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Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale

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Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale: Mark Piper, the Greenkeeper at Maldon Bowling Club, Essex, has overseen a remarkable transformation in the quality of the club’s green. Thanks to a range of Dennis and SISIS machinery, particularly the SISIS Supaturfman and the Dennis FT510, the once-struggling surface has become a point of pride, earning Mark the prestigious Bowls England Greenkeeper of the Year Award.

Three years ago, Maldon Bowling Club’s green was plagued by bare patches and moss infestations, rendering it barely playable. The situation was disheartening for long-standing club members, prompting Mark to take action.

Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale

Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale

“It was very demoralising, especially for the people that had been at Maldon for a long time – this club has been a big part of their lives,” says Mark. “The local authority was managing the maintenance, and we weren’t really getting anywhere with them. I thought that the only way forward was to do it ourselves.”

Recognising the need for comprehensive maintenance solutions, he turned to a range of Dennis and SISIS machinery from the Howardson Group.

Key to the transformation was the SISIS Supaturfman, an independently powered heavy-duty aerator renowned for its effectiveness in sports turf maintenance. Mark credits the Supaturfman with tackling the persistent moss problem by addressing its underlying causes rather than merely treating the symptoms. Through regular aeration, the green became healthier and more resilient, laying the foundation for long-term improvement.

Complementing the Supaturfman, the Dennis FT510 emerged as an integral part of Maldon Bowling Club’s maintenance equipment. Offering a 51cm working width and versatile interchangeable cassettes, the FT510 provided unparalleled flexibility and performance.

Maldon’s members are particularly impressed with the verticutting cassette according to Mark: “The more experienced bowlers like it when I use the verticutter because it gives them the pace that they want.”

Mark also highlights the FT510’s roller clutch drive and variable clip rate, which ensure a smooth finish and precise control, essential for achieving the desired playing surface quality.

Mark’s dedication, coupled with the reliability of the equipment, propelled Maldon Bowling Club to new heights, earning accolades and fostering a thriving community of bowlers.

“Membership has gone up approximately 30% in the three years that we have been doing the green, and I like to think our work has contributed towards that,” says Mark. “The club is certainly getting a much better reputation and it was nice to be able to turn it around – the Dennis and SISIS equipment has massively helped.

“What I would say to clubs who find themselves in a similar position to what we found ourselves in, is to try and go it alone – it is not as difficult as people think. If you have dedication and commitment, then the Howardson Group can help you with the rest, in terms of equipment, advice and training.”

Despite the remarkable progress, Mark remains committed to ongoing enhancement. Challenges such as excessive sand content in certain areas present opportunities for further refinement. Hosting prestigious tournaments like the Essex County 4’s Finals attests to the green’s newfound acclaim.

Through the integration of the SISIS Supaturfman and the Dennis FT510, Mark not only revitalised the green but also the spirit of the club. His story serves as an inspiration to greenkeepers everywhere, demonstrating that with determination and the right tools, even the most daunting challenges can be overcome.

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

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

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Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

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Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface: After intensive in-house operations to relieve severe compaction failed to deliver the desired results, the decision was made to undertake a full renovation on one of the pitches at Hove Prep School in Sussex.

Word of mouth led Grounds and Gardens Manager Adam Bedson to speak with AMS Contracting Ltd who he cites, from the outset, delivered outstanding customer service and confidence in their capability to fix the situation to the standards required – which they did, to the satisfaction of the school and pupils alike!

Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

Hove Prep School is one of three sites belonging to Lancing College, with its own sports facilities supporting a packed programme of year-round play and coaching. “It became evident that years of overuse had contributed to severe compaction problems that became almost impossible to recover” explains Adam, who has been at the college since 2019. “Kit we hired failed to rectify the problem so we reached out to Ashley and Myles Strange at AMS who immediately put us at ease.”

“Having not conducted a project of this scale for a good number of years the Bursar naturally had a lot of questions, which the AMS team answered in-depth and in a timely manner. The level of care and knowledge shown definitely helped to secure the funding we needed to get the project underway in the summer of 2023.”

The full pitch renovation included surface removal, soil profile upgrade, laser-levelling, seeding and nutritional programme, conducted by a team of four operatives under the guidance of Ashley and Myles. “We felt in safe hands every step of the way. What really stood out for me was the hours the team were prepared to work – on site from sunrise and non-stop until the early evening. They understood our need to get the work, which also included renovating our cricket square, complete in the window available in order to get the surfaces back into play as quickly as possible.”

The results, Adam says, speak for themselves. “Within seven days we went from a sandy field to seeing the green hue of germination. Since then, we’ve nurtured the pitch to full strength and coverage and the pupils are now enjoying playing on it.” He continues, “This wet start to winter has also highlighted how incredibly well the pitch drains now. Within an hour of the rain stopping, the pitch is playable which was previously unheard of.”

“The sports staff are over the moon and everybody is really invested in protecting the asset we now have. The success of this project signals the start of a fantastic partnership between ourselves and AMS Contracting, and we’re already in touch with the team about what’s next!”

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Green-tech – an Official Drop-off Hub

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Green-tech – an Official Drop-off Hub: Tubex has expanded its Tree Shelter Collection and Recycling Programme by offering hubs around the UK where tree shelters can be dropped off to be recycled, completely free of charge.

The scheme is a joint initiative with charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT), which opened several hubs of its own in 2021.

Green-tech - an Official Drop-off Hub

Green-tech – an Official Drop-off Hub

There will be a total of 14 national hub locations. As well as YDMT’s sites, Tubex’s parent company Berry Global will provide five of the hub locations, while landscape supplier Green-tech is also supporting the scheme by offering their premises in North Yorkshire for shelter collection.

Green-tech’s Sales Director Richard Gill comments, “Tubex aim is to increase accessibility and proximity whilst limiting any unnecessary costs for end users, so that people are not discouraged to recycle shelters at end-of-life by having to fund and organise their disposal process. Green-tech is delighted to get involved and offer our support. We are the biggest distributor of tree protection products in the UK and feel we have a duty to offer practical solutions to removing plastic that has served its purpose, from the environment.”

Tubex will be covering all costs after the bags of used tree shelters are dropped at the hubs, including bailing, washing, recycling and re-pelletizing the material so that it can be used to create more shelters.

As well as all types of Tubex shelters all Polypropylene shelters that are manufactured by other brands can also be recycled at the hubs.  They can be identified by a small ‘PP’ symbol on the tree shelter.

Marketing & Product Development Director from Tubex James Taylor explains, “We are so pleased to be able to announce the launch of our recycling hubs with the support of YDMT and partners – since its inception, our plan has been to continually progress the Tubex Collection and Recycling Programme and offer the opportunity for our customers to recycle their shelters locally. Our hubs now provide a convenient way to ensure that shelters will be handled responsively at end-of-life, completely free of cost to the customer.”

For those who still want to use the original Tubex Collection and Recycling method where shelters are collected directly, Tubex will still be offering their standard dumpy bags for £39, which can hold 350-400 1.2m tree shelters with a minimum collection amount being six bags.

For more information on Tubex free tree shelter collection hubs email: https://tubex.com/sustainability/tree-shelter-collection-recycling-programme/

For further information or to order recycling bags call Green-tech on 01423 332100 or email tradecentre@green-tech.co.uk

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You’ll never look back with an ISEKI

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You’ll never look back with an ISEKI: A brand-new ISEKI tractor has not only saved Osterley Cricket Club a significant amount of time and money, but it has also helped its ground rating climb into the top three rankings.

Established in 1940, Osterley Cricket Club, in Southall, specialises in cricket, football and social gatherings. Somewhat of a hub for the local community it boasts 2.2 hectares of grounds. This consists of two cricket pitches which convert to seven football pitches during the winter.

You’ll never look back with an ISEKI

You’ll never look back with an ISEKI

Nadeem Chowdhry, Chairman of Osterley Cricket Club, explained why the Club was in the market for a new tractor.

“We started looking for a new tractor because we were using an old ride-on mower and a 1960’s cylinder mower which had all kinds of hydraulic issues,” he said. “It was an important decision and so we did a lot of research.

“We selected ISEKI because of the brand’s renowned build quality and ease of use. After deciding on the brand, we then spoke to several dealers and the one that stood out was RT Machinery. They understood our challenges, they pin-pointed the ISEKI tractor for us, and the presale and after sale service was phenomenal.”

Based on RT Machinery’s recommendation, Nadeem decided that the ISEKI TLE3400 was the perfect fit. The TLE3400 is ISEKI’s premium economy tractor. This 38 horse-power tractor has a three-speed hydrostatic transmission and a lift capacity of 1000 kg. It is supplied with agricultural or turf tyres as standard. An optional front loader is also available. Ideal on the farm, an estate, or sports pitches, it is an all-round tractor for all those tasks that just need doing – from muck scraper to harrow or mower to loader, it’s capable of doing it all.

According to Nadeem, Osterley Cricket Club has not looked back since purchasing this unique tractor.

“It used to take our groundsman two whole days, to cut, stripe and tidy up – but since purchasing the ISEKI tractor this has been reduced to just two hours,” he said. “The cost of running it, on fuel alone, is six times cheaper as well.

“This tractor is fantastic to store because it is compact, and it is so versatile. We use it with lots of different attachments such as a grass cutting deck, a verticutting unit, a scarifier and all sorts of other attachments.

“Everyone at the club suddenly wants to help and have go on it because it is so easy and so comfortable to use – it is hard getting people off it!

“In fact, a lot of other nearby clubs have seen our ground rating go from near the bottom of the table to the third best and have been asking how we have managed to do it. We tell them that is down to the ISEKI tractor.

“Ultimately, it has made a huge difference to our club, because everyone really enjoys playing on this gorgeous, lush outfield, and it is all because of this tractor. I would tell any sports club that has grass to look at ISEKI – they will never look back.”

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Green-tech Serve Up an Ace Day at Wimbledon

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Green-tech Serve Up an Ace Day at Wimbledon: BALI National Landscape Awards headline sponsor Green-tech recently hosted 10 principal award winners in a behind-the-scenes VIP tour of Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Supported by ICL, this is the fifth time that Green-tech has organised this tour as a celebration for the BALI award winners.

Green-tech Serve Up an Ace Day at Wimbledon

Green-tech Serve Up an Ace Day at Wimbledon

The day started off with a presentation from Head of Courts and Horticulture Neil Stubley, who has been at Wimbledon since 1995 and oversees the 67 courts within the club (including indoor, outdoor, clay, acrylic and croquet lawns). He gave a valuable insight into the intense, year-round planning, and how important it is for each court to be monitored and cared for correctly to withstand the heavy impact from the 2-week Wimbledon Championships.

This was followed by a presentation from Head Gardener Martyn Falconer who looks after the Horticulture off the courts (flower beds, flower walls, lawns). Martyn has the huge task of sourcing thousands of flowers each year that ensure the venue lives up to the high expectations of delivering its famed stunning flower displays. A new addition within the past few years is the ‘live flower wall’ which sits above Henman Hill and requires constant watering, irrigation, and maintenance to achieve a long-lasting display.

After lunch, Neil and Martyn conducted a tour of the courts, including Centre Court and the brand-new Indoor Centre, boasting an impressive new selection of indoor courts.

Green-tech’s Product Development Director Chris Swan adds, “It was a fantastic day that was enjoyed and appreciated by our Principal Award Winners. The presentations by Neil and Martyn were really interesting and informative. We all loved the tour of the facilities – it really was an honour to be one of very few to see behind the scenes of the most prestigious tennis tournament venue in the World.”

Principal Award winner ADTRAK enjoyed the event. With Ben Shaw commenting, “A superb event. Really enjoyable and a very nice treat for us all”, Colleague Paul O’Donoghue continues, “It was an amazing day. Magical!”

Chris Thomas, Senior Contracts Manager from Elite Landscapes Ltd agrees, “It was a fascinating tour and amazing to see what goes on behind the scenes.”

Entries are now open for BALI National Landscape Awards 2023. Register and enter using the following website https://bnla.awardsplatform.com/

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