Hearts Install New Hybrid Pitch

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Hearts Install New Hybrid Pitch: Leading Scottish football club Heart of Midlothian Football Club has upgraded its famed Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh with a new state-of-the-art hybrid pitch thanks to Aggregate Industries’ drainage stone, sand and rootzone.

Having used a natural grass pitch and without a full pitch replacement in over 20 years, Heart of Midlothian Football Club wanted to significantly invest in a state-of-the-art pitch that would give the first team the best playing surface possible.

Hearts Install New Hybrid Pitch

Keen to invest in a robust pitch that will serve players and fans alike for years to come, Heart of Midlothian Football Club opted for the installation of a new £1m hybrid pitch combining natural grass with synthetic reinforcing fibres. The pitch includes a comprehensive piped drainage system, stone layer, base sand and rootzone layer, along with an entirely new irrigation system and upgraded undersoil heating system.

Working with main contractor Carrick Sports Construction and surface specialists STRI, Aggregate Industries was tasked with supplying high-quality drainage stone, sand and rootzone on an incredibly tight schedule. One of the main challenges included working within a restrictive traffic management plan and driving through narrow roads due to residential, commercial and school buildings surrounding the site.

An investment of this level demands the highest level of performance, hence the Aggregate Industries team at Levenseat Quarry in West Lothian suggested the use of a bespoke mix of solutions. This included ProPitch Root Zone, a blend of quality screened topsoil and the firm’s ProPitch 25 medium-fine silica sand, to produce a high quality growing medium as well as the best aggregates for drainage.

During a four-week construction programme which commenced on 10 May 2018, Aggregate Industries delivered 1,800 tonnes of ProPitch Rootzone to create a 100mm top layer, 1,800 tonnes of ProPitch 25 to create a 100mm middle layer and 1,500 tonnes of 2-6mm aggregate to create a 100mm bottom layer for drainage.

With precise planning and working collaboratively with all project partners, Aggregate Industries was able to achieve consistent and punctual deliveries throughout the project, helping Heart of Midlothian Football Club create the most precision-managed pitch in the world – on-time and to budget, while receiving glowing customer feedback in the process.

Hearts Install New Hybrid Pitch

Stewart Aird, Managing Director at Carrick Sports Construction, comments: “We were delighted to work with Aggregate Industries on this project as the team’s technical knowledge coupled with high-quality materials proved second to none. I’d also like to thank them for their excellent delivery service – the tight timeframe meant there was no room for delay and our suppliers had to deliver on time while observing a restrictive traffic management plan – and Aggregate Industries managed this well.”

Duncan McCool, sales manager at Aggregate Industries, said: “As one of the most high-profile pitch construction projects in Scotland, using the best quality materials is essential to creating a hybrid pitch that will truly stand the test of time. We are delighted that our bespoke mix of drainage aggregates, sand and rootzone, as well as precisely scheduled deliveries, were able to meet the unique specifications of this ambitious scheme.”

For further information, please call Levenseat Sands on 01525 237911 or email scotlandsales@aggregate.com

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Prevention Success At Preston GC

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Prevention Success At Preston GC: Andrew Merry, Course Manager at Preston Golf Club, changed his mind-set regarding disease management after attending an ICL/Syngenta breakfast club meeting for Greenkeepers.

Andrew may well be unique in the fact that not only is he the Course Manager at Preston Golf Club but he is also the General Manager. It all started back in 2006 when he was appointed as the Deputy Course Manager but soon was promoted when the position of course manager became vacant.

Prevention Success At Preston GC

He admits that it was somewhat a baptism of fire but twelve years later Andrew has excelled in this dual role, and one look at the stunning course is certainly testament to this.

The superb 18 hole, 6,278 yard, par 71 course dates back to 1892 with the design influenced by such luminaries as James Braid, Harry Varden, Alistair Mackenzie and Sandy Herd. Preston also has a wonderful variety of holes and USGA constructed greens that offer a challenge to players of all abilities.

Andrew has to work hard at keeping the course in a consistently excellent condition and none more so than two years ago when the greens were unfortunately struck with disease.

“I went on my Christmas break, left on the Thursday and came back on a Monday to find disease on the greens and I was worried I wouldn’t get those back. But since then and since attending the breakfast clubs, my view on course management has changed. The ICL/Syngenta “Turf Science Lite” breakfast club has re-educated me and made me want to start looking at things more preventatively and so far that has worked for the second year running,” he said.

The breakfast clubs were arranged by ICL’s North West Technical Area Sales Manager Phil Collinson, who provided a little more background.

“The idea was to get Greenkeepers together, keep them up to date on legislation, and inform them about products or trial work and to provide a networking opportunity.

“The breakfast club which Andrew first attended was based around various hard-hitting fungicides leaving the market and educating them that successful turf management is going to have to be different in the future. It is not about waiting for disease and hitting it and reducing the damage it is doing – it is about understanding when the site is most at risk from a damaging disease outbreak and preventing that damage from occurring in the first place by being proactive with the management strategy.”

Andrew did exactly that and incorporated an early application of Medallion TL at a rate of 3L/ha prior to his annual renovation work.

“Our annual renovation period starts in the third week of September and so a preventative fungicide a week before is where we start with our preventative management. Following that first application, a preventative fungicide goes down around every four weeks as well as incorporating good cultural methods such as dew removal to lower the risk of an outbreak. It is difficult to get into the mind-set of applying a fungicide when your greens are clean but it is absolutely worth it.”

Prevention Success At Preston GC

To compliment Andrew’s preventative strategy and to assist in reducing disease pressure, he also embarked on a full H2Pro TriSmart programme. This unique wetting agent consists of a triple-active formulation which provides great control when it comes to moisture management.

“We apply TriSmart on the greens at 10 L/ha every 4 weeks from April through to September. 2018 was the year to find out which wetting agents really work and I can safely say that TriSmart has excelled.

“Since using the product I haven’t had any compromised greens even during the hottest and driest periods. It also worth bearing in mind that I have an irrigation system which perhaps isn’t the best and the greens dry out very quickly because they are sand based.

“However, I’ve managed my moisture levels incredibly well and TriSmart has done exactly what it says on the tin!”

Andrew claims that the research and trial work conducted by ICL and Syngenta was a big factor in him deciding to use the products.

“In my opinion ICL has that research and development which is proven and it is something that will always stand up in my opinion. The support I receive from Phil is also invaluable.”

Please contact ICL on 01473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk or www.icl-sf.ie if you are in Ireland.

For more news and insightful views, you can follow ICL on Twitter @ICL_Turf

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JCB Prepare For F1 Opener

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JCB Prepare For F1 Opener: JCB Loadall telescopic handlers are under starter’s orders for an appearance at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend as the company kicks off its exciting partnership with a new British motor racing team.

JCB announced the partnership with SportPesa Racing Point F1 team last month and it will see prominent JCB branding on the two cars driven by Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez.

JCB Prepare For F1 Opener

The first Formula One race of the season takes place in Melbourne this weekend – when JCB Loadall telescopic handlers equipped with special jib attachments will also be trackside. The 15 machines – Loadall 531-70 models made at the company’s World HQ in Staffordshire, UK – will be on hand to quickly recover crashed cars during the various race events, including F1 practice, qualifying and the main F1 race event on Sunday.

Worldwide Marketing Director Michael Plummer said: “We are excited to kick off our new partnership with SportPesa Racing Point in Melbourne and delighted that JCB telehandlers will also be making an appearance at the Australian races. JCB Loadalls are the biggest selling telescopic handlers in the world and already a familiar sight on Formula One race circuits. To have them trackside at this season’s inaugural race is a great opportunity to show off the machines’ capabilities to a global audience.”

The special jib attachment on the Loadalls was developed to move the lifting point of the car away from the actual machine, making it easier and safer to recover a vehicle from the track.

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Sherriff’s Marathon Tackles Drought

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Sherriff’s Marathon Tackles Drought: With prolonged heat and drought conditions challenging turf managers up and down the country in 2018, Tim Attwood, sports field groundsman at Beaudesert Park School in Minchinhampton, Stroud, believes that his use of Sherriff Amenity’s Marathon fertilisers have helped his turf to endure this testing period.

Beaudesert Park stands in beautiful grounds high up in the Cotswolds, commanding magnificent views over the surrounding countryside. Founded in 1908 at Henley in Arden, Warwickshire, the school moved to its present site in 1918 and has become a thriving co-ed day, weekly and flexi boarding school for 450 boys and girls aged 3 – 13.

Sherriff's Marathon Tackles Drought

The school has excellent facilities which includes 15 acres of beautiful playing fields. Football is the main focus at the start of the spring term which is shortly followed by hockey. Rugby is the major sport in the autumn term and as you would expect, cricket is prominent in the summer.

Tim is the man charged with maintaining all of the sports pitches and after working with Sherriff Amenity for 15 years, he believes that his use of Marathon fertilisers is a tried and tested method which guarantees results.

“I’ve used Marathon fertilisers on sites where I have worked before and they have just always worked. They are also semi-organic which ticks a nice big box for me,” he says.

As Tim remarks, the range of Marathon fertilisers feature a patented organic complex base that provides the extended release characteristics needed to give gentle root development without producing excessive top growth. The slow release mechanism avoids soft growth that is more susceptible to disease attack whilst the high potassium content helps to harden turf against fungal pathogens and low temperature stress. The analysis has been further amended with ingredients to supply the correct balance of nutrients required by the turf.

With the analyses of each product in the range being geared to a specific growth stage or season, Tim incorporates three particular Marathon fertilisers into a year round maintenance programme.

Applying the product by using a spreader behind a compact tractor and at rate of 25g/m2, Tim firstly uses the Marathon Sport Spring 16.4.8 typically at the end of March. In the midst of a warm July he will then apply Marathon Sport Summer 10.0.15 followed by the Autumn mixture 7.0.21 in October.

“This programme keeps the pitches ticking over nicely throughout the year,” he says. “It greens up nicely, the sward seems to thicken and it lasts for a good long time. Even throughout this summer, which has been incredibly challenging with the weather, my sports field has maintained its health and colour. From what I’ve seen, there are a lot of sports fields round here which haven’t and I think the Marathon Sport products have gone a long way in achieving that.”

Sherriff Amenity’s extensive range of quality products are also perfectly complimented by the first class customer service provided by the company’s amenity specialists. Renowned for their technical knowledge, which is consistently enriched through industry leading training programmes, Sherriff’s amenity specialists are always on hand to ensure that customers are always getting the best results from their turf.

“I’ve known David Evans (amenity specialist for Wiltshire and South Wales) for a long time and I know that he would never push any products my way which are not appropriate for what I want to achieve. He genuinely wants the best for my turf and he’s always there for help, recommendations and support. For me, that is a big factor in choosing to work with Sherriff Amenity.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriffamenity.com

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity

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Barenbrug’s New Winter Sports Blend

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Barenbrug’s New Winter Sports Blend: Elite Sport from Barenbrug is the new number one rated Winter Sports blend. The top-performing product blends perennial ryegrasses for the renovation and construction of winter sports pitches.

Cultivar trials at the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) under the British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) protocol analyse the performance of sports perennial ryegrasses under intensive wear pressure in line with a winter sports season.  The trial plots are sown in spring, and a “wear simulation machine” is applied from autumn through to the following spring.  Individual cultivars are replicated three times and scored for traits such as Visual Merit; Live Ground Cover; Shoot Density and Recovery; each scored on a scale of 1-9 (9 is highest).

Barenbrug's New Winter Sports Blend

A ryegrass cultivar must be subjected to three successive wear trials (sports seasons) to be listed in Table S1 of the annual publication “Turfgrass Seed” (aka “the STRI/BSPB booklet”).  Table S1 represents a ranking of Mean scores (the combined average of Visual Merit and Live Ground Cover) of approximately 100 perennial ryegrass varieties.

Elite Sport features four of the top-six cultivars in the S1 table and contains 40% by composition of the new #1-ranked Europitch (Mean = 8.1).  Overall, the product blend has an outstanding Mean score of 7.92.  This score translates into Elite Sport being the industry-leading performing product for winter sports use in the UK.

In addition to performance underwear, the blend has other traits of interest to grounds managers of elite winter sports surfaces.  Barcristalla (25% of the mix) is ranked #1 in the top-60 listed varieties for dark green colour and has exceptional Drechslera leaf spot and Fusarium (Microdochium) tolerance (source: turfgrass-list.org).  These two factors are particularly important to stadium environments under intensive disease pressure and the scrutiny of high-definition TV cameras.

Three of the four varieties have also been put their paces at Barenbrug’s dedicated UK research station, Cropvale, in Worcestershire.  Here, wear simulation is monitored using Digital Image Analysis (DIA) to objectively analyse performance.

Elite Sport is being successfully tested in pilot form at Heart of Midlothian FC, following a full pitch reconstruction in the summer of 2018.

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