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Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level

July 15, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level: Kiveton Park Football Club’s team of volunteer grounds people are aiming to take their pitches to the next level following the arrival of a New Holland Boomer 40 and Trimax Striker from Campey Turf Care Systems. The Yorkshire based club restructured three years ago and moved from […]

PRO 34R improves the Tigers

July 15, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

PRO 34R improves the Tigers: Stuart Vause, head groundsman at Castleford Tigers RLFC, claims that his Dennis PRO 34R rotary mower has helped him make huge improvements to both the main pitch and also the training pitch. In the five years that Stuart has been the head groundsman at his beloved Castleford Tigers, the pitch […]

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level

July 15, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

PRO 34R improves the Tigers

July 15, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level

July 15, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by CharmianRobson

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level: Kiveton Park Football Club’s team of volunteer grounds people are aiming to take their pitches to the next level following the arrival of a New Holland Boomer 40 and Trimax Striker from Campey Turf Care Systems.

The Yorkshire based club restructured three years ago and moved from their previous site to Wales High School. When they arrived, there was one football pitch on the school’s front field with burnt in lines and plenty of work to do. But now, led by the enthusiasm and growing knowledge of club secretary Gordon Johnson, the club is being recognised for the quality of their eight pitches.

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level

“I’ve got a passion for groundsmanship which I found when we moved to the school,” Gordon explained. “The Sheffield FA pointed us towards the Grounds Management Association, and we became members and signed up to the FA’s Pitch Improvement Programme. From there, I got really into it and did a level one course, and I’ve progressed from what I learnt on my level one with more maintenance techniques to try and get more games on. This year I did my level two at Stockport County FC, which was brilliant, and I absolutely loved it.

“It was through a coaching course that I got involved with Campey. One of the FA Tutors told me we could apply for an equipment grant from the Football Foundation and the amount was significantly higher than before so as a grassroots club we didn’t have to put as much money in.

“I applied for it, and the guys at the Sheffield FA were brilliant and guided me through it. I did a lot of homework based on the Pitch Improvement Programme because it tells you what equipment you might need. I Googled searched it and found an article that explained how Campey had done a similar thing with another grassroots club and the guy from that club was sitting in his tractor and I thought we could have that.

“Campey was absolutely brilliant with us. I got talking to Simon Holland, who was absolutely superb. He was asking me all the right questions like do we want turf tyres – which we would have probably missed – and other little questions like that. We spoke about whether we were planning to just cut or do other things with the tractor and we are, so he suggested a manual gear system rather than a foot pedal which is better for the volunteers. It was advice like that which really helped us.

“With the money we saved in those areas, we were able to get a better quality cutting deck with the Trimax Striker, which again Simon suggested, and it’s a brilliant bit of kit. We were ready to get it just before COVID-19, so the machines were sat in their yard until they could complete the installation safely. But when we did get them, they were absolutely brilliant. They came out and showed us the machines and went through all the care aspects as well. They didn’t want to just deliver it, they wanted to give us that bit extra customer care and go that extra mile, and I was really impressed with that.”

The quality of pitches has gone full circle at Kiveton Park FC from burnt in lines to hosting League Cup Finals, and with the new machinery, Gordon hopes to take them even further. With their own tractor, the club can now look at hiring in other machinery to save on contracting costs which allows them to redistribute funds into their other community projects.

Campey offers detailed help and advice before, during and after purchasing to grassroots clubs who are looking to invest in their own machinery. For more information, contact your local Campey product specialist, dealer or email info@campeyturfcare.com.

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PRO 34R improves the Tigers

July 15, 2020/in Machinery, News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

PRO 34R improves the Tigers: Stuart Vause, head groundsman at Castleford Tigers RLFC, claims that his Dennis PRO 34R rotary mower has helped him make huge improvements to both the main pitch and also the training pitch.

In the five years that Stuart has been the head groundsman at his beloved Castleford Tigers, the pitch at The Mend-A-Hose Jungle Stadium has vastly improved – so much so, that Stuart has picked up the Professional Rugby Football League Grounds Team of the Year award twice in three years.

PRO 34R improves the Tigers

Stuart’s expertise coupled with the support and investment from the club has made this all possible. When he first arrived at the club, he inherited only an old mower designed for golf fairways which he used alongside his own personal equipment.

“The club has realised that if you want a good pitch then you have to have the correct equipment,” said Stuart. “We’ve spent quite a bit of money now, not just on equipment but on fertilisers, top-dressings and other products, and it has really made a difference.”

In terms of the machinery, the club’s first major purchase three years ago was a Dennis G860 cylinder mower. After reporting fantastic results from the G860, Stuart decided to continue with the Dennis brand and has since purchased a Dennis PRO 34R rotary mower.

“I needed a mower which would serve a few purposes,” said Stuart. “Recently, I have decided to put a lot more focus on the training pitch so I wanted a mower that would provide a fantastic finish but one that would also assist with other tasks such as cleaning up both pitches after use. The PRO 34R seemed to tick all the boxes.”

The Dennis PRO 34R is a 34” (860mm) rotary mower which has been designed to help groundsmen achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance and desired playing surface. It is ideal for sports pitches and lawns producing the enviable ‘Dennis Stripes’ while a powerful vacuum flow collects debris quickly and efficiently.

The angle of the cutting deck and twin blades can be easily adjusted using a single ‘click adjuster’ ensuring the mower is suitable for changing conditions and meeting groundsmen’s requirements.

“The PRO 34R is my main mower for the training pitch and I’m now in a routine where I’m cutting regularly with it,” he said. “In the past twelve months since I’ve been using it, the sward has really thickened and the surface has significantly improved. The finish is so good – it is just like a cylinder mower and the quality of cut is the best I’ve ever seen on a rotary mower. You can also cut and collect with it in the wet which is a big benefit.

“On the stadium pitch, I use both the G860 and the PRO 34R,” continued Stuart. “I will cut with the G860 and then use the PRO 34R to clean the pitch up after the games. It literally picks everything up and it is surprising how much the grass box holds.

“It is an ideal mower, especially as it is just me here. It has a wide cutting deck and various speed settings so I can get the job done quickly which is great if I am up against time or the weather. I tend to use it on a speed setting of 4 but I can always slow it down slightly if I want to take a bit more time.

“The PRO 34R is also incredibly easy to use. There is no time-consuming setting up and you can adjust the height of cut in no time at all. Ultimately, it is an incredibly simple and effective machine which you can rely on.

“In some way I like to think that the playing surfaces have played a little part in the team’s success over the last few years and has helped them to play the way they want to play. We are also unbeaten at home this year and the win percentage has been high. Long may that continue!”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter and Instagram @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level

PRO 34R improves the Tigers

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level

PRO 34R improves the Tigers

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level

Kiveton Park take pitches to the next level: Kiveton Park Football Club’s team of volunteer grounds people are aiming to take their pitches to the next level following the arrival of a New Holland Boomer 40 and Trimax Striker from Campey Turf Care Systems.

PRO 34R improves the Tigers

PRO 34R improves the Tigers: Stuart Vause, head groundsman at Castleford Tigers RLFC, claims that his Dennis PRO 34R rotary mower has helped him make huge improvements to both the main pitch and also the training pitch.

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