When Head Groundsperson Chris Parry was appointed in 2011 he began a process of upgrading the schools' kit with a range of new and used machinery to improve efficiencies. After end of season renovations, groundstaff struggled to cut the cricket pitches' outfields with cylinder fairway mowers, and had to use a 4ft wide tractor-mounted rotary deck.

"Even with new blades fitted, it didn't produce the standard of presentation I was looking for and mowing the pitches was a lengthy process," Chris explained. "I'd used a Trimax ProCut at my last workplace and had been impressed with the quality of cut from a rollered rotary mower, so I contacted my local dealer, Henton & Chattell, for advice."

"From the point of first enquiry, the customer service I received was first class. I was contacted the same day by Paul Stewart, Area Sales Manager for Trimax. With the dealer, we discussed the benefits of both the ProCut and the Striker, and it was clear that the Striker best met our needs. Its cutting width and light weight was ideal for use with our 43hp compact tractors. It's also easy to maintain and parts are readily available and crucially, the machine also came in under my budget of £5,000."

"Three days after my initial enquiry, Henton & Chattell staff had been to the school with a demo machine, plus a brand new one, so once I'd seen it in action, delivery was instant. They fitted the machine to our tractor with the correct PTO length and we were able to start cutting straight away."

Chris and his team all agree that the Striker is a great addition to their fleet.


The Striker in action on the cricket outfield on a mid-winter's day