Andover Groundsman Wins Award

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Andover Groundsman Wins Award: A groundsman is celebrating receiving a national award, fending off competition from over 650 rivals across the country.

Now retired Andover Town FC groundsman Chris White is celebrating after winning the FA National Groundsman of the Year competition for the 2017/18 season.

The awards ceremony took place at St George’s Park National Football Centre, the home of the England squads.

Speaking after the presentation, Chris said: “I am very surprised, honoured and so proud to have won the award. It is true recognition of what can be achieved at a grass roots level on a tiny budget but with lots of time and care.

“I was very pleased to represent not only Andover Town but also the Sydenham’s Wessex League.

“Hopefully I’ve left a legacy on which the club can build and a ground that others can aspire too.”

Following his retirement from the Portway at the end of June this year, Chris joined the Ground Grading team of the Sydenham’s Wessex League which is responsible for monitoring ground standards across all clubs in that league.

Andover Town FC also received a financial reward for Chris’s efforts from competition sponsors, Budweiser.

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Agronomic Services & Hurrells Join Forces

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Agronomic Services & Hurrells Join Forces: After the success of Oxy Rush The Next Generation and Eon Bio with numerous pitch renovations and Desso installations, Agronomic Services and Hurrells Specialist Seeds have joined forces and announced that the aforementioned products will now be available through Hurrells as part of their product range.

Eon Bio is easy to apply with top dressing or granular fertiliser and is a time capsule release of fresh humic acids with every irrigation.  Eon Bio is 100% organic and contains the highest concentrations of soluble humic acids available.  The bio additions in this blend include Mycorrhiza Fungi and multiple forms of bacteria, These include rhizo-bacteria, nitrogen fixing bacteria and other beneficial bacteria.  These bacteria solubilise phosphates and soil based elements which are then made available to the plant.    Eon Bio promotes seed germination, establishment, plant growth and root mass.

Agronomic Services & Hurrells Join Forces

Oxy Rush The Next Generation, the winning formula of Oxy Rush, Humic Acid + Seaweed Biostimulants and Complex Carbohydrates are combined for convenience, efficiency and improved performance. Oxy Rush NG was developed to save money and time and improve the efficiency of the soils.  It increases root mass, seed establishment and nutrient availability and increases Oxygen levels in rootzones and therefore the growing medium.  Compatible and tank mixable with wetting agents and liquid fertilisers.

Seed germination and establishment are significantly improved and strengthened with the combination of these ground-breaking products.

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New John Deere Turf Outlet Opens

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New John Deere Turf Outlet Opens: New Forest Farm Machinery Ltd, a John Deere dealer, has recently opened a new turf equipment outlet. Based at Cadbury Business Park in Sparkford, near Yeovil in Somerset, the premises serve the dealer’s extended trading area that was initially established in 2014 after New Forest took over the professional turf business of Rochford Garden Machinery.

The dealership offers John Deere’s full range of professional golf and amenity turf equipment including mowers, aerators, sprayers, tractors and Gator utility vehicles, as well as homeowner and construction equipment.

New John Deere Turf Outlet Opens

Based at Ringwood in Hampshire, New Forest Farm Machinery has been a John Deere agricultural dealer since 1979 and has held the turf franchise since John Deere’s commercial and consumer equipment business, as it was then known, started in 1986. New Forest currently employs 43 people altogether and sells to turf customers in the counties of Hampshire, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

“As a long established, independent family-owned business we are always striving to improve our company offering, through focusing on customer support and investing for the future,” says managing director Ed Smales. “The new premises at Sparkford are ideally located to cover our extended trading area and increase our presence in the marketplace.

“We intend to maintain our traditional high standard of product sales, parts and service support in the various turf equipment markets that we serve, and we look forward to welcoming both existing and new customers to the dealership.”

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

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Edgar Street’s Award Winners

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Edgar Street’s Award Winners: Ben Bowen, head groundsman at Edgar Street, has received an accolade for his dedication and effort in keeping the pitch in pristine condition.

His ‘dedication and hard work’ saw Bowen and his Highground Maintenance team clinch third place in the Southern League Groundsman of the Year award last week.

The last 12 months has seen the pitch covered deep in snow, subject to a deluge of rain and starved of natural water during the summer months.

Despite this all of the club’s Southern league fixtures were played on their original planned dates last season.

However, it was the televised FA Cup home tie against Fleetwood Town which had St George’s Park talking during the presentation day.

“If they knew Herefordians they would know that if ever something major comes about we all chip in,” said Bowen who attended the awards alongside Ben Millward and Morgan Lewis.

“Every game there is pressure as every game is huge and everything evolves around the pitch. If we can’t get the game on everything else suffers including the revenue.

“But the Fleetwood match was panic stations on the Monday morning and I knew how big that game was for the club and the big revenue involved. “I was quite speechless by the number of volunteers when I got to Edgar Street I just thought ‘how have we done this?”

Bowen arrives on a matchday at 6am to mow the pitch and volunteers at the ground until 7pm at night in addition to his contracted work for the club.

The Edgar Street pitch is mowed three or four times a week and fertilised.

“I’m called head groundsman but have a team of boys behind me and the force of volunteers,” added Bowen.

“Throughout the match I watch the ball the whole game and keep a diary so on Monday morning I know what to do.

“I might need to cut the grass shorter or see an area that needs more watering. I have brought that down with me from league one and two and treat the pitch as that standard.

“I know what the Edgar Street pitch can do and how she can alter. At the moment it’s not right in my eyes with the drainage lines which is down to the weather and come October it will be a totally different pitch.

“When it goes right I can just sit back and monitor it but when the pitch goes wrong I can be a grumpy bugger and one slight bobble can do my head in.”

Bowen’s nephew is Hull City midfielder Jarrod Bowen and the groundsman feels he wants to help the club in return for the help they gave him.

“I personally want to stick my head on the line for manager Pete Beadle because of what he did for Jarrod as he didn’t have to,” added Bowen.

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FA’s Groundsman Award Winners

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FA’s Groundsman Award Winners: It’s that time of the year when the FA hold their Groundsman of the Year Awards, and five clubs from the three National League divisions won awards.

Aldershot Town’s Colin Wilson was the overall winner as he kept the EBB surface is exceptional condition.

He not only did he received a trophy he also secured prize money of £12,500 to be spent on equipment.

Other award winners were Charlie Kerr from Dartford, Curzon Ashton’s Nick Wild, Daniel Hunter and Declan Robinson of Boreham Wood.

FC United of Manchester’s Graham Byrne was also honoured by the FA, with the support of award backers Budweiser.

Geoff Terrell, the chairman of the FA Facilities Committee, said: “Together we recognise the valuable contribution ground staff make up and down the country in all winds and weather.

“This was truly brought home when a Q&A session lead by the Head Groundsman from Wembley and St George’s Park discussed the trials and tribulations of the recent hot weather.

“This summer has been a testament to their fortitude and experience in ensuring teams have a good surface to play on.”

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