Wimbledon Visit For College Cup Winners

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Wimbledon Visit For College Cup Winners: After winning the 2018 SALTEX College Cup, students from Bridgwater and Taunton College in Somerset, recently enjoyed their prize of a behind the scenes tour at The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), Wimbledon.

Simon Cook, Jacob Camplin, Ryan Tate and trainer/assessor Cary Rawlings experienced an unforgettable day when Neil Stubley, the AELTC’s Head of Courts and Horticulture, provided them with an in-depth look at court preparations the week before The Championships, Wimbledon took place.

Wimbledon Visit For College Cup Winners

Sponsored by Ransomes, the competition took place at SALTEX 2018 at the NEC in Birmingham, where the three Bridgwater and Taunton students competed against other UK-based horticultural colleges in an in-depth academic test of turf management knowledge.

Commenting on being involved in this extraordinary opportunity, college student Ryan Tate said: “The experience was really educational. I was very lucky to get to see turf management at the highest tier and I’ll really benefit from it.”

Fellow college student Simon Cook added: “It has been a real eye opener, especially getting the chance to speak to and learn from someone like Neil Stubley.”

“The attention to detail here at Wimbledon is incredible and I feel very lucky to have been here to witness it,” said Jacob Camplin. “We’ll be back at SALTEX this year to defend our title and we’re going for our second win so bring it on!”

Commenting on the SALTEX College Cup, Neil Stubley said: “I was fortunate to be invited to sit on the judging panel at the SALTEX College Cup in 2018 and it was a great experience to see up-and-coming grounds personnel with their key knowledge and their willingness to learn. I’ve enjoyed showcasing what we do to the winning team and explaining the challenges we have to work with to deliver exceptional surfaces for The Championships.”

The Wimbledon tour follows two extraordinary SALTEX College Cup prizes in previous years. In 2017 the winning students were part of the Wembley grounds team at the FA Cup Final and the 2018 winners enjoyed an unforgettable experience of helping with pitch preparations at the 2018 Six Nations Championships at BT Murrayfield Stadium.

Since its launch in 2017, the SALTEX College Cup has grown each year both in size and reputation, and Cary Rawlings believes that even more colleges should enter the competition.

“I can highly recommend the SALTEX College Cup to all colleges that are involved in delivering sports turf. It is a fantastic opportunity for young students to challenge themselves and it provides them with the opportunity to gain experience of delivering a presentation to industry professionals that will set them in good stead for future job interviews.

“It also gives a good overview of the knowledge that your students have taken on-board during their course and also highlights any areas that may need to be revisited.

“We are looking forward to entering again this year and I implore other colleges to participate in this event. It is not every day that your students get the opportunity to experience life behind the scenes at a major sporting event. Once the seed has been planted for something like this it will drive our future custodians of the industry on to bigger and better things.”

All colleges interested in participating in the 2019 SALTEX College Cup should email Dan Prest at dprest@iog.org for more details.

Toro and Reesink are the new 2019 sponsors of the SALTEX College Cup. The 2019 winners’ prize will be a trip to Real Madrid’s Bernabau Stadium.

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

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An Update From Scott MacCallum

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An Update From Scott MacCallum: Well, as we enter August it gives us a little time to catch our breath, at least before the start of the football season again. Oh yes and the little matter of the Ashes!

What a month July proved to be. We had the English ladies getting to the semi final of the World Cup, and Scotland’s ladies proving that shooting themselves in the foot is not the preserve of the Scottish men!

An Update From Scott MacCallum

We had a momentous Cricket World Cup with England surviving a mid tournament slump to reach a final, which will go down in the annuls as of the greatest cricket, if not sporting, matches of all time – congratulations to Karl McDermott and his team for producing the perfect wicket for bat and ball.

Then there was the return of The Open Championship to the island of Ireland and the dream of a home winner. Shane Lowry was immense, but so was Graeme Beatt and his team who produced a test of golf to match the occasion. It has certainly put Royal Portrush back on the map, and more importantly, the Open rota, and we won’t have to wait another 62 years to see that magical Portrush links put through the ultimate test.

I use sporting events as the landmarks through my life – Ah, that was the year Tom Watson, won at Carnoustie (1975); that was when Aberdeen won the European Cup winners Cup (1983); that was when Scotland last won the Grand Slam (1990).

This year is going to offer up so many new landmarks. And we are not yet two thirds through the year!

Scott MacCallum

Editor

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Vincent Tractors’ New Plant

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Vincent Tractors’ New Plant: Vincent Tractors & Plant are delighted to announce that they are relocating to the former Holsworthy branch of Bond Agri at Unit 1, Neet Way, Dobles Industrial Estate, Holsworthy, EX22 6ES. 

As from Monday 15th July Vincent Tractors & Plant started trading from this new location.  They will continue to supply and service the full range of Kubota Tractors, Groundcare and Construction equipment including a range of agricultural implements and other products within the Vincent Tractors & Plant product range. The full range can be viewed on their website at www.vincenttractors.co.uk.  The new branch includes a showroom and will continue to offer a large range of spare parts as well as provide a dedicated machinery servicing and repair department.

Vincent Tractors' New Plant

Paul Vincent, Managing Director of Vincent Tractors & Plant explained “The opportunity for us to take over the Bond Agri depot was too good a chance for us to miss.  The move to Unit 1 on the Dobles Industrial Estate provides us with a bigger showroom, more office space and a larger workshop.  It means that we can service more machines at once, as well as stock a wider range of spare parts”.

David Stanbury has joined our sales team and will be the Vincent Tractors & Plant agricultural sales representative for the West and North Devon area, his mobile number is 07970 207689.  John Scott (07768 063548) and Nick Vincent (07834 555172) are our Groundcare and Construction sales representatives respectively for West and North Devon.

The Vincent Tractors & Plant telephone number remains unchanged, 01409 251241 and a member of their Holsworthy team will be happy to speak with you.  They look forward to welcoming you to our new branch and showroom in the near future.

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Kelly-Marie Clack Joins STRI Group

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Kelly-Marie Clack Joins STRI Group: STRI Group is delighted to announce that Kelly-Marie Clack has joined the business as a consultant agronomist.

Kelly will be working with a range of sports facilities across the UK delivering STRI’s broad suite of services and agronomic support for clients.

Kelly-Marie Clack Joins STRI Group

She has worked in the amenity industry for over ten years, most recently with AGS where she discovered a passion for soil health and biology.

Kelly said: “I’m over the moon to have joined STRI Group. It’s an exciting time for the business and I’m relishing starting this journey with them. I have lots to learn over the coming months and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Kelly’s appointment is one of several new faces to join STRI Group in the last three months, as the business continues to grow across its global territories. A number of new diverse roles have recently been created and STRI is looking for talented individuals to fill them.

Agronomy general manager, Paul Woodham, said: “Kelly has been on our radar for a while and this is the perfect time to welcome her to STRI Group. Her skill sets and enthusiasm are well suited to our team who work across a diverse range of sports. Kelly’s recruitment has been well received in the industry and she’ll be out meeting clients in the coming months.”

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New Appointment At Reesink

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New Appointment At Reesink: Rochelle Bedford has been appointed the new marketing manager for Reesink Turfcare.

Overseeing marketing activity for all the turfcare machinery and equipment brands in the Reesink portfolio, Rochelle says it was Reesink’s established reputation, values, great work ethic and ideas sharing culture that appealed to her most about the role, as well as working in a new industry.

New Appointment At Reesink

“Reesink Turfcare is a well-established company and its reputation preceded it,” she says. “With a great work ethic, the values of the company and the way staff are encouraged to share their ideas to come up with new solutions for ongoing projects was an exciting aspect of taking on the role. Plus, my marketing experience with commercial vehicles and dealer network support lends itself well with this new and interesting industry.

“With the marketing machine fully up and running, I was excited to get stuck straight in to see how it all worked. Over the past couple of months, I have seen great potential for how the marketing department can be developed, in supporting the business as a whole and taking it to that next level.”

Rochelle has already recruited another member to the team and Nichola Spinks joins the company as marketing assistant.

Reesink’s marketing department is a vital part of the business, as well as coordinating all of Reesink’s turf marketing programmes in the UK, it also organises all the shows and events the company attends throughout the year too.

Rochelle concludes by saying: “There’s no question there’s definite potential for future growth for the team!”

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