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Rigby Taylor Praised At Northants

August 21, 2018/in News, Press Release, Sport/by Colin Hoskins

Rigby Taylor Praised At Northants: Cricket groundsmen all over the country faced challenging weather conditions this spring, and it was no different for Craig Harvey at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, who was left playing catch-up in terms of pitch firmness, playability and presentation. “But,” he says, “despite all the wet weather, we’ve managed to avoid any fungal […]

Dennis & SISIS Event A Success

August 20, 2018/in Events, News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Dennis & SISIS Event A Success: The second ever Dennis and SISIS’ Cricket Pitch Renovation Day recently took place at Cheltenham College, and the verdict was that the day was a resounding success, as over 130 cricket groundsmen were in attendance for a mix of thought provoking indoor presentations and outdoor practical demonstrations. The event, which […]

Rigby Taylor Praised At Northants

August 21, 2018/in News, Press Release, Sport/by Colin Hoskins

Dennis & SISIS Event A Success

August 20, 2018/in Events, News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Rigby Taylor Praised At Northants

August 21, 2018/in News, Press Release, Sport/by Colin Hoskins

“But,” he says, “despite all the wet weather, we’ve managed to avoid any fungal diseases – which usually arise when the playing surfaces are covered up and the damp atmospheric conditions are effectively trapped.

“Being disease-free at the start of the season is undoubtedly due to the application of Rigby Taylor’s fungicides. I’ve always found a pre-season application of the product very important and very beneficial – this year especially so.”

Fusion – a broad spectrum contact fungicide with eradicant and preventative activity against Fusarium Patch, Dollar Spot and Red Thread, as well as a reduction of Anthracnose, Leaf Sport and Rust – is just one of a wide range of Rigby Taylor products that Craig uses to ensure the pitch remains at its best.

He joined the Northamptonshire team 17 years ago and was appointed head groundsman at the County Ground in 2016 as a 30-year-old, after a spell as deputy. He and his team have to work hard to accommodate a busy fixture list that extends through to the end of September hosting 1^st and 2^nd team cricket as well as tourists’ matches and recreational cricket.

“Everything we use on the square and outfield plus two net areas – main and secondary nutrients (on a monthly schedule – weather permitting), including Cal-Form, K-Form, Mag-Form and Magnet Velocity plus a liquid feed of 17-2-5 – is from Rigby Taylor. We also apply regular treatments of the company’s biostimulant, Activate XL, Maxicrop triple seaweed and add amino acids through applications of Amino-Form XL, as well as Rigby Taylor line marking paints – and we’ve used these products with fantastic results for as long as I can remember,” he continues.

“The products do exactly what they say they can do; a healthy sward is paramount to presentation, playability and recovery. Our fertiliser programme features Premier HG and Rigby Taylor’s new addition, Apex Organic with added humic acid. Most importantly, the products represent great value for money.

“In addition, I know I can call on Carl Chamberlain, Rigby Taylor’s Area Representative, at any time. He’s always available, at least by ‘phone, and will readily offer help and advice when needed. And I receive similar feedback about the company from my fellow head groundsmen who I’m in touch with.”

Craig admits that being appointed head groundsman “was a bit of a shock to the system; after being told what to do and when to do it for 15 years and then actually being charged with leading the team”. But it is clear to see that he – and the pitch – have thrived on the challenge.

“I have four young lads in my team plus a very experienced deputy in Mark Flecknor, coupled with me gaining my Level 3 accreditation. Because I was a youngster when I joined I know the importance of being happy in the job, so I aim to use my experiences to make their experiences enjoyable.”

While Craig and his team have this year certainly had to adapt to the variable weather patterns – having this year lost pre-season training and one pre-season game – the ground itself has undergone a period of change with, for example, a “badly-needed” new outfield being created at the end of last year, as he explains:

“The old outfield was suffering from undulations, was badly compacted and had high thatch levels, so we Koroed off the top 2.5 inches and made liberal use of the vertidrainer (to eight inches deep), used a Harley rake to break up the top 4-5 inches to create a tilth, then laser-levelled and box graded and oversowed with pure rye using R11 100% perennial rye. The square is R9 100% fine rye.”

Using top-performing cultivars, Rigby Taylor’s R range of seed boasts many attributes, including outstanding shade, drought and wear tolerance plus rapid establishment and high shoot density.

Craig again: “The next stage will be to install perimeter drainage – the square is slightly raised and it pulls moisture from the outfield so, in the meantime, we’re using Rigby Taylor’s Breaker wetting agent to resolve that problem.”

Explaining that the sward is usually kept at 13-15 mm high, Craig says that the team (three of whom are full-time) is kept busy on the 20 pitches, 12 of which are first-class pitches. “We also have two practice areas which, in total, equates to 36 practice surfaces.

He adds: “With a busy fixture list the pitch is under a lot of stress, and with the weather patterns as they are nowadays you can’t always stick to a plan.

“So, whatever we do and when we do it needs to make a difference, and must meet the demands of the players and the coaches. If we can continually do that then surely that in turn generates higher levels of job satisfaction for everyone involved. It’s a mantra that I install in the youngsters – Jake Bindley, Ben Buckland, Harry Tobin and Luke Stanton – even when we’re preparing the outfield and surrounds.

“I appreciate teamwork and there’s nothing better than everyone working together with the same aim. And I would include Rigby Taylor in that, because if the products fail then we fail, too!”

For more information, visit: www.rigbytaylor.com

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Dennis & SISIS Event A Success

August 20, 2018/in Events, News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

The event, which was supported by Boughton Loam, CricketWorld.com, Stuart Canvas, Limagrain UK, Lister Wilder, Poweroll and Headland Amenity began with an introduction from Robert Jack (Dennis and SISIS) and Eric Woodmason from Gloucestershire Cricket Board who gave a fascinating insight into his role as clubs and programmes officer for the north of the county.

Alex Vickers, turf consultant, was first up to discuss Principles of decision making for autumn renovations & profile reading, which no doubt would have left the assembled groundsmen with plenty of food for thought. Alex proceeded to offer some great renovation tips which was supported by visual slides and in particular he urged all attendees to plan ahead and avoid guess work. He advocates that gathering evidence prior to forming renovation decisions was key and advised groundsmen to understand the importance of what is happening beneath the square rather than focussing just on the top.

As a leading contractor, Keith Exton of Perfect Pitches UK, was perfectly placed to deliver his seminar entitled End of season renovations – a contractor’s overview. Keith was keen to emphasise just how integral timing is to cricket pitch preparation and warned the audience not to overlook the significance of measuring moisture content.

Both Keith and Alex went on further to discuss various renovation techniques such as aeration, top-dressing, seeding and applying loam, and both were also unanimous in the importance of taking core soil samples.

After his seminar, Alex was pleased to welcome a number of questions from delegates and also revealed why events such as these are integral to raising the standards of cricket groundsmanship.

“I think the reason people should come along to these events is two-fold. First of all, you are never too old and never too experienced to learn something new; there are always new techniques to discover. That could be through the practical demonstrations, through the talks or even by chatting to your fellow groundsmen because you find that you really do learn from one another. An event like this is a fantastic way to develop those networks and get to know other people who are having the same issues as you.

“It also helps keep people up to date. I know some groundsmen who have been doing the same things for 30 years with the same bit of kit but the industry has moved on and there are easier and better ways of doing things. Events like today can help you understand that actually there are better ways to achieve the good results.”

Following the presentations, it was the perfect opportunity to introduce delegates to the Soil Core Clinic. In this innovative feature Keith was joined by Ian Smith (St Albans School Turf Consultant) as they proceeded to examine a number of soil profiles which were brought to the event by delegates. The samples were projected onto the big screen and Keith and Ian discussed how each could potentially be improved.

Over recent years, Ian has been a prominent figure at the Dennis and SISIS cricket groundsmen seminars, and he was delighted to see yet another great turn-out. “Today we’ve had a real mixture of cricket groundsmen – 130 from the likes of part-time clubs, schools and county clubs. In my opinion, there are not many of these events going on in the industry so I think they are extremely valuable,” he said.

A complimentary lunch signalled the halfway point before delegates made their way outside into the glorious sunshine. Cheltenham College offered picturesque views and a wonderful backdrop as the outdoor practical demonstrations took place on two squares and the cricket outfield.

The three workshops focused on a variety of techniques that would be beneficial for cricket groundsmen and saw an impressive fleet of machinery carrying out tasks such as aeration, seeding, brushing, top dressing and scarifying.

Christian Brain, head of grounds at Cheltenham College and host for the day, was extremely generous in letting the demonstrations take place on his county standard squares and felt that the day was a huge success for all involved. “It’s been fantastic to see so many passionate groundsmen here mixing with one another and sharing ideas. We’ve had some great feedback from the delegates and overall it’s been a hugely successful day,” he said.

Adam King, head of grounds at Radley College, brought other members of staff along with him and found the day extremely worthwhile.

“I’ve brought along five lads with me today and we’ve been treated to some great indoor talks and outdoor demonstrations. Generally, I find these days useful in respect of networking but it’s also a nice release for my members of staff who have been incredibly busy for the last six months on the cricket squares. It has given them the day off; they have been able to watch the machines in action, learn something new and they will absolutely take something away.”

Echoing Adam’s thoughts was Gordon Gill, contractor and head groundsman at Bath Cricket Club, who felt it was refreshing for his members of staff to gain a greater insight into the industry.

“I’ve come along to introduce my two staff members to the networking that goes on, plus they can see the machinery first hand, they can speak to other people in the trade first hand, and suddenly they find they are not alone anymore. It’s been a great exercise for them.”

Eric Woodmason rounded off the day by suggesting that events like these are not just beneficial to the groundsmen but also claimed that they have a positive impact on the sport of cricket. “My main desire out of this is that club groundsmen gain experience and knowledge of what they need to do on their grounds and hopefully that their grounds will improve as a result. This in turn, will get more people wanting to play cricket because if there is a good ground to play on, cricket becomes even more enjoyable.”

A video of the event can be found by visiting https://youtu.be/3pxT4yyQmU8

Further information about the range of cricket maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

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 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)

Rigby Taylor Praised At Northants

Dennis & SISIS Event A Success

Rigby Taylor Praised At Northants

Dennis & SISIS Event A Success

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Rigby Taylor Praised At Northants

Dennis & SISIS Event A Success

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