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Record-Breaking Number Of Entries To IOG Awards

August 31, 2017/in Events, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

Record-Breaking Number Of Entries To This Year’s IOG Awards: The finalists have been announced from a record-breaking entry to this year’s prestigious Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards 2017. Now in its ninth year, the awards – which enjoy headline sponsorship by Rigby Taylor and Top Green – acknowledge the passion, dedication and challenges faced […]

Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder

August 30, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

Kent County Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder Partnership: A maiden partnership between Kubota UK and Lister Wilder has seen two of the leading players in the groundcare industry join forces to support Kent County Cricket Club. The deal, announced at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, in Canterbury, is Kubota UK’s fourth […]

Record-Breaking Number Of Entries To IOG Awards

August 31, 2017/in Events, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder

August 30, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

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Record-Breaking Number Of Entries To IOG Awards

August 31, 2017/in Events, Press Release/by Colin Hoskins

Now in its ninth year, the awards – which enjoy headline sponsorship by Rigby Taylor and Top Green – acknowledge the passion, dedication and challenges faced by grounds staff, volunteers and professionals across all levels of sport.

“Once again we have enjoyed a record-breaking entry to the awards,” says IOG chief executive, Geoff Webb. “Nominations this year rose by 93 per cent, which illustrates the esteem in which our industry – from all corners of the UK – holds the awards.

“The judges, all of whom are groundsmen, were particularly impressed with the quality of the submissions. In fact, the standard of nominations improves year-on-year.

“Everyone who has been nominated should be recognised, regardless of whether they make the shortlist or, indeed, go on to be named as winners. It just shows the range and dedication of those working at both professional and volunteer level, day in and day out in all weathers to ensure our sports men and women, young and old, have available an increasingly higher standard of playing surfaces.”

Geoff adds: “The awards would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors, and these companies and organisations have enabled the event to become a landmark event every year.

“The industry’s support is invaluable and it has created the conditions for a sell-out event and one that enjoys national and regional TV, radio, social media and press coverage.”

Independent judging at each venue will now take place. The winners will be announced Oscar-style at the IOG Industry Awards dinner by host Mark Saggers from talkSPORT radio at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham, on Wednesday 1 November – the evening of the opening day of the SALTEX exhibition at the nearby NEC.

The finalists are:

Bowling Greenkeeper/Team of the Year
Burnham Hillside Bowls Club, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex; Potters Bar Bowls Club, Hertfordshire.

Best Maintained Artificial Pitch of the Year
Highfields Sports Complex – The University of Nottingham; Manchester City FC.

Ransomes Environmental/Innovative Project of the Year
Arsenal FC; Forest Green Rovers FC.

Toro Most Promising Sports Turf Student of the Year
Ollie Deeming, Bury St. Edmunds RUFC, Suffolk; Tara Massey, Manchester City FC.

Redexim Charterhouse/Kubota Volunteer Sports Groundsman/Team of the Year
Phillip Swann, Bridge Trust Society, Birmingham; Phil Toy, Wingerworth JSA FC, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

National Governing Bodies Grassroots Sports Grounds Team of the Year
Darlington CC; NPL Sports Club, Teddington, Middlesex.

This category co-sponsored by the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club), ECB (the England and Wales Cricket Board), The FA (Football Association), The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), the Premier League, the RFL (Rugby Football League) and the RFU (Rugby Football Union).

Headland Amenity Professional Cricket Grounds Team of the Year
Durham CCC; Hampshire CCC, Southampton.

Infinicut (MTD) Professional Tennis Grounds Team of the Year
All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon; Nottingham Tennis Centre.

SGL Professional Football Grounds Team or the Year (Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League)
Arsenal FC; Leicester City FC; Tottenham Hotspur FC.

SISGrass Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year (English Leagues 1 & 2, National, National North/South, Scottish Championship & Leagues 1 & 2, Ireland & Wales Professional Leagues)
Bury FC, Greater Manchester; Dagenham and Redbrige FC, London.

John Deere Professional Horse Racing Grounds Team of the Year
Nottingham Racecourse; Ripon Racecourse; Sandown Park Racecourse.

Mansfield Sand Professional Rugby Football League Grounds Team of the Year
Castleford Tigers, West Yorkshire; Leeds Rugby (Leeds Rhinos).

GrassMaster Professional Rugby Football Union Grounds Team of the Year
Sale Sharks, Salford; Yorkshire Carnegie (Leeds Rugby).

National Governing Bodies Professional Sports Grounds Team of the Year
All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon; Chelsea FC; Manchester City FC.

Rigby Taylor/Top Green Young Groundsman of the Year
Alex Brierley, All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon; Jake Messenger, Tottenham Hotspur FC; James Wood, Manchester City FC.

Growth Products Independent School/University/College Grounds Team of the Year
Charterhouse School, Surrey; University of Surrey.

Private Members Sports Club Grounds Team of the Year
Darlington CC; The Queen’s Club, London.

Contractor of the Year
Premier Pitches, Sheffield; TurfDry, Derbyshire.

International Ambassador of the Year
Simon Gumbrill, Stadium Grow Lighting; Dean Gilasbey, Propitch.

Special Recognition Award (Professional Category)
Paul Burgess, Real Madrid CF; Andy Jackson, Stoke City FC.

Special Recognition Award (Volunteer Category)
Peter Green, Honley Cricket Club, Holmfirth, Huddersfield; Mick Oldfield, Sherriff Hutton Bridge Cricket Club, York.

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Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder

August 30, 2017/in Machinery, Press Release/by Steve Mitchell

Kent County Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder Partnership: A maiden partnership between Kubota UK and Lister Wilder has seen two of the leading players in the groundcare industry join forces to support Kent County Cricket Club.

The deal, announced at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, in Canterbury, is Kubota UK’s fourth significant brand partnership in the professional sports arena. The company already supports Northampton Saints – one of the biggest clubs in English rugby, Andrew Hoy – the Olympic level equestrian rider and the Buildbase Suzuki British Superbikes Team. This latest announcement with Kent County Cricket Club is Kubota’s first advancement into professional cricket.

Karen Tipping, Kubota UK’s marketing manager, said: “Kent County Cricket Club is one of only 18 first-class county clubs in the country. The team plays top class county cricket with a culture that is committed to excellence and performing to first class standards. These are values that are also synonymous with the Kubota brand and our products and service offering, so supporting Kent Cricket is a fantastic match for our business.

“The partnership with Lister Wilder to support Kent County Cricket Club is all about continuing to raise the profile of the Kubota brand, whilst at the same time promoting their recently opened flagship depot in Ashford.

“This Depot has undergone significant investment over recent years, with this site supplying the local market with Kubota’s complete range of agriculture, groundcare and construction machinery solutions. We are delighted to be teaming up with our local dealer to support Kent County Cricket Club and hope this will enable us to reach a much wider audience.”

As part of the collaboration, Kubota’s market leading L5040 utility tractor has been donated to support Kent County Cricket Club’s groundcare and maintenance team in the daily preparation of its pitches. The team implement a daily routine that is second to none, working a month in advance, 12 months a year, to ensure its cricket surfaces are in the best condition all season.

Simon Williamson, Head Groundsman at The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence, leads the team; with a wealth of knowledge behind him, occupying various roles within the cricket industry since he was 16. Having spent the past 20 years maintaining Kent’s grounds, Simon now heads up a team of four professionals who look after the playing surfaces, day in, day out.

“For Kent County Cricket Club to be successful playing and practicing on first-class pitches is essential,” added Simon. “This means the type of equipment we use is crucial. Kubota machinery is renowned for being the best on the market for performance and reliability, so we are delighted to be working in partnership with them and Lister Wilder.

“One of the key challenges we face here at The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence, is the outfield is subject to such heavy use throughout the season. Our work using Kubota’s L5040 compact tractor is therefore vital in assisting us to keep the grounds maintained to the highest standard. Without the use of our compact tractor, our work would be much more difficult to carry out; essentially the machine works harder so we don’t have to. The vehicle provides comfort all year round, with an air conditioned and heated cab to keep us performing at maximum productivity, no matter what the weather.”

Kubota’s L5040 is the perfect match for Simon and his team at the club. The cab is designed for optimum operator comfort, with a deluxe seat and an enhanced control panel ensuring high productivity, all day long. In addition, the Glide Shift Transmission (GST) gearbox functionality means that the groundcare staff at Kent County Cricket club do not have to use the clutch to change gear, resulting in smooth and intuitive performance.

The machine’s unique mid and rear Power take-off (PTOs) ensure that a wide range of implements can be used with ease, allowing the team to quickly and efficiently change attachments to increase the scope and versatility of their maintenance regimes. This includes the seamless cutting of the square and outfield every single day, whilst also completing essential tasks such as preparing the wicket, fertilising the ground and top dressing the soil as part of the seasonal renovation routine.

Simon continued: “Prior to the start of each match, a pitch inspection is taken out whereby points may be deducted if not recorded accurately. It can take up to three weeks to make sure the wicket is in perfect condition before a match. The tractor is an essential piece of machinery, helping us to even out the pitch to the correct dimensions and helping to achieve a good moisture level, with the use of both a roller and verti-drainer.”

The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, is not only recognised as a high profile cricket venue, it is also a popular location for open air concerts. With 15,000 spectators flooding into the ground with as little as two days before a big event, Kubota’s L5040 compact tractor plays a crucial role in restoring the ground to the best condition.

Simon concluded: “Ever since partnering with Lister Wilder we haven’t looked back. As we are looking to increase capacity of the grounds, hopefully there will be room for more Kubota machines to join our fleet in the future. The power, performance and quality of the machinery is certainly a massive asset to our club.”

In return for the support, both Kubota and Lister Wilder will have the opportunity to host seminars, demonstrations and ground maintenance training at the iconic venue. This will support the region’s grassroot clubs and institutions in developing both their playing performance and pitch maintenance, as they look to Kent County Cricket Club as the ultimate standard of cricket.

Phill Hughes, Divisional Sales Director for Lister Wilder, concluded: “We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Kent County Cricket Club for almost a decade, servicing and maintaining all of its machinery to the highest standard. We are delighted to now be working together with Kubota to offer our unwavering support in ensuring the continued maintenance of such a high profile ground.”

For more information on Kubota and its extensive range of solutions visit www.kubota.co.uk or call 01844 268000.

For the latest industry news visit turfnews.co.uk

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)

Record-Breaking Number Of Entries To IOG Awards

Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder

Record-Breaking Number Of Entries To IOG Awards

Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Record-Breaking Number Of Entries To IOG Awards

Cricket Club Bowled Over By Kubota UK And Lister Wilder

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