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NEWS ARTICLES

Fantasy Football is back

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Fantasy Football is back: The new Premier League season is almost upon us, which signals the return of the Turf Matters Fantasy Football league, sponsored by Dennis & SISIS.

Entry into the league is once again FREE of charge with a share of a £500 prize pot up for grabs.

Fantasy Football is back

Fantasy Football is back

Simply create your team at https://fantasy.premierleague.com and then register your details with us here to enter. Upon completion of the entry form we will send you our unique code which will allow you to join the league and take part in the competition.

PRIZES

Prizes will be issued at the end of the season in the form of Love2shop high street vouchers:

POSITION PRIZE MONEY
1st Place £250
2nd Place £100
3rd Place £50
4th Place £25
5th Place £20
6th Place £15
7th Place £10
8th Place £10
9th Place £10
10th Place £10

Good luck!

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Grillo announce new franchise

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Grillo announce new franchise: Leading Cornwall and Devon groundcare machinery dealership, Vincent Tractors & Plant, has been appointed as a Grillo AgriGarden Machines dealer for Devon and Cornwall.

This means that its branches at Fraddon, Holsworthy and Smithaleigh (Plympton) will be able to provide both sales and after-sales service for both new and existing Grillo customers.

Grillo announce new franchise

Grillo announce new franchise

Paul Vincent, Managing Director of Vincent Tractors & Plant said “We are delighted to add Grillo to our range of professional groundcare machines.  Grillo produces a superb range of machines including rotovators, walking tractors, trimmers. Sickle bars, tracked carriers, banks mowers, and a range of ride on mowers and collectors.”

“The addition of Grillo to our range of groundcare machines will allow us to offer our customers a wider range of products.  We have been listening to our customers who have said that they would like us to supply a large out-front rotary mower with central collection.  The addition of Grillo will allow us to supply this as they produce an excellent range of machines.”

To find out more about the range of Grillo products check out our website www.vincenttractors.co.uk/grillo or contact Vincent Tractors & Plant at Fraddon on 01726 860332, Holsworthy on 01409 251241 or Smithaleigh on 01752 981090.

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MM60 turns on the style at the Kassam

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MM60 turns on the style at the Kassam: Mark Walker, owner of Grasstek, has been widely praised for improving the pitch at Oxford United FC’s Kassam Stadium – with the club’s manager, Karl Robinson, even claiming that it has played a huge part in helping to improve the team’s style of play. 

Mark took on the maintenance of the pitch at the Kassam Stadium in December 2018 and immediately knew that it was a project which would require his undivided attention.

MM60 turns on the style at the Kassam

MM60 turns on the style at the Kassam

“I think it is fair to say that the pitch needed a lot of work when we took it over,” he said. “Upon closer inspection, the hybrid pitch had clearly been over top-dressed so none of the artificial fibres were showing and these fibres were also laid flat creating a barrier against healthy rooting.”

Rather than shy away at the thought of the colossal project, Mark was determined to embark on the challenge.

“My background is predominantly in greenkeeping, so I got the best groundsman I know involved. His encyclopaedic knowledge, experience and connections have been invaluable. We’ve now got a great team and we are growing and starting to expand into other areas.”

With an expert team in place, Grasstek got straight to work. The previous summer’s renovations had not been highly successful so Mark knew that they would have to delve deeper.

“We had no other option but to re-expose it all,” he said. “Unfortunately, we could not use traditional pitch renovation machinery due to complications with the carpet. After much experimentation, Bury Turfcare came up with the idea of using a mini digger to remove all of the upper rootzone which had very high percentages of organic material in it. They delicately carried out the necessary repairs and then overseeded with Limagrain’s MM60 grass seed.

“I had used Limagrain seed previously in which I overseeded driving range outdoor teeing areas and target greens with MM50 so I already knew that it would be a good seed. MM60 was recommended to me by an agronomist friend and I’m pleased I took his advice.”

MM60 is a 100% ryegrass formula which is renowned for producing an excellent playing surface – particularly on winter pitches. It 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®.

“We saw fantastic results straight away – the germination was very quick and even and I think we carried out our first cut after just ten days,” he said.

As the season progressed, Mark still had concerns over a problematic area on the pitch, but he quickly found that MM60 had combatted the issues.

“The stadium has a huge south stand and there are no translucent panels in the roof, so from September through to May no sunlight gets on the south side of the pitch. Prior to using MM60, the grass was basically non-existent on that south side – it was like a beach.

MM60 turns on the style at the Kassam

MM60 turns on the style at the Kassam

“However, since we overseeded with MM60, we now have so much more coverage on that side. I think this shows that the seed has great shade tolerance and we now have a very dense sward with no disease.”

Mark’s refurbishment work on the pitch has certainly not gone un-noticed. The club’s manager Karl Robinson recently went out of his way to claim that the pitch has helped the club to play the fast-flowing, attacking football he desires.

“The pitch at the Kassam is one of the best I’ve seen for a long time,” he said publicly. “You have to give credit where it’s due and the pitch is magnificent. It’s little things that can add to us being a better club moving forward.”

While the Oxford United team will continue to play their attractive football on the pitch and push for promotion, Mark and the Grasstek team are committed to playing their part too.

“We’ve used MM60 ever since that first application and we are going to continue to do so,” said Mark. “We’re not even going to look at any other seed because we are so happy with what we’ve got.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.lgseeds.co.uk/mm. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

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Amenity Management – important and essential

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Amenity Management – important and essential: 2020 is certainly a year not to be forgotten. It has impacted on us all in so many ways and it is clear that returning to what we thought as of normal will not be easy and may indeed never return in full.

We have all had to acquire new skills and new approaches to daily life and undoubtedly there have been significant challenges for us all, individuals and organisations. Yet it has also provided opportunity. The months of lockdown demonstrated just how much what happens in amenity management impacts on everyone who lives and works in the UK. It highlighted the essential elements involved in keeping transport networks running, our parks safe and our streets and pavements and so much more. It highlighted how important sport is in our lives and the incredible work of those who, despite the challenges, kept our golf courses and sports facilities maintained and fit for purpose.

Amenity Management – important and essential

Amenity Management – important and essential

2020 is also a year in which a major review of approaches to weed, pest and disease management is being undertaken by the UK and National Governments. This will lead to the publication of a new National Action Plan in 2021. The amenity sector and those who work in it have never been afraid to embrace change and innovation and this will remain so as long as what emerges is based upon proper evidence and science. The Amenity Forum is seeking to represent the views of the sector on all such matters and throughout highlights just how important what is done is to everyone.

We are asking governments to adopt the Amenity Standard as a requirement going forward for any professional work in amenity management. For those who fully support best practice and standards, this poses no problems but adoption in this way will further raise the profile and public confidence in what is done.

The Forum is holding its annual conference as an on line event on October 15th 2020 where the theme will be ‘’Planning for the Future’’ We are pleased to confirm that an address will be included from a senior government representative and there will be speakers drawn from across our sector. Building on new skills and new ways, our 2020 conference may have a new method of delivery but is set to provide the same high quality of speaker and opportunity to catch up on the many developments in our sector and issues impacting on us. Over the years, the conference has become a must attend event for all involved in or with an interest in amenity management and this is even more important in 2020.

Aside from important discussion on the National Action Plan and its implications, our focus will be very much upon innovation and new ways forward given the events of recent months. Of course, it is recognised that the opportunity for face to face networking will be lost but the team are working hard to provide the very best experience using professional software and it will be hosted from a central venue. There will be facility to ask questions and share views. The delegate rate is £50 and or further information on how to book or for more detail, contact Admin@amenityforum.net

Professor John Moverley OBE, Independent Chairman of the Amenity Forum, says ‘’The amenity sector is a vitally important one creating employment, contributing substantially to our UK economy and above all seeking to provide safe, healthy and sustainable amenity and sports surfaces fit for purpose. All who work in it need to be proud of what they do, truly important and essential’’

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Vanmac become UK distributors for Brouwer Kesmac

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Vanmac become UK distributors for Brouwer Kesmac: Vanmac Ltd have announced they are now an authorised full line distributor for the Brouwer Kesmac portfolio of turf and groundcare machinery.

With a long-standing, established reputation in the turf grower sector, the Brouwer Kesmac range of harvesters and pedestrian rollers, together with trailed verti-cutters, aerators and cylinder mowers are now available to local authorities, landscapers and grounds managers via Vanmac in the UK.

Vanmac become UK distributors for Brouwer Kesmac

Vanmac become UK distributors for Brouwer Kesmac

Founded by Gerry Brouwer and his son Eric in Ontario, Canada, Brouwer Kesmac is now established worldwide, built on a reputation of developing innovative equipment solutions that deliver quality and reliability. Vanmac Ltd, known throughout the UK for the distribution of the Trilo range of blowers & vacs, will offer sales and service support across the full range of Brouwer Kesmac products, along with supplying a vast selection of spare parts – which will be available to order through Vanmac Ltd’s website.

Of particular note from the range is the five-gang Kesmac verti-cutter, based on the proven design of the Kesmac cylinder mowers. Each of the five gang reels features 21 high-quality steel blades at 31mm spacings, to cut and remove thatch build ups – and at over 3m in width, it is ideal for use on larger areas such as golf fairways and parks. Another popular machine from the Kesmac collection is the Pedestrian Turf Roller, which can be filled with water to provide a smooth, clean surface, particularly suited to landscapers and contractors.

The appointment of Vanmac Ltd in the UK extends the distribution agreement between Brouwer Kesmac and Vanmac bv across Europe. For Vanmac Ltd, Area Sales Manager Jeremy Vincent, said, “We’ve been working hard to extend our portfolio here in the UK and are delighted to have added the Brouwer Kesmac collection to our offering. The range compliments everything that we currently offer to customers in the turf grower market and extends our offering to those managing professional turf surfaces. Over the next few weeks, we will begin supporting all of the existing Brouwer Kesmac customers and are excited to hit the road and begin introducing the quality range to new facilities around the country.”

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