Tag Archive for: Set

Eric Harris Set To Retire

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Eric Harris Set To Retire: Although rain has finally arrived at Stratford Racecourse, the hot summer temperatures were a challenge for head groundsman Eric Harris as he looked to produce good, safe ground at the height of the season.

Harris has announced his retirement after 23 years at Stratford and over 50 in all in racing at courses including Newton Abbott and Kelso.

He began in the racing industry as a 20-year-old member of the ground staff team at Newton Abbot, another course that races through the summer, where he worked for 23 years.

He then went onto Kelso and Warwick, both as head groundsman, before taking up his latest and final post at Stratford.

Harris will be replaced by Sam Linley, who started work with the ground staff team at Wincanton in May 2010, becoming assistant head groundsman.

Announcing the news, racecourse manager Ilona Barnett said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Sam to our team and we wish Eric many happy retirement years spent racing.”

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R-VAN Nozzles Set New Standards

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R-VAN Nozzles Set New Standards: Rain Bird now offers a full range of R-VAN rotary adjustable, full circle and strip nozzles, ensuring efficient irrigation of both large and smaller areas in residential and commercial applications.

Coupled with fast installation and simple maintenance – no tools required – R-VAN nozzles set new standards in performance, with just nine models required for full 45 to 360 degree coverage and ranges from 2.4 to 7.3 metres. This compares to up to fifteen if alternative brands of nozzles were to be specified, keeping investment costs lower from the outset.

R-VAN Nozzles Set New Standards

All R-VAN nozzles can be quickly hand adjusted for arc and radius. Simply by pushing down and turning the nozzle cap, the arc can be increased by up to 270 degrees and by turning the radius adjustment dial clockwise, the throw distance is increased without needing to use a separate adjustment tool. With these two actions, areas of any shape can be effectively irrigated.

The precipitation rate of the R-VAN nozzles is matched with the Rain Bird 5000 series rotors. Long-distance watering is effectively increased to up to 10.7 metres within the same zone. Precipatation rates are also matched across all the different types of R-VAN nozzles, making irrigation design layouts and zoning much easier. There is no longer any need for multiple zones and valves to accomplish the same irrigation coverage that would be required with other makes of nozzle.

Producing gentle rotating streams of water, R-VAN nozzles provide uniform coverage with lower precipitation rates. This lessens the risk of wasteful run-off that can lead to ground erosion. R-VAN nozzles can require up to 33% shorter run-times, providing significant water savings and making them ideal for applications where there are time restrictions on irrigation cycles.

With larger droplets and thicker streams of water, R-VAN nozzles have high wind resistance and can be used in windier conditions without misting. Irrigation is kept within the target zone and not wasted on surrounding hardscapes and other areas.

R-VAN nozzles have been specifically designed to let dirt and debris pass through, but if a nozzle sticks, a simple twist ensures easy debris flushing. There is no need to replace the nozzle in the event of clogging. Overall, R-VAN nozzles are claimed to be up to 30 percent more efficient than alternative makes and are compatible with all Rain Bird spray bodies, risers and adapters. Each of the nine units are colour coded for easy identification.

For more information, visit: www.rainbird.eu/golf

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Vandal-Hit Bowls Club Set To Fold

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Vandal-Hit Bowls Club Set To Fold: Middleport Park Bowling club is to fold – ending its 108 years of existence.

The club, traditionally one of most successful in North Staffordshire, will play for the last time this year after members called time because of vandalism and also council costs.

Middleport had been asked to pay around £2,500 to Stoke-on-Trent City Council to maintain the green.

An alternative was a self-management deal in which members would take on the responsibility for looking after the green themselves.

But they have reluctantly rejected that idea because of vandalism, including people playing football and golf on the green and riding bikes over it.

The club, founded in 1910, will play for this season at Clough Hall then cease to exist.

Chairman and treasurer Keith Williamson, aged 65, has been connected with the club since he was 13.

He said it was a difficult decision to call time on a club which was one of the best in the area in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s when they were regular winners of the Sentinel Cup.

However, he said the fee of around £2,500 was too much.

 He said: “That was the ballpark figure but they had said it would rise over time. We were offered self-management but there were the vandalism issues.

“But the problems started when the council first made the cuts and they got rid of the park rangers around 10 or 12 years ago.

“The main thing is football on the green but also people riding bikes on it. We have even been down there and people have been practicing golf shots on it.

“It is a problem that lots of parks are having now. There might be a gassy bank on the other side, but they prefer to play on the bowling green because it is flatter.”

Williamson said the council had offered the club a free mower and made them aware of grants they could apply for, but after careful consideration they decided it wasn’t feasible to carry on.

Now he and other members have cleared the pavilion as they reluctantly decided the club must fold.

He has thanked Clough Hall for making the team welcome for this year. Middleport have a strong connection with Clough Hall because their former captain Mick Harvey played there before joining Park in 1980 and skippering the club to major success. Mick died in 2014.

Williamson added: “It is a sad day, we are one of the best known and have been one of the most successful clubs in the area”

Middleport is one of several clubs potentially affected by council cutbacks.

The Sentinel reported in October that the council had also begun consulting with clubs at Anchor Road, Meir Hay; Beauford Street, Longton; Bucknall Park; Campbell Road, Stoke; Tunstall Park; Northwood Park; Smithpool Park, in Fenton; Burslem Park and Watson Road, in Trent Vale.

Councillor Anthony Munday, cabinet member for greener city, development and leisure, said: “We have met with all the bowling clubs in the city and offered them options and support to keep running.

“This has included a 50 per cent reduction in what they would pay to maintain the green for the first 12 months; advice on how to set up committees and access funding for example through the council’s Community Investment Fund, as well as the offer of free lawn mowers and training in how to use them. It’s disappointing that none of the options offered were acceptable to the club at Middleport Park and that they have taken the decision to wind-up.

“Bowling green maintenance is costly. It is labour intensive and requires a lot of specialised equipment and other materials. We understand the value of bowling in terms of social contact and health. However, the simple truth is that the number of people using some greens is falling far short of being able to justify the expense in the light of other more popular demands.

“We will continue to work with other groups who have expressed a desire to keep their club running and we hope to reach positive outcomes with as many as we can.”

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Banner Maxx II Set To Launch

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Banner Maxx II Set To Launch: Banner Maxx II is a new formulation of the tried and tested fungicide, which has been created in order to deliver even faster uptake into the plant and tackle disease infection inside the leaf – before it is able to damage turf plant health.

Set to be launched at BTME 2018, the high-performance formulation delivers over 130% faster uptake of the active into the leaf, compared to original Banner Maxx.

Banner Maxx II Set To Launch

The enhanced formulation has assured the renowned fast-acting product’s continued availability for golf courses and all amenity turf situations. It maintains the full range of Syngenta turf fungicides, to give protection throughout the year and enable an effective disease resistance strategy.

BTME visitors can get to see how new Banner Maxx II can be integrated into a strategic fungicide plan for their own individual situation – and pick up a Syngenta Fungicide Planner wall poster – on Syngenta stand B52.

Syngenta Turf Technical Manager, Marcela Munoz, highlighted the new Maxx formulation has been designed specifically for turf to offer exceptional plant safety. Manufactured to nanotechnology particle size, the active can quickly enter the leaf and move to new growth.

“Once safely in the leaf, the active targets disease pathogen cell membranes and stops development of early mycelial growth,” she advised. “It is well proven on a broad-range of turf diseases, including Anthracnose, Dollar Spot, and Brown Patch, as well as Microdochium Patch.”

Marcela outlined R&D trials at Colne Valley Golf Club in Essex demonstrated results with Banner Maxx II were unaffected by simulated heavy rainfall just 15 minutes after application. The trial showed the treatment prevented the development of Microdochium Patch (Fusarium) outbreak at less than 0.5%, compared to over nine per cent on untreated turf.

Daniel Lightfoot, Syngenta UK Turf Business Manager, advocated the fast uptake makes Banner Maxx II especially effective to take advantage of spraying opportunities during wet weather conditions highly conducive to disease, and means it is unaffected by irrigation scheduling.

“It’s rapidly taken up even in relatively cool conditions, making it well suited to strategic planned treatments in early spring or late autumn, as well as right through the growing season to counter specific threats,” he reported.

“The investment to reformulate Banner Maxx II to meet increasingly stringent regulatory demands is another example of Syngenta support for turf mangers, in seeking to ensure they have a full range of fungicides available to maintain turf health and quality.”

For more information, visit: www.syngenta.com

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