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Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

April 8, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree: The head groundsman from Cartmel Racecourse headed to Aintree over the weekend to play a crucial role in the 2019 Grand National. Gary Sharp, 40, has worked at the south Cumbria course since 2002, ensuring the track is in peak condition for each of its nine race days every year. But […]

STRI Scoop Double Award

April 5, 2019/in Awards, News, Press Release/by Helen Waite

STRI Scoop Double Award: STRI Group, the world’s leading sports surface provider, has received two accolades at the prestigious Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland Awards (ALCI), which celebrate exceptional landscape projects. STRI beat fierce competition to claim the overall winner in the Sportsground category for design and consultancy at Craven Cottage Stadium, home of […]

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

April 8, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

STRI Scoop Double Award

April 5, 2019/in Awards, News, Press Release/by Helen Waite

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

April 8, 2019/in Industry News, News, Press Release/by External Source

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree: The head groundsman from Cartmel Racecourse headed to Aintree over the weekend to play a crucial role in the 2019 Grand National.

Gary Sharp, 40, has worked at the south Cumbria course since 2002, ensuring the track is in peak condition for each of its nine race days every year.

But tomorrow he will join eight fellow head groundsmen from across the country to take charge of fences in Liverpool as 40 runners and riders line up to contest ‘the most famous horse race in the world’.

While there, Gary will use his years of experience to quickly decide whether his assigned Grand National fences are safe to jump, need to be replaced or should be left out altogether on the second pass.

Gary said: “I’ve done this role at Aintree for 17 years now. It’s a big responsibility but it’s always exciting to play a part in such an important race.

“We’re stationed by the fence so we’re first on the scene.

“It’s my job to assess whether it’s safe to jump after the first lap or whether it should be bypassed if someone has fallen.

“I’m always guided by the medics on site. Safety is absolutely the priority.

“If the fence is damaged, it can also mean replacing the hurdle altogether before the horses come round again.

“You have to be quick, but there’s enough time to do it between laps,” he added.

The Grand National is run over four miles and 514 yards. It includes 30 fences, many of which are made from spruce from the Lake District.

Gary will arrive for the start of the three day festival on Thursday with three other members of Cartmel Racecourse’s grounds team; Brad Thompson, Tony Hadwin and Ceri Eccles.

Gary, who won the Groundstaff of the Year title at the Racecourse Association Showcase and Awards in 2016, said: “This is a great experience for everyone to be involved in.

“Going to the Grand National also marks a turning point in the calendar for my team because it means our first race at Cartmel is getting closer.

“A lot of work goes on here over the winter to look after the ground, build fences and prepare the course for the racing season.

“Now we’re all looking forward to seeing the horses and crowds arrive back on track on May 25.”

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STRI Scoop Double Award

April 5, 2019/in Awards, News, Press Release/by Helen Waite

STRI Scoop Double Award: STRI Group, the world’s leading sports surface provider, has received two accolades at the prestigious Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland Awards (ALCI), which celebrate exceptional landscape projects.

STRI beat fierce competition to claim the overall winner in the Sportsground category for design and consultancy at Craven Cottage Stadium, home of Premier League side Fulham Football Club, alongside landscape contractor Clive Richardson Ltd. (CRL).

STRI and CRL were further honoured by a Special Award for Design and Build Excellence, with STRI senior consultant James Westwood receiving particular mention from the judges for his design and project managing the build process on a challenging site.

Commenting on the award win, James said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised for our consultancy and design services during the reconstruction of Fulham’s pitch.

“Craven Cottage is a small, compact stadium with limited access to the site. However, working alongside CRL, we overcame these issues and successfully removed the existing Fibrelastic pitch and installed a state-of-the-art stitched hybrid turf reinforcement system.

“Such was the success of the pitch reconstruction; we were also able to recycle the heating pipes which usually end up at landfill. We are very proud of what has been achieved, and it is fantastic to have been honoured twice by the ALCI.”

Interested in speaking to STRI about landscaping and sports surface planning? Contact enquiries@strigroup.com or call +44 (0) 1274 565131 for information.

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)

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

STRI Scoop Double Award

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

STRI Scoop Double Award

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree: The head groundsman from Cartmel Racecourse headed to Aintree over the weekend to play a crucial role in the 2019 Grand National.

STRI Scoop Double Award

STRI Scoop Double Award: STRI Group, the world’s leading sports surface provider, has received two accolades at the prestigious Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland Awards (ALCI), which celebrate exceptional landscape projects.

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