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EDITOR'S BLOG

POOR PERFORMANCE? BLAME THE PITCH!
England cricketers latest to use excuse
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

I always find it disappointing when a top professional sports player blames the playing surface for their own poor performance.

I read with interest then, that England cricketer Zak Crawley has himself taken aim at the quality of pitches in the County Championship, saying they make it difficult for any opening batter to average above the low 30s.

A piece in The i said, "The state of surfaces in domestic red-ball cricket have come under fire following England’s defeat in this Ashes series, with coach Chris Silverwood, director of cricket Ashley Giles and even James Anderson insisting they do not prepare batsmen for the rigours of Test cricket.

"Now Crawley has had his say after being asked why his first-class average of 31.21 is so low. “I think it’s the fact I’ve batted on poor pitches really my whole Championship career,” he said."

This hot topic has also been flashed up by the recent headline “Have county cricket pitches become a soft target for England’s overseas defeats?“ posted by online by Cricbuzz.

Again, it seems the county cricket grounds professionals are being blamed for professional players’ poor performances. CricBuzz says, "After England's defeat in India last year, domestic pitches were criticised for not turning enough. Now, following the Ashes horror show, county pitches are said to be doing too much, encouraging medium pace dobbers instead of pace-like-fire quicks and batters to take their chances rather than learn to bat time. The charge is that county pitches don't help prepare players for Test cricket. Joe Root has said it. Ashley Giles has said it. Chris Silverwood too. And the charge seems to be sticking.

"That is despite improved pitch marks. Surfaces in the Championship are rated at the end of each match by an ECB appointed match referee across four different areas: unevenness, seam movement, carry and bounce and turn. A score of six is considered 'very good', five is 'good' while an 'unfit' pitch would be scored as a one. According to the ECB's pitch criteria guidance, when assessing the surface, match referees "shall consider the balance between bat and ball" and judge the pitch on how it plays not what it looks like.

"Across 125 Championship matches in 2021, the average pitch score was 5.02 out of six. Just under 80% of pitches were rated 'good' or 'very good' by the ECB's match officials. It continues a trend of recent improvement. The average pitch score for Championship games between 2017 and 2021 was 4.99. The average score between 2007 and 2020, a period when England rose to the top of the world rankings, was 4.84. According to the ECB's match referees then, domestic surfaces are, on average, getting better."

From my own experiences over the years having interviewed numerous county grounds professionals all of them have one aim, and that is to produce the best playing surface they can with the resources and time frames they have available. In the above report I was pleased to see the valid points Gary Barwell, head groundsman at Edgbaston, stated to clear up the many issues professional grounds managers face during an extremely long-playing season.

The above pitch scores clearly indicate the continuous improvement being made to produce better, more consistent playing surfaces that deliver a fair pitch for both batsman and bowler.

As Gary mentioned in the report, there are many factors that can influence and effect the performance of the pitch. Due to all the variable factors no two pitches will ever play the same. For me it is up to the players to evaluate and make the right decisions when playing.

Also the game has changed dramatically in recent years with several new formats of limited overs cricket being introduced including Twenty20, T10 cricket, and The Hundred all aimed at making the game more exciting and attracting bigger audiences and player participation.

However, these new formats have also changed the mindset of both players and coaches. Effectively the players of today are a different breed to those who played in the past. For me playing in an Ashes test match requires a different set of match skills than playing in a T20 match.

The real reason in my opinion why England played so poorly in the recent Ashes test matches was the lack of match practice and the fact that Australian pitches are a very different playing surface to those we can produce in the UK.

The team were not up to speed with the playing and climatic conditions of the Australian Test grounds and were found wanting.

I believe it is about time the ECB and the county clubs showed more support for these grounds professionals and protect them from the blame they constantly get from players who rarely have any knowledge or interest in the work that goes into preparing pitches.

I’m sure if they spent more time speaking to and building up a relation with our grounds professionals they would have a better understanding of pitch preparations that could help them become better players over time.

Also more importantly, it might stop them blaming the pitch for their own misdemeanours with either bat or ball.

NEWS

NEW EXECUTIVE OFFICER ANNOUNCED FOR AMNENITY FORUM
John Moverley stepping down

The Amenity Forum have appointed a new executive office

In our first WEB ONLY story the Forum also says it will appoint a Chairman of both the Forum and the Board as a separate post drawn from its own membership.

TORO BUYS ZERO-TURN MAKER
Professional machines

Toro has bought the maker of a range of zero-turn mowers

In our next WEB ONLY story, the acquired company also produces a range of side-by-side utility vehicles.

ISEKI APPOINTS IN THE NORTH
New regional sales manager

Iseki have appointed a new regional sales manager

Iseki UK & Ireland have announced a new regional sales manager covering northern England, Isle of Man, Scotland and the island of Ireland.

Iseki UK & Ireland has announced the appointment of Andrew Donnachie as its new regional sales manager covering northern England, Isle of Man, Scotland and the island of Ireland.

Andrew Donnachie

Andrew has joined IsekiUK with 10 years’ experience in the groundcare sector having previously worked for machinery dealer Thomas Sherriff & Co in Scotland. He brings with himself a wealth of experience across all sectors within the groundcare industry. Having started work in engineering at Thomas Sherriff & Co for the first 6 years, Andrew has a high level of technical knowledge and experience. This was followed by the last 4 years working in commercial machinery sales covering groundcare customers from the Lothians up to Edinburgh.

Andrew’s role will be to support the dealers in his area with advice and demonstrations, ensuring the customer purchases the best product for their needs.7

Commenting on the new role Andrew said, “Having been aware of Iseki’s reputation for high quality, well-built machinery I am excited to be representing the company, I am looking forward to building good working relationships and helping the dealers with their customers.”

Managing director, David Withers added, “I am delighted to have Andrew join us, the territory that he is taking over has seen huge growth over the last few years with sales in 2021 that were 75% higher than in 2017. We believe we can continue to grow at this rate and think Andrew will help drive this growth and get to our goal of doubling sales volumes within a 5 year period.”

LANDSCAPE SHOW TO RETURN TO NEC
Promises a new look

The organisers of the trade event say it will include new features when it returns later this year.

The organisers of the Landscape Show 2022 say they intend to bring more exhibitors, more visitors and more features than ever before to Hall 3 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on the 28th and 29th September.

This year Landscape will introduce brand new features, including a Student Showcase by London College of Garden Design, and an additional program of ‘How to’ Seminars alongside their program of 40 CPD accredited sessions for anyone in the industry.

Back again is the Pecha Kucha 20x20, Meet the Designer, Best In Show Competition and Women in the Industry event, this year to run in conjunction with #Yes She Can. This year the design competition, will be supported by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust.

Visit the show's website to register for free entry,

DEPOT TAKEOVER EXPANDS DEALER'S TERRITORY
Into new county

Expansion means taking on site and trading area from previous dealership.

C&O Tractors is expanding its operating area across the south west of England with the opening of a new depot in Somerset.

The new site at South Petherton will support customers in Somerset with tractors and machinery from Massey Ferguson and Kverneland.

In making this move C&O is taking on the site and Massey Ferguson trading area from MST. The existing staff from South Petherton will be joining the C&O team.

C&O managing director Andy Coles said, "It is really exciting for C&O to move into Somerset for the first time in our 20 year history.

"2022 marks 175 years of Massey Ferguson heritage and C&O are really proud to be continuing that legacy," added Andy.

William Judge, brand manager at Massey Ferguson UK/Eire & ME said, "We are delighted that C&O Tractors Ltd has expanded and will be opening a branch at South Petherton, further strengthening its services throughout the area, offering continued, excellent customer service, aftersales and product availability."

C&O is run from headquarters in Blandford, Dorset and serves customers across the South coast from depots in Wilton in Wiltshire, Funtington in West Sussex and Newport on the Isle of Wight.

ICL APPOINTS
New technical area sales manager

ICL have appointed a new technical area sales manager

Ex-greenkeeper and grounds manager joins company as technical area sales manager for North London and surrounding counties.

Martyn Parrish has joined ICL as technical area sales manager for North London and surrounding counties.

Martyn Parrish

Martyn began his career in greenkeeping and started working at his local golf club at the age of 16. During his time as a greenkeeper, he completed his foundation degree in Sportsturf Management at Myerscough College and participated in the Ohio State Programme on a 12-month internship in which he worked on a Jack Nicklaus course construction and a grow-in in Texas - something which he pinpoints as a career highlight.

He then moved away from golf and accepted a position as a grounds manager on an ambitious landscape construction project of a 400-acre site in Henley on Thames.

Martyn worked in this role for six years before joining Maxwell Amenity, later to be acquired by Agrovista Amenity, as a technical area sales manager.

During this four-year period, he developed an impressive portfolio of clients, and believes that his experience will prove to be of great benefit in his new role at ICL.

“I will be working with a lot of the same people in many of the same areas,” said Martyn. “It also helps that I am very familiar with the ICL brand, and I know what the company stands for.

“I worked with some fantastic people at Agrovista Amenity and many of them will be friends for life, but you have to keep challenging yourself to reach another level, and the opportunity to join ICL was just too good to turn down.”

Martyn will be operating throughout North London and counties such as Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, visiting new and prospective customers from various facilities and sectors, which is the part of the job he loves most.

INFINICUTS LAND IN LATIN AMERICA
To prepare for World Cup qualifiers

The first contractors in Central South America to own a pair of mowers from Infinicut are using them to prepare stadiums hosting World Cup qualifying games.

Turf Managers Specialist (TMS) Grass have become the first sports turf contractors in Central South America to own a pair of 34” floating head mowers from Infinicut.

Owner Enio Cubillo began to see the mowers at leading venues around the world and decided that the sustainable credentials would be a perfect fit for their projects around Latin America.

TMS Grass began life seven years ago in Costa Rica and the team have since installed and maintained hybrid and natural surfaces in countries including Mexico and Guatemala. One of their most recent projects was to install a new pitch at Panama’s National Stadium, Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez. “We were responsible for all stages of the new hybrid surface at the stadium in Panama City from installation through to the ongoing maintenance” explains Enio. “We wanted to use the newest and best technologies in the market to do this and was the reason for the purchase of two Infinicut’s from FLexGrass in May 2021.”

“We are increasingly finding that venues worldwide are looking for greener solutions so having two electric mowers is a great addition to the services we can offer. Since the stadium pitch was completed in July, the pair have been used on a daily basis, with everybody very impressed with the quality of cut and the definition of stripe we achieve.”

Together with National League and LPF training and fixtures, the Estadio Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez is also hosting five qualifier games for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “It’s important that we are delivering the best surface possible and the quality of finish with the Infinicut is unbeatable."

JOBS

AGRIGEM
Sports Expert

We offer a great opportunity for genuine career development and are currently seeking confident Managers with excellent customer and management skills, who are commercially astute, numerically sound and take pride in attention to detail.

Are you looking to change your lifestyle and work in an industry that you love? Or have recent events left you looking for a role with a growing company? Are you a professional with experience in the sports sector? Would you like to have the security of working with a successful, friendly team remotely or from a brand new, purpose-built office & warehouse with great benefits?

Widely viewed as the fastest growing and most innovative independent company in our industry, we have an appetite and reputation for finding the right people and pushing them for success. Sustainable growth even through the last year has seen us recruit further staff & recently expand our office and warehouse facilities. We strive to provide an exceptional service to our customers across many exciting large and niche sectors including Sport.

This is an innovative and diverse role where you will be responsible for overseeing and developing customers, whilst offering the most up-to-date advice in order to help our existing high-profile customer base.

We offer a highly attractive salary along with a bonus scheme and a generous 23 days’ holiday per year plus public holidays. As part of our commitment to our team, you will also be entitled to Private Healthcare, Gym Membership, exceptional Pension Plan, flexible working & recreational teambuilding days. The company regularly partakes in social activities and offers company incentive schemes, highlighting our team culture in line with our “Always Great” company values.

Relevant industry qualifications would be advantageous, although continuous training will be offered in line with our continual improvement plan. Drive and self-motivation are essential. Do not worry about the products or technical aspects of the role; to succeed in this position all you will need is a lot of spirit and drive. You don’t give up easily and you are ready to make an impact and go the extra mile.

Roles & Responsibilities

Your role will include, but not limited to the following tasks;

To develop & manage a current & new customer base of commercial growers & other relevant companies.
Utilise your ability and knowledge to consult users and introduce them to the products and technology that we have available. You will help build relationships and partnerships to deliver commercial results.
To oversee and develop working predominantly from our Head Office in Lincoln or remotely.
- Assisting in the development of our product range.
- Lead generation.
- Assisting & creating of PR & marketing opportunities including open days, trials sites & tradeshows.
- Visit customers and their businesses across the UK and abroad.
To prospect new leads & look at adding additional value to existing customers that may be handed to you.
To respond to calls, emails & customers where you will advise them in a technical manner to assist with their requirements.
To be involved with any marketing campaigns.
To be involved with technical & commercial meetings with regards to products & market positioning.
To attend various trade shows & events, some of which may require an overnight stay, both in this country and abroad.
This is a full-time position working remotely or from our head office just outside of Lincoln
In addition to the highly attractive package, we are offering a competitive salary, company car or car allowance, and you will be entered into our company bonus scheme.

To find out more about joining us please send us your latest CV and covering letter to our UK Sales Manager: martin.ford@agrigem.co.uk

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