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Sports Pitch Ruined By Quad Bike

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Sports Pitch Ruined By Quad Bike: Three junior football teams have had their pitch ruined by mindless vandals.

Bosses at Cleck Sporting Juniors believe a quad bike was taken onto the field, in Mann Dam Park, off Spen Lane, in Cleckheaton, and used to churn up the grass earlier this week.

It has left the pitch unplayable and forced the club to cancel the home games of the under 7, under 9 and under 10 teams which play there.

Large tyre tracks have been left all over the grass, with some deep enough to cause injury to anyone playing on the field.

Colin Harding, chairman of the club, said they will now have to re-arrange the games or play them away from home if they are to complete their fixture list for the current season.

The club was contacted on Facebook by someone who walks their dog on the field and club members of all ages were left devastated when they saw the damage.

“It’s quite badly damaged and will probably never be the same again.

“People don’t think about the long term impact this can have on the people who play there.

“We will probably have to travel outside the area.

“There has been no thought about us from whoever did this.

The future of the pitch is also under-threat, given the substantial damage done to the grass, which Mr Harding believes can not be repaired.

He has contacted Kirklees Council to see if there is anything they can do to help the stranded teams, which all play in the Huddersfield Junior League.

The club has teams in age groups right up to under 16s, but it is the younger players who will feel the brunt of the extensive damage done to their home pitch.

Mr Harding added: “With the weather we have got it won’t help because it has already caused more damage to the grass with it being so wet.

“This means we will have to travel outside of the area and play games away from home.

“Our next games is in early January, but I don’t think we will get that to go ahead.

“There’s not enough access for a car, so it would have to be a bike that got through and onto the field.”

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Students Boosted By EGO

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Students Boosted By EGO: EGO, the cordless outdoor power tool specialist, has helped horticulture students put theory into practice at Bridgwater and Taunton College in Somerset.

Sixty students from the college’s horticulture, green keeping, sports turf, countryside management and arboriculture courses attended. Apprentices and employers, who are undertaking the exciting new Apprenticeship Standard, were also invited in to take part in this special training day.

Students Boosted By EGO

Designed to raise awareness of battery-powered cordless technology, the day included a theory session in the morning, followed by a practical session in the afternoon. Attendees were able to test the tools at the Cannington Golf Centre where they performed a variety of gardening work. This included trimming hedges down during opening hours, which would otherwise be limited due to the noise of petrol tools.

“Air pollution, noise pollution and sustainability are all clearly huge issues in today’s society. More and more, we can see how petrol-based equipment does not combat these problems, and in fact adds to them,” said Peter Melrose, President (EMEA) at EGO.

“That’s why initiatives like this where we can educate young people entering the trade is so important. With the cordless technology from EGO, we deliver the same power as an equivalent petrol tool, but with less fumes, that’s much quieter and much more sustainable for the planet.”

Cary Rawlings, Assessor/Trainer at Bridgwater & Taunton College, said “I initially met the EGO team at Saltex 2017. We were thrilled to develop this relationship so that our students get to hear about the latest innovations and technology.”

The training day proved a hit with all parties. Jacob Camplin, a Level 2 Greenkeeping Apprentice, said “Today was very enjoyable. I learnt about the benefits of battery-operated equipment over petrol.”

Attendees were all provided with EGO’s new FAQ document, giving detailed insight on battery technology and how it compares to petrol. The opportunity to understand how servicing and maintenance works with these tools was also a key part of the module, which included EGO’s mowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, leaf blowers and line trimmers.

Melrose concludes: “It was great to partner with the Bridgwater and Taunton College and the day was a great success. It’s fantastic to see students gain exposure to a credible alternative to petrol, and we hope to hold another similar event again soon.”

To find out more about studying land based courses or undertaking an apprenticeship with Bridgwater & Taunton College, please call 01278 441234. Or for more about EGO, please visit https://egopowerplus.co.uk

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Matt Gilks Appointed By Rain Bird

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Matt Gilks Appointed By Rain Bird: Rain Bird Europe have appointed Matt Gilks as a new Golf Sales Specialist for the UK and Ireland.

Closely involved in golf course irrigation throughout his career Matt joins Rain Bird from Farol where he specialised in sales to golf sector customers. Prior to that, his greenkeeping and engineering roles at The Belfry and MJ Abbott respectively were focused on water resources and construction.

Matt Gilks Appointed By Rain Bird

Matt comments on his appointment; “Irrigation is my specialism and having been involved with every aspect of golf course systems, from construction to water management, I understand the challenges golf clubs face. I’m delighted to join the Rain Bird team. In my role at Golf Sales Specialist I’ll be supporting clubs with their existing systems alongside Rain Bird’s expert technical team to ensure irrigation systems are running at their most efficient. I am also looking forward to supporting clubs looking to upgrade or renovate existing irrigation systems with Rain Bird’s latest technology.”

Jimmy Sandison, Regional Golf Sales Manager for UK, Ireland, Iceland and Scandinavia adds; “I am delighted to welcome Matt to Rain Bird. He brings valuable, practical experience in the golf sector and considerable expertise in irrigation and water management.”

Matt can be contacted via email at mgilks@rainbird.eu

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Andrew Pledger Appointed By ICL

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Andrew Pledger Appointed By ICL: ICL Turf & Landscape are pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Pledger as their new Technical Area Sales Manager. Andrew will cover the South East of England including Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Kent and East London.

Andrew has worked in the industry for many years and brings with him a wealth of experience.

Andrew Pledger Appointed By ICL

A previous Toro Student Greenkeeper of the year in 2002, Andrew studied at the University of Massachusetts before embarking on a number of greenkeeping roles which included the positon of Deputy Course Manager at The Wildernesse Club and the Deputy Superintendent at The Hertfordshire. He then spent six years as Head Greenkeeper at Frinton Golf Club before moving to Chelmsford Golf Club as Course Manager – a position he held for seven years.

In addition to his Golf Course Manager roles, Andrew has also enjoyed many years of being a volunteer groundsman at West Ham Utd FC.

A well-known and respected member of the industry, Andrews knowledge and experience will serve him well and provide ICL customers and distributors with the very best in terms of advice and support. Andrew starts his new role with ICL on 8th October.

For more information please contact ICL on +44 (0)1473 237100 or visit www.icl-sf.co.uk.

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Artificial Pitch Burnt By Vandals

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Artificial Pitch Burnt By Vandals: Kelty Hearts’ artificial pitch has been burned, seats have been vandalised days after being installed, and youngsters have been seen on the roof of the club’s new stand.

The damage to the community facilities could see the club, which turned senior last year, lose its SFA licence because of regular pitch testing.

Police are now patrolling the area around New Central Park in a bid to stamp out the problem.

Meanwhile, the club is going to be footing the bill for CCTV, something it says it can ill afford.

Treasurer George McTrusty said the spate of vandalism had been wrecking improvements almost as soon as they were completed.

“We’re building a new stadium and they are trying to destroy the seats as they are getting installed, and they’ve been burning the pitch.”

The park with a 3G pitch, a community asset that is open to the paying public, is witnessing trespassing and vandalism on almost a daily basis.

This week has seen burn marks left across the main and children’s pitches.

Council community use team manager for Cowdenbeath Sarah Roxburgh said: “It’s incredibly disappointing that this enjoyment is being spoiled by a thoughtless minority who are determined to cause costly damage.

“We will be working with the club and police to help tackle this issue and make sure the park is a safe place for all to enjoy.”

Fife Council has invested £665,000 in the park for the whole community.

Local councillor Alex Campbell expressed his disgust at the behaviour of a minority of youths.

He said the club serves the community, from five-year-olds to 75s, and it was sad that so many local people worked really hard to deliver facilities for the community and “these vandals come along and destroy such a fantastic project”.

He added: “It is totally and utterly unacceptable that some youths are causing this mayhem.”

Police Scotland inspector Gavin Cameron said: “The abuse of these facilities is hugely disappointing for the community, and we are working closely with Kelty Hearts FC to tackle this issue.

“We are carrying out patrols in this area and I would urge people to please report any anti-social behaviour or damage being caused while it is happening so we can respond quickly and appropriately.

“We want local children and young people to enjoy their summer holidays and to make use of facilities like this sensibly and responsibly.

“Parents and guardians have a vital role to play by ensuring they know where their children are, and reminding them that such behaviour as we have seen here is not acceptable.”

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