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Hybrid Pitches At National Cricket Performance Centre

June 20, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by External Source

Hybrid pitches installed at National Cricket Performance Centre – The ECB have installed two groundbreaking “hybrid” pitches at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, having been inspired by the impact of similar surfaces in Premier League football. The pitches combine a majority of natural turf grass with around 5% of twisted yarn. In football, that […]

Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’

June 19, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Peter Driver

Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’ – Dvorak, the Czech-based manufacturer of the Spider range of remote-controlled slope mowers, has launched its first global social media campaign featuring a giant version of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa portrait, mown on a hillside at Dolní Kalná in the Czech Republic. The portrait, on […]

Hybrid Pitches At National Cricket Performance Centre

June 20, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by External Source

Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’

June 19, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Peter Driver

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Hybrid Pitches At National Cricket Performance Centre

June 20, 2017/in Industry News, Press Release/by External Source

The pitches combine a majority of natural turf grass with around 5% of twisted yarn. In football, that has led to considerable improvements in stability and durability. Now the ECB are able to investigate whether there could be equivalent advantages for cricket, especially for the recreational game.

Chris Wood, the ECB’s Pitches Consultant, explained: “This goes back several years to a conversation I had with Darren Baldwin, the Head Groundsman of Tottenham Hotspur.

“The majority of Premier League venues now use hybrid pitches, and even to the casual observer of football, I think it’s obvious that those pitches have been of a far more consistently high quality, around all clubs and throughout the season.

“That is because introducing a relatively small amount of artificial twisted yarn greatly improves the stability of the surface underfoot, and allows the sward to endure the long football season with a consistent playing performance.

“We have had to wait to apply this technique to cricket – there have been semi-hybrid pitches, but using artificial turf with cricket loam infill rather than natural grass. But now SISGrass have developed a new, more compact stitching unit than has been used for football. We took the machine to Loughborough last week and have laid one pitch on the square and another in the outdoor nets.

“We’ve used a straw-coloured yarn, rather than the brighter green in use in football, to make it look as authentic as possible. They still need to be seeded and enhanced, but we hope they will be playable in the near future.

“Possible advantages are increased durability of pitches for matchplay and practice, with prolonged uniformity of grass cover. We need to see whether the ball moves off the seam, and if there are significant impacts on bounce and carry.

“Clearly there will also be changes to the character of the game if pitches are deteriorating less. But it is possible that the introduction of the artificial yarn may lead to the ball ‘grabbing’, and therefore turning more consistently. We have already seen from a semi-hybrid pitch facility in Loughborough and at the ICC Academy in Dubai that the ball does turn.

“It is fitting that we have installed the pitches at Loughborough, as our centre for innovation around cricket. Will Relf, the Sports Grounds Manager at Loughborough University, will be taking charge of this trial, as he has done several other research projects which have allowed us to practise on a variety of surfaces, even under a marquee in the winter months.

“Will is excited by this latest trial, and so am I – it could be one of the most interesting projects in my time with the ECB.”

To read the original article from ECB, click here

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Spider Launches Social Media Campaign With ‘Mow-Na Lisa’

June 19, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Peter Driver

The portrait, on a grass canvas measuring 200 metres x 250 metres with a gradient of 45 degrees, was created over a period of three days: two days of detailed surveying and one day mowing, using the company’s Spider 1 and Spider 2 mowers. It was filmed by the creative motion picture and digital agency, Mustard, based in Prague.

Using their professional film crew equipped with the latest drone technology, the video shows how this remarkable feat was created. A scale drawing of the famous portrait was used to transfer reference points to the hillside using laser surveying technology and then the skilled Spider operators, including the company’s Managing Director, Lubomir Dvorak, mowed the 50,000 square metre image taking direction from the video producer.

Pavlina Novakova, International Marketing Manager explained how the project was developed,

“We wanted to make a video to raise the profile of our product range and our company on a global stage. The germ of an idea was put forward at one of our regular marketing meetings and was gradually developed over a timescale of six months. We looked for an iconic image that would be recognized around the globe and decided on Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work. Not only was da Vinci a great artist, but he was also an exceptional engineer. That connection dovetailed perfectly with the innovative technology in our Spider mowers.

We realized that it would require professional help, so we contacted Cream, a creative communications agency, also based in Prague who, along with Mustard, took the project forward.

“First, we had to find a suitable location, obtain permission from the landowner and then wait for the perfect weather conditions. We did consider doing it close to a motorway, but this would have removed the element of surprise for the campaign, as we were convinced many people would take photographs of the completed image and post it on social media before the official launch.

“We are delighted with the finished video and are hoping it will go viral. So many people were involved in the production and it was a great experience for all of us at Spider to be part of it.”

The completed video can be viewed here

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

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

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Hybrid Pitches At National Cricket Performance Centre

Hybrid Pitches At National Cricket Performance Centre

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Hybrid Pitches At National Cricket Performance Centre

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