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EDITOR'S BLOG

SUMMER SPORTING SEASON STARTS
Turf professionals working hard
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

June and July are renowned as busy months in the grounds industry calendar, with colleagues around the country pulling out all the stops.

June and July are renowned as busy months in the grounds industry calendar, with many summer events planned and several major tournaments scheduled to take place. Notably the The Championships at Wimbledon that starts on 28th June and finishes on 10th July.

No doubt Neil and his team are busy preparing the courts for this year’s competition. I found a clip of Neil being interviewed in 2016 where he spoke about the management and maintenance required to maintain all the courts at Wimbledon. It’s a fascinating insight into the hard work he and his staff do throughout the year in preparation of this prestigious event.

Preceding Wimbledon there are several other tennis venues including The Hurlingham Club, Eastbourne and Edgebaston Priory that will hosting tournaments in June and July.

Marking out tennis courts at The Hurlingham Club

Likewise all the county cricket turf professionals are busy preparing their grounds for summer competitive matches. The staff at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Ageas Bowl in Southampton, Old Trafford in Manchester, and the Kia Oval and Lord’s in in London are preparing for international matches against New Zealand, India and South Africa.

Vic Domain at Durham preparing a pitch for play

Also, Karl at Lord’s announced on Twitter recently that the first T20 match was being played at the Home Of Cricket on a hybrid stitched pitch.

These new hybrid pitches are becoming popular with clubs up and down the country. SIS Pitches are the company that installed the pitch at Lord’s following a programme of trials at Loughborough University. These pitches can now be found at many of the county grounds, with several pitches and net areas installed.

Hybrid cricket pitches are in use at Surrey, Lord’s, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Glamorgan, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Durham, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and at Loughborough University.

Also, up and down the country grassroots cricket clubs are also in full swing with most clubs grounds staff and volunteers preparing and re-paring their pitches for a wrath of senior and junior cricket matches.

Dorridge & Knowle CC

As for schools, again they readying pitches for a plethora of summer sports that include cricket, athletics, softball, rounders and tennis.

On the rugby front, professional and amateur Rugby League clubs are currently in full flow with matches being played throughout the summer months - whereas, hopefully most Rugby Union clubs should have or are completing their end of season renovations. While on the subject of rugby, The RFU are running a series of Honda Rugby Grounds Connected events for the North, Midlands, South West and London & South East.

Rugby School

These events will include demos of grounds equipment, educational sessions, an expert Q&A panel and interaction with local grounds teams. I myself, in the capacity of a Volunteer Pitch Advisor (VPA), will be in attendance at the Midlands venue, Broadstreet RFC. on the 28th June. Jim Buttar, head groundsman at Twickenham, will be the keynote speaker at all four events.

Machrihannish GC

On the fine turf front, both bowls and golf clubs will be concentrating on general play and organised matches. The recent spell of wet weather has promoted some much-needed grass growth to help with recovery from play. As for major golf tournaments The 150th Open Championship will be held this year at the home of golf, St Andrews, on the 10th-17th July 2022.

Scotland is a fantastic destination to play golf there are some stunning golf courses to be played and the scenery at most of them is stunning. I was lucky enough on my recent travels to visit a few that included St Andrews, Gleneagles and Machrihannish GC.

Shrewsbury Quarry

As for parks and gardens, June signals the start of the summer bedding and floral displays at their colourful best, with displays lasting until late August. Shrewsbury’s Quarry always puts on a great display of summer bedding that brings in a lot of visitors during the summer months.

And finally, I just want to mention The Sports & Grounds Expo returns to the Three Counties Showground on the 6th and 7th of July 2022.

It's a totally outdoor event that organisers say has been designed to be inclusive of everyone who shares an interest in the sports and grounds maintenance industry. It's free to attend and visitors are able to get hands on with equipment as each exhibitor has the opportunity to have a demo area located beside their stand.

Perhaps I’ll see you there?

NEWS

GOVERNMENT RESPONDS OVER SPORT'S USE OF RED DIESEL
Following GMA approach

In our first WEB ONLY story HM Treasury has responded to the Grounds Management Association’s recent letter calling for a change to the guidance on rebated fuels entitlement.

FIRST UK COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS TAKE DELIVERY
Of new robotic technology

The first mowers of its kind have been delivered in the UK

In our next WEB ONLY story, following the UK roll-out, a golf club in Kent is the first to have the new technology for commercial grass care to be installed on its course by local dealer.

BARRY HUXLEY
Huxley Golf founder passes

Huxley Golf are sad to announce the unexpected death of Barry Huxley, who founded the Huxley Golf business with his brother Paul in 2000.

Barry Huxley

Barry had been a director of the Huxley family business Huxley (UK) Ltd for over 50 years, before its transfer to an Employee Owned Trust in 2020. The business was started in 1946 by Barry’s and Paul’s father Ted Huxley, who began selling Allen Motor Scythe grasscutters in London and the home counties when he was demobbed after war service in the RAF and Fleet Air Arm flying Spitfires and Seafires. Until 2000, The Huxley Grass Machinery business manufactured and supplied commercial grass cutting and turf maintenance machinery to golf courses and sports grounds throughout the UK and overseas as far away as Japan.

Barry Huxley joined the family business in 1970, after an apprenticeship at Ransomes in Ipswich, to learn about the manufacture, servicing and sales of mowing machinery. The firm continued to prosper, introduced the Cushman Turf Care System to this country in 1975 and began to develop and manufacture its own range of Huxley mowers, turf care implements and trucks. When the Huxley Grass Machinery business was sold in 2000, Barry and his brother Paul started the Huxley Golf business, having spotted the need for low maintenance, realistic and innovative all-weather golf surfaces.

It was clear from the start that high quality installation was key to the new business and Barry led from the front, supervising the installation of all-weather practice greens and tees for Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam as well as many other world-famous tour professionals and championship courses. As Huxley Golf’s reputation grew, the firm carried out installations in many countries and now have appointed Distributors as far away as China.

From an early age, Barry excelled at every sport he took up. At Bradfield College, he captained the school cricket team, scoring several hundreds, was chosen to captain the ESCA southern schools against the north and then played for Berkshire. He played golf at Sunningdale and New Zealand, where he had many friends and, over the years, he achieved high standards at croquet, tennis, gliding, riding, ballroom dancing and clay-pigeon shooting.

The Huxley family say they are grateful to the many friends from all over the world who have shared their memories of Barry and expressed their sympathy and sadness about Barry’s sudden death.

Huxley Golf extends heartfelt condolences to Barry’s family and his many friends.

SEARCH ON UK'S FAVOURITE PARKS
Returns for 2022

UK's favourite parks competition returns

Organisers are calling for people to get voting as the competition returns for the first time since 2019.

Charity Fields in Trust has announced that its search for the UK’s Favourite Parks is back this summer and is calling for nominations.

The campaign has returned for the first time since 2019 and intends to shine a light on the nation's green spaces.

Having acted as sanctuary to so many over the past few years, Fields in Trust say they are bringing back the campaign to find the UK’s Favourite Parks to ensure that they continue to be celebrated in a post-pandemic world.

The charity recently commissioned a study which found that almost half of us have visited local parks more often than we used to as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Coupled with research that has shown that access to nature was one of the main ways people have supported their mental health during lockdowns, Fields in Trust is determined that this year’s campaign celebrates the spaces that we relied on.

Chief executive of Fields in Trust, Helen Griffiths, said, “At a time when things were so hard for so many, these places provided respite; now, through our UK’s Favourite Parks campaign, we want to give people the chance to show their appreciation for the green spaces that were there for them.”

The search for the UK’s Favourite Parks is now open. Nominations run until Tuesday 5 July, before the chosen parks go head-to-head in a public vote.

The UK’s Favourite Parks was first awarded in 2015 and has handed out the title to three parks from across the UK: inaugural winner, Telford Town Park; Rouken Glen Park in 2016; and Blackpool’s Stanley Park in both 2017 and 2019.

MOWER RECORDS TO TUMBLE?
Land's End to John O’Groats charity ride

A grounds maintenance professional is to make a world record attempt for the fastest journey from Land's End to John O’Groats on a ride-on mower for charity.

Colin North, owner of Bourne to Garden, a grounds maintenance business based in Kent, is to attempt to beat the current world record for the fastest journey from Land's End to John O’Groats on a ride-on mower - whilst raising money for charity.

David Withers of Iseki UK and Colin North of Bourne To Garden

Colin said, “We are aiming to beat the current world record of 5 days, 8 hours and 36 minutes, completed by Andy Maxfield on the 30 July 2017.

"We will be driving an Iseki SF5 ride-on mower that has been kindly donated and supported by Iseki UK, aiming for up to 20 hours driving each day. All this, whilst most importantly for us, raising money for three charities that are close to our heart’s; Motor Neurone Disease Association, Kenward Trust who help those struggling with alcohol or drug addiction and The Masonic Charitable Foundation, with the target to raise £30,000 to be split equally between each of the charities.”

Starting off at Lands End on Monday 27th June they will be avoiding the motorways and traveling through the counties listed below in order to reach their final destination of John O’Groats, whilst hopefully beating the current world record:

World Record attempt route:

Cornwall
Devon
Somerset
Gloucestershire
Worcestershire
Shropshire
Cheshire
Merseyside
Lancashire
Cumbria
Dumfriesshire
Lanarkshire
West Lothian
Stirlingshire
Perthshire
Inverness-shire
Ross & Cromarty
Sutherland
Caithness

“We can’t wait to get started, there is a lot of preparation involved and we could not have done this without the support of Iseki UK who will be travelling with us all the way too. We look forward to seeing people out on route, don’t forget to give us a beep and a wave! Between ourselves and Iseki UK we will be doing regular updates on social media, interviews on TV and local radio coverage throughout the journey so please keep a listen out for us.”

David Withers from ISEKI UK added, “It is great that a customer of ours has chosen one of our mowers to attempt this world record! We are so excited to support them on this challenge and look forward to supporting them throughout the journey then being with them at John O’Groats at the end of the race to celebrate their achievement!”

As part of the world record attempt stipulations, independent witness signatures and photos are required along the way, so Iseki say to keep a look out on their social media for details of where they will be on route and follow the tracker.

To donate, visit Bourne To Garden's GoFundMe page.

EVENT ORGANISERS RELEASE FURTHER DETAILS
Of Summer Turfgrass Show

The Turfgrass Growers Association have given details of some of the activities taking place at this year's returning event.

The Turfgrass Growers Association's Turfgrass Summer Show returns on Thursday 28th July, with Turffit hosting in Kinross, Scotland.

Organisers have announced that the event will showcase the host's fine turfgrass where machinery, seed and crop protection companies will be showcased, promoting their latest technologies.

To compliment this year’s event, there is also a multitude of activities including some Scottish Highland games - including tossing the caber, throwing the hammer, Glengoyne Malt Challenge (haggis throwing) and Scottish piping. In addition to these traditional Scottish activities, there's also Clay Shooting, football darts or archery with guidance from an experienced instructor. There will also be a falconry experience.

The TGA have also revealed announce that in partnership with Trimax they will be hosting a celebratory meal to close the 2022 show at the Cannonball Restaurant, Edinburgh.

MARKED TRIBUTE TO HER MAJESTY
Huge display at rugby club

A linemarking company completed a huge Platinum Jubilee tribute on the pitch at Malvern RFC.

Fleet Line Markers completed a huge Platinum Jubilee tribute on the pitch at Malvern RFC recently.

The overall size of the painting was 60m x 40m, with the Queen’s Jubilee Logo in the centre measuring 33m in diameter with the lettering coming in at 2.5m, top to bottom of each letter.

The work was carried out by Iain Courage, Chris Bridges, Simon Moore and Ali Stavert with colleague Shoaib helping out one afternoon.

Iain Courage told TurfPro, "We started Monday morning at 9am and finished Wednesday morning at 11.15am.

"We were delighted when our contribution to the celebrations appeared on TV, with Bob Warman, OBE, of Central ITV News saying 'it must be the biggest one around.' I think it probably was!"

JUBILEE MOWER AUCTIONED
Highest bidder named

The special one-off Jubilee Edition mower

Proceeds from the special one-off Jubilee Edition machine are to be donated to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Living Legacy Fund.

Allett Mowers have held an auction celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

A special one-off Jubilee Edition Allett Stirling 51 battery cylinder mower commemorating the Queen’s 70 years on the throne was on offer to the highest bidder.

The proceeds are to be donated to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Living Legacy Fund, the DofE charity launched in the Duke’s memory with the aim of reaching a million young people by 2026.

The company says the online auction attracted bidders from all around the world, including entries from the USA, Canada and Switzerland. The winning bid came from Ron Henry of Georgia, USA who bid £4,400.00.

Ron describes himself as a ‘lawncare geek’ who owns and runs the Golf Course Lawn Store. He also publishes videos on lawncare, fertilisation and ‘lots and lots of mowing.’ He plans to shoot a video for his YouTube channel and then place the mower in his office studio as a display piece.

Ron said, “Given that it’s a one-off special edition Stirling and so nice to look at, it’s unlikely that I’ll mow grass with it. I’m very happy to be able to play a small part in helping young people reach their goals through the donation to the DofE charity. The Jubilee Edition Stirling 51 is a beautiful piece of history that I’m happy to be part of. Special thanks to Allett and their partners for building an amazing mower and making the auction open to an international audience.”

Allett’s managing director, Austin Jarrett added, “We’re very proud to be able to run this auction with the proceeds going to the DofE Award fund. The DofE Award is something we at Allett are very passionate about and we are pleased to have the opportunity to help young people in this way.”

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