Tag Archive for: groundsman

Groundsman Wins Volunteer Award

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Groundsman Wins Volunteer Award: Birmingham Exiles’ Andy Harris was honoured at the annual North Midlands Volunteer Awards recently.

The awards, now in their 13th year, celebrate outstanding voluntary service to rugby sides in the region, with the hard work and generosity of volunteers often proving the difference in keeping rugby clubs running.

Harris was named the Groundsman of the Year, providing him with recognition for his attentive work of maintaining the pitches at Old Damson Lane.

He has learnt from one of the best in the business, after being passed on extensive knowledge by RFU head groundsman Keith Kent, and has since allowed for the Exiles to attract higher profile fixtures thanks to the quality of the pitches at the club.

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Groundsman ‘Tweaks’ Pitch Plans

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Groundsman ‘Tweaks’ Pitch Plans: Fleetwood Town’s head groundsman Nick Hyndman has revealed that feedback from keeper Alex Cairns has resulted in a different approach to relaying the Highbury pitch this summer.

Hyndman is hopeful the pitch will be in “brilliant” condition by the time Premier League side Burnley arrive for a friendly on July 23.

 

The groundstaff’s normal summer schedule was altered last year, when Highbury staged Alfie Boe’s Homecoming concert in June and all Town’s pre-season fixtures were away.

This year Town will host the Clarets and Preston in their final warm-up games and Hyndman told the club website how preparations are going ahead of the players’ return to the revamped Poolfoot Farm pitches for training on June 26.

He said: “We are under tight deadlines to produce a surface, so we are trying to make it grow as quick as possible. It’s all guns blazing to get the pitches ready.

“We have the stadium but ultimately we have everything that is happening at the training ground, and that is where we are day-to-day.

“It’s a very similar process to what we do each year, even though there have been some slight tweaks due to how we feel the pitch performed.

“We stripped the turf and added over 150 tonnes of new material. We’ve added synthetic goalmouths – called hybrid carpets – like last season. We got some feedback from the keepers that they weren’t getting stability throughout the season.

“The hybrid carpet almost looks like astroturf. It’s five per cent artificial fibres. Your seeds and grass grow into the fibres to create a strong rooting system that gives instant stability.

“We’ve been able to get the surface up earlier than last season, so our main aim is to get it ready for Burnley and keep it up for the game against Preston North End on July 27.

“I’m fully confident that we have more than enough time to present a brilliant surface for both games.”

As for Poolfoot, he added: “We are just over two weeks from seed now and we’ve had a brilliant uptake.

“The weather has been brilliant for it – a mix of sun and rain – which has enabled us to get on with it earlier this year.

“We were cutting it after 10 days, which I would say is the best I’ve ever seen it.

“The contractors have done a really good job. My guys have been keen to get on there to start doing what we need to do to get it ready for the start of the season.

“We normally need eight weeks to grow a pitch. Each year the players seem to be coming back earlier and earlier, which has an effect on us.

“They go on the development pitches, which we take up early so the first team can come straight back on to the grass.”

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Award For Gillingham Groundsman

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Award For Gillingham Groundsman: Gillingham groundsman John Plummer was awarded the Elliott Scally Cup at the club’s awards evening last Sunday.

The cup goes to someone at the club who deserves special recognition.

Plummer was given the daunting task of dealing with a new hybrid pitch early on in the season after the old one was written off.

The Gills invested big money in laying a new surface, which is partly made of plastic, paying around £500,000 for the works which included new drainage and irrigation.

Chairman Paul Scally spoke of the groundsman’s dedication to the job during the awards night, quipping that he “spends most of his life on that pitch”.

“It was a challenge,” said Plummer. “The old pitch was okay, but the new one will now hopefully settle down and improve.”

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Groundsman Celebrates 30th Year

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Groundsman Celebrates 30th Year: A long serving groundsman at Worcestershire County Cricket Club has celebrated a milestone of 30 years looking after the picturesque cricket ground.

Tim Packwood, the head groundsman at the New Road ground, marked his 30th year at the club this weekend.

Mr Packwood came to the club in April 1989 as an assistant working under then head groundsman, Roy McLaren, before replacing him upon his retirement in July 2000.

Mr Packwood, a lifelong supporter of Worcestershire, has completed his three decades at the club just after the retirement of another long-serving member Martin Watts, who spent 40 years on the ground staff.

Paying tribute to his service, Matt Rawnsley, the club’s chief executive, said: “It’s fantastic we are celebrating two members of the groundstaff who have been with the club such a long time in Martin, who has just retired, and Tim.

“Tim has done a great job after coming in as an understudy to Roy McLaren.

“He probably has one of the most unique groundsman’s jobs in the country in dealing with the floods that we have. But he manages to produce some fantastic facilities – not only just out in the middle on the square but also on the practice wickets as well.

“We are trying to make facilities that put both sides on an equal footing and give entertainment for the crowd – and Tim certainly knows the New Road wicket better than anyone else.”

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Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree

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Groundsman’s Expertise At Aintree: The head groundsman from Cartmel Racecourse headed to Aintree over the weekend to play a crucial role in the 2019 Grand National.

Gary Sharp, 40, has worked at the south Cumbria course since 2002, ensuring the track is in peak condition for each of its nine race days every year.

But tomorrow he will join eight fellow head groundsmen from across the country to take charge of fences in Liverpool as 40 runners and riders line up to contest ‘the most famous horse race in the world’.

While there, Gary will use his years of experience to quickly decide whether his assigned Grand National fences are safe to jump, need to be replaced or should be left out altogether on the second pass.

Gary said: “I’ve done this role at Aintree for 17 years now. It’s a big responsibility but it’s always exciting to play a part in such an important race.

“We’re stationed by the fence so we’re first on the scene.

“It’s my job to assess whether it’s safe to jump after the first lap or whether it should be bypassed if someone has fallen.

“I’m always guided by the medics on site. Safety is absolutely the priority.

“If the fence is damaged, it can also mean replacing the hurdle altogether before the horses come round again.

“You have to be quick, but there’s enough time to do it between laps,” he added.

The Grand National is run over four miles and 514 yards. It includes 30 fences, many of which are made from spruce from the Lake District.

Gary will arrive for the start of the three day festival on Thursday with three other members of Cartmel Racecourse’s grounds team; Brad Thompson, Tony Hadwin and Ceri Eccles.

Gary, who won the Groundstaff of the Year title at the Racecourse Association Showcase and Awards in 2016, said: “This is a great experience for everyone to be involved in.

“Going to the Grand National also marks a turning point in the calendar for my team because it means our first race at Cartmel is getting closer.

“A lot of work goes on here over the winter to look after the ground, build fences and prepare the course for the racing season.

“Now we’re all looking forward to seeing the horses and crowds arrive back on track on May 25.”

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