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Boy Racers Churn Up Football Pitches

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Boy Racers Churn Up Football Pitches: Boy racers performing ‘donuts’ have churned up a team’s football pitch in Market Harborough.

Two cars have damaged a large section of the turf at the Symington’s Recreation Ground by performing stunts and driving about at speed on Sunday night.

Boy Racers Churn Up Football Pitches

Officials at Borough Alliance Football Club, who run 17 teams for up to 400 players, officials, volunteers and parents at the site, have branded the actions as ‘mindless vandalism’.

Mick Draper, club chairman and manager of the under-10 team, said he was angry at the drivers.

He said: “These boy racers have come onto the pitch on Sunday night at about 8pm after our teams played at home.

“These idiots have spent five or 10 minutes trashing our pitches doing donuts.

“They have caused damage to three pitches.

“You can’t print what I think about these idiots. It is mindless vandalism.”

Local people have rallied round to get a group of volunteers together to work on the pitches so they are playable on at the weekend.

The club have also received support from Harborough Hire Centre and Jewsons, who are providing equipment and materials to assist them.

The affected areas will be re-seeded.

Mr Draper said: “We will get all hands on deck and sort this. There is no way we will not be ready for the games on Sunday.

“Our under-15s are going for the league, our under-11s are in a quarter-final and the under-nines are in a semi-final.

“They are all playing at home and all games will go ahead as planned. We will not let these vandals win. “

Harborough District Council have said they intend to install extra bollards to prevent vehicles being able to access the playing surfaces.

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Top Up BASIS Points Before June

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Top Up BASIS Points Before June: There are just three months remaining for members of the BASIS Professional Register to collect their allocated CPD points before the points year ends.

Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, explains that to maintain their status on the Professional Register, members must collect a set number of BASIS CPD points by 31 May 2019.

Top Up BASIS Points Before June

“There is a multitude of different ways to collect points before the deadline, including everything from visiting exhibitions and trial sites, to attending conferences and technical seminars, as well as reading publications and newsletters,” he says.

The number of points each member must collect depends on their qualification and membership category. For example:

  • Certificate in Crop Protection – 40 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection with FACTS Certificate – 50 points
  • FACTS Certificate only – 20 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection (amenity horticulture) – 20 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection (amenity horticulture) with FACTS Certificate – 30 points

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Beware Of The Mix Up

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Beware Of The Mix Up: Do you know what you are mixing up in your sprayer and what it is going to do?

By Chris Humphrey MBPR FQA – Technical Manager, Collier Turf Care

I don’t know how many times I have heard someone say “I was told I could mix these things in the spray tank”

Beware Of The Mix Up

Before you mix anything in the spray tank you must first ask yourself what am I trying to achieve? Some things just do not mix chemically, some things will mix but one may well deactivate another; sometimes what mixes well may have an inappropriate water volume.

When applying a fungicide, do you put a bit of iron in the mix? It gives you colour and dries out any mycelium but most iron products will not tank mix with such active ingredients as they react badly due to the acidic ph. In addition most iron products contain sulphates which can react.

This reaction produces insoluble precipitate sediment which forms a sediment in the spray tank. This can block the sprayer, nozzles, pumps and pipework, and render the products ineffective. This can also result in uneven spray applications.

Tank mixing can be a great timesaver but only if your active ingredients are going to do what you want them to. For example, do not mix a foliar feed with a wetting agent. Although they may mix quite nicely in the spray tank, the wetting agent is designed to get into the soil and it will take the foliar feed with it. This is not ideal as you want the foliar feed on the leaf and you will get no response from it if you take it into the soil.

You may be told that by adding something to the spray tank it will improve the performance for your chemical. That is an Adjuvant. An adjuvant is officially defined as materials other than water that increase the effectiveness of an active ingredient but have no biological activity in themselves. For a product to be classed as an adjuvant it must be tested, registered and have an adjuvant number.

For all advice on tank mixing, you must ensure you consult a BASIS qualified advisor. You don’t want to end up with a tank full of jelly where chemicals react or render your expensive fungicide useless by adding an inappropriate product.

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Stock Up On Pest Control For Warmer Winter Months

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Stock Up On Pest Control For Warmer Winter Months: It is becoming clear that the planet is becoming warmer and warmer each year, and particularly in 2018 gardens have experienced the full force of Mother Nature. From the Beast from the East in March bringing endless amounts of snow to the scorching hot summer in July, the growth of grass, plants and trees may have taken a hit. But as we coast into winter, we have been experiencing increasingly mild temperatures for this time of year – with a number of pests staying put in the garden instead of hibernating away as they would usually.

Because of this warmer winter weather, it is creating the perfect breeding ground for slugs to still attack and wreak havoc in your garden, even in the winter. This is why it is important to stock up and take control with pest solutions now in preparation for the uncertain weather temperatures ahead.

Stock Up On Pest Control For Warmer Winter Months

The slug killer, Nemaslug by BASF, offers a biological solution to pest control and can protect your vegetables, fruit, flowers, shrubs and trees from a variety of pests – even in December. To use, all you do is mix the product with water and apply from a watering can with a coarse rose over the soil area. The temperature of the soil you are treating should be nothing lower than 5 degrees Celsius, which for December this would usually pose an issue, but for the climatic weather, it is not been a problem this year. Also, there is no need to keep children or pets away from treated areas and the whole programme is entirely biological.

Individual slugs are capable of breeding throughout the year but do so typically in times of favourable conditions, warm and wet weather, and it would seem even in December and January. If you were to leave the slugs be until the spring season, which is when pest control typically begins, you would find foliar damage which would be severe enough to cause significant plant loss on a vast number of susceptible crops very early in the season.

Nemaslug orders can be placed online, with an entire season’s worth being sent out as and when needed. This means that you can tackle the slugs in the garden now but also be prepared for the spring and summer months ahead – allowing you to concentrate on planting and growing in your garden, safe in the knowledge that your pest control is taken care of.

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Greenkeeper Sets Up Mental Health Support Page

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Greenkeeper Sets Up Mental Health Support Page: The head greenkeeper of Hazel Grove Golf Club in Cheshire has set up a successful Facebook page that offers mental health support to greenkeepers in the industry.

Mike Davie created the page after observing “the increase of expectations of the golfer with increased personal abuse aimed at, and stress among, the greenkeeping community”.

Greenkeeper Sets Up Mental Health Support Page

He added that he’s known greenkeepers who have left the industry due to this, and therefore set up the page ‘Greenkeepers mental health support group’ earlier this year.

It already has more than 250 members.

“Mental health issues are more apparent nowadays as more seek medical help,” he said.

“Yet little support is offered from many golf clubs and duty of care is apparently not seen as a necessity.

“One of the problems is that clubs are run by well-meaning volunteers, which means when they need to discipline members for acts against the club’s staff, they don’t want a confrontation with their ‘friends‘ and would rather brush the matter under the table and resolve the issue by providing a polite pat on the head of the greenkeeper. This all creates a feeling of isolation within the industry.

“Any sign of acknowledging a problem by oneself is deemed as thought of being weak, so we tend to bottle it up, causing greater problems.

“In late 2017 I attended a stress awareness seminar by BIGGA at Sale Golf Club and realised that, by the number who had attended, and the fact that many are highly respected within the industry, we had a problem with mental welfare.

“I started a local support group in south Manchester for greenkeepers who wished to attend and talk out their problems. The realisation that we are not alone made a huge difference. The feedback I got was positive so the Facebook page was started in late July.

“This group does not always need people to comment but, as I have been told, the fact there is a page that can be accessed gives strength to someone feeling down.

“A big problem with our industry is that it is a high percentage negative industry. For example, you lie in bed listening to the rain, wondering how the course is affected. Will there be breakdowns, will all the staff turn up? The first thought of seeing a committee member is ‘what’s their complaint?’ and so on.

“These sites help to promote the fact we are not alone and in fact are a strong community we just need to tap in to, build bridges and connect more.

“In the long term I hope that the governing bodies will take on the challenge of promoting, supporting and giving help to the welfare of greenkeepers.”

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Quad Bikes Tear Up Football Pitch

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Quad Bikes Tear Up Football Pitch: Pitches at Solway Banks in Brynteg were damaged again by tyre tracks at the weekend, leading to Brymbo Lodge FC coach Kieran Howard to hit out at the vandals for ruining children’s football.

He says they are also putting lives including their own in danger with reckless behaviour. He added that the Brymbo and Brynteg area is suffering anti-social behaviour being caused by youths, some of whom he believes may even have played for his club in the past, and has urged them to think about the consequences of their actions.

Quad Bikes Tear Up Football Pitch

Coaches, youngsters and their parents were left dismayed when they turned up to pitch two at Solway Banks this weekend and found it had been cut up again by a vehicle.

“It looks like they have come through the back way, where there are no defences against cars, bikes or quads”, Mr Howard said.

“Talking to a few of the lads it looks like quad bike tyre marks and we’ve had problems with four-by-four vehicles in the past.

“We have more than 200 players at the club, it is affecting them all from the under-six’s upwards and stuff like this is going to hamper their opportunities.

“The club is a community hub and this is the kids’ green space. We all meet up – parents, kids and volunteers and to come here and see this, it’s sad.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take to repair and I don’t know what is going to be done about it.”

Mr Howard added that there had been problems with anti-social behaviour in the area of late, and felt he had to speak up – with concerns about the dangers of vehicles being used in an area where children play.

He said: “A lot of anti-social behaviour is going on over that way. This follows on from the problems we had on Bonfire Night.

“I’ve already asked for a zebra crossing to be put in because you have to cross the road to get from pitch to pitch.

“As a local I’m sad to see what is happening to the reputation of this area. A small minority is giving it a really bad name at the moment.

“People come here to play from all around, Brymbo, New Broughton, Pentre Broughton and other villages.

“Some of the people involved in this behaviour could have family who play for the club and possibly even played for us themselves when they were younger, so I don’t know why they’re doing it.

“Perhaps they think its funny but they aren’t thinking of the consequences. Someone’s going to get hurt and a child could lose their life up there through reckless behaviour.

“I just want them to think about the consequences of their actions.”

Councillor David A Bithell lead member environment and transport said: “Vandalism of football facilities and fields causes disruption to those who play and use these facilities.

“I hope those responsible are caught and made to make good any damage.”

Gwenfro County Councillor Nigel Williams added that he was working on solutions to try and prevent vehicles getting on to the pitches.

He said: “I have already asked Streetscene to put some obstruction at the entrance to stop vehicles gaining access.”

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Agronomics To ‘Perk Up’ SALTEX Visitors

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Agronomics To ‘Perk Up’ SALTEX Visitors: Customers visiting Agronomics on Stand F100 can enjoy a “Perk Up” energy drink to give them a boost whilst visiting the show. “Perk Up” energy drink will revive visitors to Saltex and is based on the clever Floratine foliar product “Perk Up” which is designed to perk up your sports turf. When your turf grass plant has to run a marathon “Perk Up” creates the solution reducing plant stress and disease.

David Snowden, Managing Director has once more being invited to present a seminar on “Grass & Rootzone Management on Hybrid Pitches” on Wednesday 31 October at 10.40am.  Scott MacCallum of Turf Matters will be conducting the interview in which David will share his knowledge and experience and there will be the opportunity for a Q & A opening the floor to all.

Agronomics To 'Perk Up' SALTEX Visitors

Agronomic’s will also be bringing to Saltex a cost effective new product, Green Screen.  Green Screen is a pigment dye that protects the plant from harmful UV rays just like a sun screen.  Green Screen gives colour to the sports turf which increases photosynthesis and reduces disease pressure.

Green Screen can be tank mixed with all foliar products.

Call on to Stand F100 to learn more and discuss your individual Turf Action Plan (TAP)

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Swindon Pitch Up For Award

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Swindon Pitch Up For Award: Groundstaff at Swindon Town are among those being recognised by this year’s by the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards.

Town’s head groundsman Marcus Cassidy is contesting the SISGrass Professional Football Grounds Team of the Year Award with now-Championship side Rotherham United after his County Ground playing surface surpassed the the average rating for a League Two surface for the 12th year in succession.

Swindon Pitch Up For Award

Cassidy’s surface was nominated for League Two pitch of the year, with an average score of 4.29, compared to the league average of 3.890, despite heavy usage last season when hosting Town training sessions as well as matches.

The award is open to grounds teams in the English Leagues One and Two, National League, National League North/South, Scottish Championship and Leagues One and Two, Ireland and Wales professional leagues.

Bath Rugby’s Recreation Ground is also nominated for an accolade – the National Governing Bodies’ Professional Multi-Sports Ground/Facility Team of the Year Award – with Calne’s Beversbrook Sports Facility a finalist for the SCH Supplies Best Managed Artificial Surface of the Year Award.

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Foley ‘Up The Game’ In Russia

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Foley ‘Up The Game’ In Russia: Twenty Neary grinders are upping the game at training centres and stadiums across Russia for the 2018 World Cup.

In March 2018, well before the latest festival of football kicked off at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Foley United’s / Neary European sales representative, Arjen Spek, delivered a grinding workshop at a Turf Professional event in Moscow, organised by the Russian Neary distributor Unisaw, with 130 attendees getting hands on experience with the Neary machines while learning the benefits of grinding to OEM specifications.

Foley 'Up The Game' In Russia

Arjen Spek was delighted with the interest shown and the subsequent installation of twenty Neary Grinders across the World Cup venues in Russia,says “Neary distributor for Russia; Unisaw, organised this event very well in March and all the groundsmen from the stadiums and training grounds attended, with the main goal to educate / train and the Neary seminar “quality of cut and after cut appearance” was a high topic during this event.

“The already highly qualified groundsmen went home with the correct knowledge of how to maintain a cutting unit according OEM specification.”

32 teams will compete in 64 games at the World Cup with hundreds of training sessions taking place in-between. The heavy usage of the pitches at the stadia and training centres over the four-week tournament makes a first-class cut imperative and the quick high-quality grind offered by the Foley United brand of machines stands to be the reason a majority of venues opted for Neary.

Tests carried out by leading manufacturers have established that relief ground cylinders stay on cut up to three times longer than spun ground ones and require less horsepower to drive the unit, resulting in greater fuel efficiency and less stress on the hydraulic power systems. In addition, a relief ground cylinder will with stand the abrasive effects of topdressing far better than one spun ground because the relief edge on both the bed-knife and the cylinder allows the topdressing to clear the cutting blades easily, helping to prevent the dulling effect seen on spun only units.

Foley 'Up The Game' In Russia

Continual relief grinding also decreases the squeezing and tearing of the grass as the units get dull and, most importantly, it allows the cylinder to be returned to a factory specification perfect cylinder as quickly as possible.

The overall cleaner cut achieved by relief grinding gives a better after-cut appearance, increased recovery rate due to the clean cut of the grass and reduces the stress on components because less horsepower is needed to drive the cylinder.

Foley United and Arjen Spek are proud to play a part in the preparation of pitches for the world’s biggest tournament.

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Vandals Tear Up Football Pitch

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Vandals Tear Up Football Pitch: The Gibbons soccer field recently suffered from vandalism.

Sometime between Sunday (Jun.11) and Monday, the soccer pitch was driven on while wet, causing significant damage to the grass.
Vandals Tear Up Football Pitch
“I feel for the kids who use that field because the local groups they’re really all we have for our entertainment,” said Gibbons councillor Amber Harris. “And then I felt bad for the tireless volunteers who work with the minor soccer folks because they put their heart and soul into developing those fields and making sure they’re playable.”
This isn’t the first time this has happened in the town.  A similar incident happened at the same time last year.
“It ticks me off that some people don’t have any respect for property,” added Harris.

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