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SISGrass invests in Indian cricket

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SISGrass invests in Indian cricket: Hybrid cricket pitches have been installed at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala, the first in what is expected to be a series of major projects across India in 2024 and beyond.

Completed by international sports pitches specialist SISGrass in partnership with Indian fine turf specialist company Greater Ten, the work represents the start of a drive towards improved playing surface quality and consistency at both amateur and professional levels, opening the nation’s most popular sport up to millions more people.

SISGrass invests in Indian cricket

SISGrass invests in Indian cricket

SISGrass’s investment in India follows a decision by the International Cricket Council to permit the use of hybrid surfaces for T20 and 50-over competition. After widespread success installing hybrids across English cricket grounds, the SIS team chose India as its next region of development. Paul Taylor, a former England international and SIS’s International Cricket Director, says the decision made sense for several reasons.

“India is home to millions of cricket fans, players and professionals who play almost all year round,” says Taylor. “This huge demand puts pressure on facilities, which can make it difficult for people to access good quality pitches in their local area. Our hybrid system will create far more opportunities for people to participate in the sport, guaranteeing a higher-quality of play at every level of competition.”

The Universal machine used in Dharamshala to install the hybrid surface was first developed by SISGrass in 2017. It injects a small percentage of polymer fibre with the natural turf found inside cricket stadiums. This composition is more resilient to stresses created during play, helping to prolong the life of pitches, guarantee an even bounce and ease pressure on busy groundspeople. Completed installations are predominantly natural grass, with only 5% of polymer fibre used. This ensures the characteristics of an all-natural pitch are maintained.

Speaking about the installation, Mr. R.P. Singh, Hony. President, HPCA, said, “The HPCA has consistently embraced the latest advances in cricket, and we believe SISGrass’s technology will be game-changing.

“Maintaining top-notch practice pitches is crucial for player development, as traditional surfaces struggle under the demands of rigorous training schedules. SISGrass’s integration of natural grass with synthetic fibres creates a robust and durable playing surface, ensuring players are prepared for competitive play. We are confident the installation will pave the way for a brighter future for Indian cricket, not just in Himachal Pradesh but across the nation.”

Hybrids have already been sanctioned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for T20 and 50-over competitions, and in 2024 they will be used in four-day County Championship matches for the first time. The Universal machine in India will now travel to Ahmedabad and Mumbai, where it will stitch more pitches for practice and match play.

The first machine of its kind, the Universal has already proven effective in the UK, having been used to install SISGrass at almost every major county ground in England. These include Lord’s, The Kia Oval, Edgbaston, Emirates Old Trafford, Trent Bridge, among many others. The machine will remain in India after the first three installations are complete, making it immediately available to other grounds and facilities as projects are approved.

Richard Gould, CEO of ECB, added: “Hybrid pitches have played an important role in enabling some venues to manage an increased amount of cricket during the English summer as the fixture list across men’s and women’s international and domestic cricket has grown.”

The introduction of hybrid pitches represents an important moment for India’s national game, which has championed T20 cricket through the IPL. These shorter formats have been one of the main drivers behind the development of hybrid surfaces, with more intense periods of play making it harder to prepare all-natural surfaces in time for top-level competition.

“Cricket is often associated with tradition but the installation of SISGrass in India is a milestone of progress,” adds Taylor. “Our hybrid pitches will allow for longer periods of play than is possible with all-natural surfaces, helping to maintain a base level of performance for millions of players across the country. But the technology will also potentially transform grassroots-level cricket, giving juniors the chance to play on the same surfaces found in major stadiums. Our expansion in India is an investment in the future of the game at all levels.”

HPCA has already installed SISAir – another specialist technology business that forms part of the wider SIS Pitches portfolio. SISAir is a sports pitch aeration system that optimises root zone growing conditions, creating stronger and more durable grass. During heavy rainfall, SISAir will also remove excess surface water using a series of pipework installed underneath a playing surface. The technology is used widely across major stadia, including Galatasaray’s Rams Park.

For more information on SISGrass, visit: https://www.sispitches.com/sports-pitches/hybrid/installation/cricket

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EverEdge return to SALTEX

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EverEdge return to SALTEX: The EverEdge team are looking forward to returning for Saltex 2024. We always enjoy getting out to see people face to face and we see this as a real opportunity to interact with customers, new and old.

Alongside our standard range of steel lawn edging products, we will be bringing products that are targeted specifically at the trade including our hugely popular Titan range of heavy-duty steel edging, EverEdge steel planters and, new to the range Hydra. Hydra is a 4.0mm thick steel edge with a rolled top edge giving a 12.0mm thick top profile. EverEdge Hydra is designed for projects where concrete kerbs lack the aesthetic required. Hydra will provide an attractive, sturdy and long lasting edge around car parks, on driveways and in any commercial setting where concrete pin kerb are currently the norm. We look forward to introducing this range to the visitors at Saltex.

EverEdge return to SALTEX

EverEdge return to SALTEX

Trade shows allow us to build relationships with clients who we normally only speak to by phone or email. We are looking forward to being able to see some of these valued customers and giving them an opportunity to get their hands on some of the products they may have seen online or in magazines but have not, as yet, had the opportunity to install. At every show we attend, we always hear “I didn’t know you did that” and customers go away with a much greater understanding of the unrivalled range of steel edging options that we offer. EverEdge provide edging products that are perfect for domestic lawns, paths and driveways as well as for stately homes, commercial spaces and large public spaces. Within the EverEdge range, there really is an edging product for any job.

Outside of the edging range, we produce steel planters, both off the shelf and made to order, as well as a heavy-duty steel bench. We pride ourselves on being 100% made in Britain. All of our products have been designed, by us, here in the UK and manufactured in The Midlands. We look forward to seeing you all at the show!

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Win RYOBI power tools at SALTEX

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Win RYOBI power tools at SALTEX: The countdown is on for SALTEX 2024, the premier event that every grounds management professional and volunteer has marked on their calendars.

Set to be one of the most exciting editions yet, the exhibition promises unrivalled opportunities for networking, education, and the latest industry innovations. And now, visitors will have an opportunity to win over £1,700 worth of RYOBI power tools.

Simply register and attend the exhibition for your chance to take home tools including the 36V Cordless Brushless 46cm Self-Propelled Lawnmower, the 36V MAX POWER Cordless Brushless Whisper Blower, the 36V MAX POWER Cordless Brushless 65cm Hedge Trimmer, the 36V MAX POWER 26cm Cordless Brushcutter & 30cm Grass Trimmer, and the 36V MAX POWER 40cm Cordless Brushless Chainsaw.

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this groundbreaking event. Register now for SALTEX 2024 and secure your place at the forefront of the grounds management industry: https://www.saltex.org.uk/.

To enter the RYOBI Power Tools giveaway, simply register for, and attend, SALTEX 2024. The lucky winner will be selected at random from the registered attendees during the event. For full terms and conditions, please click here.

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Christmas present was a Ventrac

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Christmas present was a Ventrac: Sittingbourne & Milton Regis Golf Club surprised their Head greenkeeper Paul Best in December last year, when he was called down to the maintenance facility on a fictious errand, only to find that he was the recipient of a brand new Ventrac all-terrain compact tractor and several attachments.

Although the Ventrac was on his wish-list, machinery procurement at the club normally takes place in the summer, so it was huge surprise when he saw the machine complete with Contour deck, Tough Cut deck and Turbine blower.

Christmas present was a Ventrac

Christmas present was a Ventrac

The surprise was organised by Steve Bootes, the club’s General Manager, who has a great relationship with Paul and the greenkeeping team.

“We’d already sat down together”, said Steve, “and drawn up the spec and rational for the purchase. We knew we wanted a machine that provided versatility and could work in wet weather. The Ventrac was the obvious choice. The board here were happy to provide the finance to pull the purchase forward from our usual summer machinery upgrading programme, so I went ahead with the order and ‘forgot’ to tell Paul or any of his team. The look on his face when he saw the machine was priceless, the expletives he uttered on video, not so!”

Steve and Paul have worked together in their current roles for almost seven years and have a close working relationship. Paul joined the club as a 17-year-old apprentice and has risen through the ranks over the intervening 25 years. He was assistant head greenkeeper in his early 20s and then shadowed former head greenkeeper David Horn for six months prior to his retirement. However, the step up to head greenkeeper was not a forgone conclusion and he beat 19 other applicants for the top job.

Commenting on the Ventrac, Paul said,

“To say I was gobsmacked when I saw the Ventrac is an understatement; it was a massive surprise; a brilliant Christmas present, not just for me, but the whole team!

“It was a really wet season, but we managed to persuade the board that this was the piece of kit we needed going into the winter to enhance the playing surfaces and visual appearance. Usually we’d leave the fairways, as they were too wet to cut, but we striped them up all through the winter. We just missed what we call the ‘leaf season’, but this year with the leaf blower it’s going to pay dividends. Our current blower is towed behind a utility vehicle, which means that we’re using double the amount of fuel; one to power the blower and the other in the tow vehicle. The Ventrac is a single unit, so we’re saving fuel and it can go out without marking the fairways.

“The Tough Cut is brilliant in the deep rough and woodland margins; it takes down brambles and saplings with ease, knocks them down and mulches them. During the main season we use the Contour deck on our tee banks, but during the winter it’s also used on tees, fairways and even approaches.”

General Manager Steve Bootes was previously a senior electrical technician, who spent over 25 years working in the local paper mill, with an added responsibility for training a large group of apprentices. When the paper mill closed, he spent 10 years with a local engineering company, providing electrical drives for the water industry.

A keen golfer, he was a committee member for 15 years and club captain in 2005-6. Following the departure of two General Managers in quick succession, he took on the role for an initial 6-month trial period, and has successfully been in the role since 2017.

He concluded by saying,

“There’s a very good atmosphere at this club, across all departments. There’s a lot of respect for Paul and his team and that’s because of the training they’ve had, the leadership they’ve got and the equipment that enables them to do their job.

“The Ventrac is an integral part of our course maintenance plan and I’m now being pressured by Paul for a second machine. It’s not a forgone conclusion that he’ll get one, but we’ll make a good business case going forward and see what the board says.

“From my perspective, it’s not just putting faith in a machine; we must have support to ensure that it performs to its maximum and that’s where Price Turfcare, the Ventrac distributor, have been exemplary. As long as Paul puts in a parts order before 12 noon, he gets the item the next day. That’s the type of partner we want at this club.”

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Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L media update

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Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L media update: What happens when Italian flair meets renowned Japanese efficiency? Members of the groundcare press were recently given the opportunity to find out, as Kubota opened the doors to Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L. facility in Reggiolo, Italy. Following the acquisition of the brand in the summer of 2022, the two-day event delivered an update on the past, present and future of developments across the centre-collect front mower range.

Gianni Ferrari boasts a rich heritage of engineering prowess, with the namesake and founder pioneering patented irrigation machinery and the ‘Ferrari Joint’ in the early 1950’s. This developed into the design of their first walk-behind tractor in 1957. Fast forward to 1989, Gianni founded Gianni Ferrari S.R.L. alongside Franco Maletti and son Claudio Ferrari where, from their Reggiolo factory, they began the construction of professional lawn mowers.

Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L media update

Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L media update

Various models were introduced over the next 30 years, including the popular Turbo V50 and PG XPRO which gained much respect and popularity throughout Europe. With such a strong portfolio of centre-collecting front mowers for the professional user, Kubota recognised the complimentary fit of the range within their existing suite of ride-on mowers and proudly completed the acquisition in July 2022.

With the experience and support of Kubota globally, Kubota Gianni Ferrari have been working hard over the last two years to embrace the very best of the Japanese Kaizen approach to processes and manufacturing – which was evident in the slick and streamlined approach to production visible during the factory tour.

The media were also able to learn more about the current and ongoing developments within the product range such as the ‘conversion’ of the PG XPRO into the Kubota FC3-261, and the FC4-501 which has become one of the most powerful, comfortable and operationally equipped mowers on the market.

While the unprecedented rainfall from Storm Boris put pay to seeing the range in action, spirits were not dampened as all enjoyed gaining an insight into the approach – both now and that of the future – and the company ethos by speakers including Kosuke Ota, Vice President of Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L. Further presentations were also delivered by Henry Bredin, general manager and Matt Wilson, groundcare product manager, of Kubota (UK).

“It’s been fantastic to witness first-hand the enthusiasm and passion among the Kubota Gianni Ferrari team and to be able to share this with the media from the UK and Ireland was a real pleasure” adds Matt. “All of us at Kubota are incredibly excited about the bright future we have with the FC range, not just in traditional groundcare applications, but also in other guises where it can also support the maintenance of artificial sports surfaces. We’d like to extend a massive thank you to the team in Italy for being such fantastic hosts, and to all of those who attended.”

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