After intensive in-house operations to relieve severe compaction failed to deliver the desired results, the decision was made to undertake a full renovation on one of the pitches at Hove Prep School in Sussex.
The pitch during and after renovation
The school is one of three sites belonging to Lancing College, with its own sports facilities supporting a packed programme of year-round play and coaching.
Grounds and gardens manager Adam Bedson said, “It became evident that years of overuse had contributed to severe compaction problems that became almost impossible to recover/ Kit we hired failed to rectify the problem so we reached out to Ashley and Myles Strange at AMS Contracting Ltd who immediately put us at ease.
“Having not conducted a project of this scale for a good number of years the Bursar naturally had a lot of questions, which the AMS team answered in-depth and in a timely manner. The level of care and knowledge shown definitely helped to secure the funding we needed to get the project underway in the summer of 2023.”
The full pitch renovation included surface removal, soil profile upgrade, laser-levelling, seeding and nutritional programme, conducted by a team of four operatives under the guidance of Ashley and Myles.
“We felt in safe hands every step of the way," said Adam. "What really stood out for me was the hours the team were prepared to work - on site from sunrise and non-stop until the early evening. They understood our need to get the work, which also included renovating our cricket square, complete in the window available in order to get the surfaces back into play as quickly as possible.”
The results, Adam says, speak for themselves. “Within seven days we went from a sandy field to seeing the green hue of germination. Since then, we’ve nurtured the pitch to full strength and coverage and the pupils are now enjoying playing on it.”
He continued, “This wet start to winter has also highlighted how incredibly well the pitch drains now. Within an hour of the rain stopping, the pitch is playable which was previously unheard of.
“The sports staff are over the moon and everybody is really invested in protecting the asset we now have."
