valuable time.

For further comfort, the latest MultiSystem offering from STIHL features an advanced lever system with one touch stop function for simplified starting. Additionally, the multi-function control handle houses all the engine controls, meaning users can easily and comfortably operate the tool without their hand ever leaving the handle.

As well as being easy to use, the new MultiEngine is designed with a quick and easy foldable frame, making transportation or storage more convenient than ever before without the need for any additional tools.

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