EDITOR'S BLOG
LOOKING AHEAD INTO 2021
Planning for the new year
by TurfPro Editor, Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR
 
Laurence Gale MSC, MBPR

A busy and challenging few months are in store for turf professionals - with the prospect of the return of trade shows and a packed sporting calendar to come.


Happy new year to you all!


I’m not sure if everyone enjoyed the delights of the flurry of snow we had late on in December, but I am sure it affected some groundsmen up and down the country - especially those trying to get matches played.

 

 

With the vaccine now being rolled out, let’s hope we can begin see some decline of this terrible pandemic and have some sort of normality return sometime soon. However, soon could be well into mid-summer based on the current high Covid cases.


It is certainly going to test our patience and resolve at the beginning of 2021 and likely result in another lockdown for the whole country.


As for sport, spare a thought for the professional groundsmen who will be getting on with the difficult job of preparing pitches for matches during the months of January and February. 

 

Greenkeepers will also be busy trying to keep their courses open and playable during this spell of wet weather. Reducing traffic damage is always a priority at this time of the year. Many clubs ban the use of trolleys and golf carts, unless they have a decent pathway or road system running through their course. Planned winter works will be a priority, with ditch cleaning, bunker refurbishment and tree work some of the jobs that get done at this time of the year.

 


I was hoping to start getting out and about during this new year, however these new restrictions have curtailed the opportunity for the time being. There are so many people I want to visit and feature in TurfPro. However, I do have some machinery demos planned during the months of January and February.


Looking ahead


We should have all made some new year’s resolutions. January is a good time to plan and prepare your annual work requirements. Quite often new budgets are set in January, so it is clearly a good time to start putting things in place.

 


As far as industry shows go, BIGGA have announced the dates of its temporary replacement show. The Festival of Turf is planned as a two-day event that will take place in the predominantly outdoor setting of the Warwickshire Event Centre on 8 & 9 June 2021. Read more here.


The GMA’s SALTEX show meanwhile has already been moved from it’s planned spring dates back to its regular November slot. 

 

 

It will be interesting to see if either of these shows do in fact go ahead, with so many unanswered questions surrounding the pandemic. Will we still be in a tier system, or lockdown for example? It is going to take a few months for the vaccine to take effect and there are no definite guarantees that these shows will be able to go ahead as planned.


Whist on the subject of sport governing organisations, most will likely have taken an economic hit in 2020. It will be interesting to see how they come out of this pandemic, what impact it will have on their funding streams for sport and how it will have an effect on grass roots sports?


I read with interest on the Turfcare blog website there has been a lot of talk about funding for sport and in particular some comments made about the GMA membership and services it provides.  It has unquestionably been difficult times for both of our notable membership organisations, BIGGA and the GMA.


I do find it difficult to comprehend though, that in total both organisations have less than 10,000 paid members when in reality we probably have in excess of 50,000 plus working grounds professionals, amateurs and volunteers in this country.


The question we need to be asking is why are more people are not signing up to both of these organisations? It would be interesting to hear our readers thoughts. You can email me at Laurence@turfpro.co.uk 


A full sporting calendar


As for 2021, it is definitely going to be busy year come what may, especially with so many sporting events cancelled last year and many being rescheduled for this year.


Major sporting events taking place in 2021 include football’s European Championship, the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and golf’s Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup. Also, the Rugby League World Cup is being held in England, the British & Irish Lions rugby union team tour South Africa and for women’s rugby union there’s a World Cup in New Zealand.


Other sporting highlights to look forward to in 2021 include the four tennis grand slams, men and women’s golf majors and the Six Nations international rugby union championship.

NEWS
BIGGA ANNOUNCE NEW OUTDOOR TURF FESTIVAL
Scheduled for June
 
Festival Of Turf

The event, called the Festival of Turf, is designed to bring together the greenkeeping and turf management industry for a two day gathering.

 


TURFPRO'S MOST READ STORIES IN 2020
What interested you the most?
 
What were the Top Ten most read stories in TurfPro in 2019?

Today we reveal which stories were the 10 most read by our turf professional subscribers in 2020.

 


JACOBSEN PRODUCTION BEGINS IN UK
With the first ever HR800 wide-area rotary mower
 
Jacobsen factory team with Matt Pipe

The completion of the first-ever fully built Jacobsen HR800 mower is a seminal moment for the brand.

 


Production of the first-ever HR800 has been completed at the Ransomes Jacobsen Centre of Excellence in Ipswich, England.

 

The completion of the first-ever fully built Jacobsen HR800 mower is a seminal moment for the brand. Production has been moved to the factory in Ipswich, UK so investments in skills and developments in mower production could be focused on a single facility.

 

Jacobsen factory team with Matt Pipe

 

Jacobsen key account manager Andre Andrade, who hails from Augusta, GA has observed the progress of the mower throughout the build.

 

“It has been great to start production of the HR800, and to see the first fully assembled machine is exciting,” Andre begins. “Bringing all Jacobsen production to England is an important step for us, and everyone at the factory has been eager to get it underway. The situation with Coronavirus has caused challenges all over the world, but for us, it has solidified our relationship with our colleagues in America who have assisted our production team leader, Matt Pipe, during construction.

 

“Matt has worked almost singlehandedly, producing this mower, and as a result, we now have someone who is an expert. When it comes to customer support, that will be a huge asset because in Matt we have someone who can offer in-depth advice because he has an insight into that machine that no one else has. Over time that knowledge will be shared with the engineers in the factory and the sales team, so we will all have a strong understanding of the product as we do with the others we produce here.”

 

Completing this project has taken over two months, from picking parts from pallets to the finished mower. It has been Matt’s biggest challenge in his eight years at Ransomes Jacobsen and one he has taken great pride in.

 

He explains: “I’ve been here for eight years, and I was around for the BETA build of the MP, so to be able to do this is quite something for me. I’m really proud of what we produce here at the factory, and I’m proud to be able to say that I was the first to build the HR800 in the UK.

 

“It has been a unique opportunity to learn everything about this mower because we started with technical drawings and parts on pallets through to the finished product. Doing that means I’ve been able to use what I already know and work with the production engineers on certain areas, and Antans Lukisis on the hydraulic system so I’ve constantly been learning throughout the process. I think that’s what has made it so enjoyable.”

P&K STRIVES FOR EXCELLENCE
Upgrades ageing fleet
 
Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club

Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club in Bridgend  agreed a John Deere Financial five-year finance lease deal.

 


Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club in Bridgend, commonly known as P&K, is one of Wales's few true championship links courses.

 

Looking down the 14th hole to the Bristol Channel, (standing front left & right) Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club head greenkeeper Paul Johnson and John Deere dealer Sean Brown of Powercut, with (left to right) committee member Geoff Vincent, chairman of course committee Ian Booth, committee member Wynne Evans, club captain Colin Wood and club secretary/manager Simon Hopkin, with John Deere territory manager Nick Ashman at the rear and members of the greenkeeping team including (left to right) Nathan Jones, Stephen Lambert, Simon Lacey and first assistant Lloyd Preece

 

It is also one of the few golf clubs in Wales to have been awarded GEO certification, in May 2020. This environmental management award recognised the club’s efforts to achieve a credible standard for sustainable golf course operation, and its important contributions in protecting nature, conserving resources and strengthening local communities.

 

“Achieving this certification is just part of an on-going commitment to continue striving for excellence in sustainable golf,” says club secretary/manager Simon Hopkin. “This has also seen us invest this year in more modern and environmentally friendly course maintenance equipment, with the help of Sean Brown from John Deere dealer Powercut and the company’s territory manager Nick Ashman.

 

“The club celebrates its centenary in 2022, when we will be hosting the R&A Men's Home Internationals tournament, so we’re keen to achieve the best course we possibly can, not just for that event but for the year-round benefit of our members and visitors.”

 

After initial discussions were held with P&K on how best to upgrade the club’s ageing mower fleet, Powercut and Nick Ashman arranged to have a brand new 2750 E-Cut hybrid electric triplex mower transported to Wales for its first ever public demonstration. This was also the first pre-production machine to arrive in the UK after its launch at BTME in January 2019, and was shipped direct from John Deere’s stand display at The Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, which required a special police escort off the site.

 

Following this P&K agreed a John Deere Financial five-year finance lease deal, with a three-month payment holiday due to Covid-19, and put in the first UK order for three 2750E mowers, two equipped with cutting units for the tees and collars and one for the greens. The order also included a 6500A lightweight fairway mower, with an HPX 815E Gator utility vehicle and a 5075E utility tractor on turf tyres plus H-Series front loader bought earlier in the year.

 

“Together with our head greenkeeper Paul Johnson, we conducted a machinery audit to help us identify the best machines to help us improve the greens, tees and surrounds in particular,” says Simon Hopkin. “As part of the overall course improvements, we had been filling in bunkers to create more roll-off areas, and we had already identified the need for mowers that could cope with the slopes, which hadn’t been possible up to that point.

 

“We also had a course audit from an independent STRI agronomist, who quizzed us about the machinery and cutting regimes and made some recommendations that contributed to the debate. Having to reduce our original wish list from six mowers to four, to make the package financially viable, then focused our attention on finding the most versatile equipment for our needs.”

 

Paul Johnson had heard early reports about the 2750E mower, and Nick Ashman confirmed its versatility for use on both fairways and greens.

 

“I came away from our initial meetings with a really positive feeling, even before we had the demos,” says Paul. “I just thought if this machine can do the job that we need it to, this could be a very good solution and will give us exactly what we need.

 

“It was certainly exciting to be the first club to see the mower working. I already knew about the quality of the cutting units, so it was great to then see proof of the mower’s contour hugging ability and the accuracy of cutting around the swales, collars and surrounds. I liked the look of the mower too, with the yellow grass boxes. We all felt straight away that this was a game changer.”

 

Simon Hopkin concludes: “As soon as we started using the new mowers, everyone at the club commented on the improvement in the quality of presentation around the course, which continues to look superb. Since changing over to our new John Deere fleet, we are also very happy with the service and support given to us by Powercut.”

VERSATILE NEW DEALER FOR BOBCAT
Covering London and South East England
 
Bobcat has appointed Versatile Equipment Ltd

Doosan Bobcat EMEA has appointed Versatile Equipment Ltd, replacing Bobcat of London, for an area that accounts for around 20% of the total value of machinery sales in the UK.

 

 


Doosan Bobcat EMEA has appointed Versatile Equipment Ltd as their new dealer for the counties of Greater London, Essex, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent and Surrey in the UK.

 

 

Versatile Equipment replaces Bobcat of London as the exclusive Bobcat dealer in this region, which according to Bobcat accounts for around 20% of the total value of machinery sales in construction and related markets in the UK.  

 

From 1st January 2021, Versatile Equipment supercedes Bobcat of London with sole responsibility in this area for sales and service of the range of Bobcat skid-steer and compact track loaders, mini-excavators, telehandlers, compact wheel loaders, light compaction and attachments.

 

Ewen Gilchrist, network development manager UK & Nordics at Doosan Bobcat EMEA, said, “We are excited by the expertise, experience and enthusiasm that Versatile Equipment will bring to the role of the new Authorised Bobcat Dealer for Greater London and the South East. Versatile Equipment is well established and offers a knowledge of the compact equipment and telehandler market that is second to none and is matched by a strong familiarity with the expanding Bobcat product range and an outstanding parts and service back-up for new and existing customers in the area.”

   

Lee Chater, sales and marketing director at Versatile Equipment, said, “To meet customer demand, we have complemented our successful track record in the compact market, with strong investment in our facilities both at our headquarters in Borough Green near Sevenoaks in Kent, and at our partner business, Hydraulics Plant Services, in East Grinstead, close to Gatwick Airport. 

 

“We are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Bobcat, helping to significantly increase the company’s share of the construction, rental, landscaping, agriculture, industrial, recycling, waste management and other markets in London and the South East.”

 

As well as sales of the entire Bobcat range of machines and attachments, Versatile will be offering a full selection of genuine accessories and parts. This will be backed up by a stock of both brand new and second hand Bobcat machines for sale. Customers will also benefit from on-site service.

JOBS
ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS HERE
Amazing success rates!
 
Advertise your jobs on TurfPro Weekly Briefing

Advertise your recruitment needs on TurfPro Weekly Briefing and reach our targeted audience of recipients every week.

Contact Nikki Harrison for details - 01491 837117


PREVIOUS FEATURES
EDITOR'S BLOG ARCHIVE
Catch up with Laurence Gale's recent blogs
 
TurfPro editor, Laurence Gale

Want to catch up with one of editor Laurence Gale's blogs? Here is the place to do so.

 


TURFPRO FEATURE ARCHIVE
Find our previous features here
 
TurfPro Feature Archive

If you want to catch up with any of TurfPro's previous features, here is the place to do so.


PROFESSIONALS AT THE CUTTING EDGE
Vic Demain and Phil Sharples

 

BOWLS CLUBS IN PERIL
A sad decline

 

A VERY SPECIAL INDUSTRY
Loz looks back

 

SNEAK PEAK AT A ROBOTIC "GAME CHANGER"
Commercial model capable of covering 50,000 m2 teased

 

HALESOWEN PICK A BIG ROBOT UP FRONT
Invest in mowers

 

COMPRESSED AERATION
The new way

 

PARKS MATTER MORE THAN EVER
Recent sector developments

 

ON TEST
STIHL blowers

 

THREE CORE VALUES TO SHAPE OUR INDUSTRY
Real concerns for the future

 

ENGLAND'S GREEN SPACE GAP
A split along racial lines

 

ON TEST
EGO STX3800 strimmer with RTX2300 Rotocut head

 

A SECTOR FACING IMPORTANT TIMES
Review of the National Action Plan

 

PARKS MATTER
The role of public parks in the recovery: a discussion paper

 

A UNIQUE SPORTING VENUE
Wormsley private estate

 

A BTME OUTDOORS?
A good bet for the industry

 

PARKS NEED APPROPRIATE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
Q&A with Philippa Reece, Parks and Foreshore Manager at Adur and Worthing Council

 

CRICKET LOAM
What does it mean?

 

A HERCULEAN EFFORT TO GET PARKS BACK TO NORMAL
Q&A with Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council’s parks and ground manager

 

ON TEST
STIHL battery products

 

TURFGRASS STRESS MANAGEMENT
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and antioxidants during biotic and abiotic stress in turfgrass plants

 

AUTUMN DISEASE MANAGEMENT
The coming months are going to prove very difficult

 

THE ABUSE OF PARKS . .
Is the abuse of society

 

WHY PARKS MATTER?
A statement from the Parks Management Forum to the Prime Minister

 

THE 21st CENTURY PARKS MANAGER
Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial

 

EAT, SLEEP, CUT, REPEAT!
Cricket under covid

 

TIME FOR A SINGLE SHOW?
Debate brought back into focus

 

A CHALLENGING TWO MONTHS
Running golf design projects from home

 

PRESSURE SITUATION
Cementing the reputation

 

A CLUB TO BE PROUD OF
10 years at the helm of Olton GC

 

GAME CHANGERS IN TURFCARE
The day the Lord's outfield reconstruction proved its worth

 

THE ESSENCE OF ESSENTIAL
Finding a sensible way forward on defining "essential maintenance"

 

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS
2001

 

HOW TO LOOK AFTER A GOLF COURSE WITH NO GOLFERS
Fundamental to the survival of almost all courses, if not of the game itself

 

RAIN STOPPED PLAY WOULD BE WELCOME
. . along with ‘lunch is being taken early’

 

PHYSICAL CONTROL OF TURFGRASS PESTS
An urgent problem

 

A DIVERSE & ENTERTAINING WEEK
Successful BTME 2020

 

INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL
Opportunity to embrace new methods

 

ENVILLE ON THE UP
Major investments taking place

 

GREEN FLAG AWARDS 2019
A great success

 

U.S PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT SHOW EXCELS
Buoyant GIE+EXPO

 

LEGACY OF THE SOLHEIM CUP
At Gleneagles

 

A DAY OUT WITH THE LADIES
Behind the scenes at the Solheim Cup

 

COVENTRY UNIVERSITY'S EDIBLE GARDEN SUCCESS
2006 - present

 

HAIL THE GRASS MASTERS!
Boorish media comments about pitch quality are wide of the mark

 

CONTRACTOR SEES MULTI-DISCIPLINE SUCCESS
360 Ground Care serving professional facilities

 

BUSY TIMES
Judging the Green Flag Awards

 

TAKING AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
What does it all mean in managing turf surfaces?

 

UNDER PRESSURE
Dry weather conditions continue to keep turf managers focused on moisture management

 

EDDIE SEAWARD
Death of Wimbledon’s influential grounds manager

 

MAJOR NEW IRRIGATION PROJECT
At Top 100 classic Berkhamsted Golf Club

 

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE HATTERS
Investment paying off at Kenilworth Road

 

ELIZABETHAN RESTORATION
At Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens

 

WHAT IS BIOPHILIA?
The vital impact of parks and green spaces on health and well-being

 

WORM CONTROL
Without carbendazim

 

THE TRUE COST OF PETROL
Battery-powered outdoor power tools are now turning the heads of professionals

 

SANDS OF TIME
Sand-based pitches are now the norm in professional sports

 

WHY DO WE DO THE RIGHT THING?
We must maintain industry standards

 

CHASING GRASS PERFECTION?
11 things you need to know . . .

 

MAINTAINING STANDARDS
Q&A with BASIS ceo, Stephen Jacobs

 

STRI RESEARCH DAY 2018
Hosted at research trial grounds in Bingley

 

THE MECHANIC
Leicester City FC invest in new role

 

LORD'S 'GRASS-GUVNOR' TO RETIRE
Mick Hunt bows out after 49 years

 

HOLLOW CORING & DEEP SCARIFICATION
Is it really necessary?

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PARTNERS
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Campey Turf Care Systems
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VIEWPOINT
TOP FIVE FRUSTRATIONS FOR CRICKET GROUNDSMEN
What causes you the most frustration in your role?
by Laurence Gale, TurfPro editor
 
What causes cricket groundsmen the most frustrations?

With the help of Brian Sandalls who runs the Turfcare Blog website, Vic Demain of Durham CCC and Chris Johnson grassroot groundsman at Knebworth Park CC we analysed the top frustrations for grassroots cricket groundmen.

 


During the Christmas break I came across a very interesting blog posted by Vic Demain, Durham CCC head groundsman, on the Turfcare Blog’s cricket groundsman group  Facebook page. His question was “What causes you the most frustration in your role as a groundsman”? 

 

Durham CCC

 

With over 150 replies it was interesting to see what the top five were. To help collate the top five answers and make additional comments on the subject I enlisted the help of Brian Sandalls who runs the Turfcare Blog, Chris Johnson grassroot groundsman at Knebworth Park CC and of course Vic Demain

The original idea of the blog was to identify the most common challenges and open up the debate on ways forward - not only from those writing but also from those who reading. The blog is mostly aimed at the grassroots groundsman rather than the profession groundsman, but many of these challenges are transferable to both. 

 

Brian Sandalls 

 

The five top concerns for groundsman as highlighted by Brian were:

 

Turf Pests

 

The grassroots groundsman often faces the same turf pests as a professional groundsman would. These include Crane flies (daddy long legs larvae) chafer grubs, rabbits digging and chewing down grass cover. 

 

 

Then there are worms that cast and create levels issues. They also dilute down topdressing along with creating ideal areas for weeds, moss and weed grasses to form. All this and no chemical way of controlling them and limiting what a groundsman can do to manage culturally on a clay-based soil.

 

Pest issues are a major challenge going forward with warmer winters and making it especially challenging for those with limited resources to hand.

 

Clubs’ perspective - Most clubs’ committees don’t understand the issues with pests and how they can lower the standard of the playing surface. As groundsmen we need to communicate and seek support in managing each pest and also at times learn to live with the issues, if resources are out of reach on very large, affected areas. 

 

Lack of Financial Support

 

Even professional groundsmen are often working on small budgets or have had budgets slashed. Just bear a thought for the grassroots cricket groundsman who often must patch up machinery that are at times skip-worthy. Cricket clubs don’t have the same stream of funding as winter sports clubs through the Football Foundation and this is a major challenge.

 


 
Clubs’ perspective - Communications is probably key here and also being realistic in managing not only OUR own expectations, but those of the players and committees.

 

Pitch damage by players

 

This one goes right to the heart of most groundsmen, who often are not paid or if they are, very poorly and this one hits a nerve. Batsmen marking middle stump between each ball for no real logical reason other than habit or wicketkeepers scraping the position of the stumps, again unnecessary. Add to that fielders etch their position on the square (pitches) and outfields. All this is a real irritant.

 

A grassroots groundsman doesn’t necessarily have the time or resources to fully restore these levels and saddled ends can form, and rain can struggle to find its way off the square as saddles can create a pond or dip in the square.

 

Clubs’ perspective - communication again is key here. When l have approached players on their scraping, they have often said, we don’t even think about it. I don’t think any player would do this willingly, it’s a habit and some scraping is fine, it just doesn’t need to be between every ball. It may be worth asking captains and coaches what they are trying to achieve, by constantly scraping and the negative effects this has on the square.

 

Lack of help with manual tasks

 

Club groundsmen are a dedicated bunch, and commit their social time to being down the ground, often at the expense of their own families. When a groundsman does need help, realistically or not they expect others to share their commitment level and when this isn’t met it can be very discouraging.

 

 

Clubs’ perspective - During lockdown volunteers seemed to come out of the woodwork, not at all clubs but it certainly was more apparent. This tells me that with more time on their hands people are more likely to dig in and this is also confirmed with the age of the majority of volunteer groundsmen.

I personally had an apology from a player last season saying he wished he could have helped me more, but family commitments prevented this. There are players who just turn up play and go home without thinking of helping. That’s not always the case, maybe we could be more proactive in asking for help from all our players and members.

 

Lack of respect / understanding for what groundsman do

 

Players complain and have unrealistic expectations of what they want, under-estimating the commitment needed to get the ground ready ahead of match day. Groundsmen are often working with cricket squares never constructed for the game of cricket or there's a lack of machinery, resources and have probably had a week full of junior fixtures. Not to mention their own life challenges to deal with.

 

Some players choose to moan about the surface but can't admit they mistimed a shot or lack ability or are just bad sports. Often remarks should be met with a pinch of salt if they are not done with a constructive heart.

 

Clubs’ perspective - Being a groundsman often means you sign up for working on your own and perhaps began with little or no knowledge, and it's only over time we grow and develop our knowledge and expertise. Most players and committees don’t see the journey and remain ignorant. 

 

 

This means we need to educate clubs with as we grow, perhaps by setting up learning sessions or demonstrating through social media what's entailed. It’s a slow process and sometimes you just have to understand that they have no interest or the time to take an interest.

 

Groundsman by nature are passionate individuals and the problem with passion is it can easily override perspective. Even professional groundsman needs to manage expectations to those who use their surfaces. It’s so easy to look on social media or what the square looks like down the road and put unrealistic pressure on ourselves. 

 

As a working groundsman do l struggle with the above issues and practicing what l preach, Absolutely. 

 

Other Challenges Groundsman face

  • Weather and keeping the pitches dry.
  • Lone working.
  • Health and safety.
  • Manual nature of role, especially during renovation works.
  • Abuse from youths.
  • Dog walkers and dogs fouling.
  • Other sports encroaching on the squares and possible damage that can occur.

Vic Demain 

 

In response to all the comments, Vic kindly put into prospective the role of the professional groundsman. 

 

As a professional body, cricket groundsmen take a great deal of pride in their work and look to turn out immaculately prepared playing surfaces, which are pleasing to the eye, whilst allowing players of the game to express themselves and showcase their skills.

 

Vic Demain and his staff at Durham CCC

 

There is a danger however that this pride can overtake the purpose of the job, which is to produce surfaces for sport to be played upon. There is an argument that once the umpires take control of the pitch at the toss, then the groundsman's work is complete. Once the game starts, the players will go about their business of playing to the peak of their abilities. This results in the pitch being scratched as batsmen, bowlers, wicketkeepers and fielders make their marks.

 

Sometimes in wet conditions, various materials like sawdust are put on wet areas to assist with player footholds. Many groundsmen don't like this as it makes a mess. It does however assist in the completion of the game.

 

Once the game is finished and the pitch handed back to the ground authorities, this is when the groundsman can get back out there and start to clear up the mess and repair the damage.

 

 

Paul Marshall and his staff at Northampton CCC


Whilst it is lovely to look at such as beautifully manicured lawns with lovely stripes, these areas should be the reserve of the headmaster's lawn and not the sporting environment.

 

The enjoyment for the cricket groundsman should be providing a surface where 22 players can gain a great deal of fun at whatever level they play.

There will be many challenges along the road to success, including poor weather, disease, animals, poorly maintained machinery and a lack of money. The skill of the top groundsmen however is to meet those challenges headlong and defeat them.

 

Laurence Gale, TurfPro:

 

My own response to this is that there is a tremendous difference between the role of a paid professional and the work expected and carried out by volunteer grounds staff in terms of what can be achieved.

 

I totally agree with Vic’s statement that the professional is paid and generally has the appropriate staff, time, resources and budgets to complete his objectives of providing the best playing surface for the players and effectively can easily overcome four of the top five concerns shown above.

  • Pests
  • Lack of Financial Support
  • Pitch Damage by players
  • Lack of help with manual tasks

However, it is a different story when we listen and hear the concerns of most part-time and volunteer groundsmen, who without doubt do not have the same resources, time, budgets and knowledge as the paid professionals.

 

Therefore, the impact of many of the above concerns are greater and do affect these volunteers to cope with the associated work to maintain a cricket facility.

 

 

This brings me on to the biggest driver that affects all groundsmen, the ability of people to understand the role and complexities of being a groundsman.

It goes without saying they must be a Jack-of-all-trades to complete the many tasks and skills required to prepare and maintain a cricket facility and above all else have effective machinery and equipment to undertake the varied work tasks - which ironically comes back to the money the clubs have available to pay for the upkeep of their grounds.

 

It has been stated on more than one occasion that the costs for maintaining a typical cricket club with a 10-pitch square and catering for 2/3 senior sides and a mini junior section would be more than 25 plus hours a week in time alone for one man providing he had the right essential equipment at hand. He would also need the help of others to carry other tasks and complete the end of season renovations. You then need to cost up all the materials required - seed, loam, fertilisers, fuel and other sundries and services. All in all, a lot of time money and resources are required to maintain a cricket facility.

 


 

The people who run the clubs and the players should be more understanding and be more accommodating to the needs of the groundsman. Even if you had unlimited funds, the physical aspect of the work required is often very time consuming and made more difficult by the many outside influences such as the weather, size of the ground and its location and underlying soil physical conditions. 

 

I personally would like to see the ECB take up the opportunity of producing a new updated version of the Recommended Guidelines for the construction, preparation and maintenance of cricket pitches. This is an invaluable document that would also benefit from including guideline costs for certain maintenance tasks to help clubs recognise the real costs incurred to carry out these tasks.

 


Also helpful would be a list of approved contractors who could carry out these works. Or better still put in place an ECB employed team of turf professionals to oversee and support clubs within specific counties and areas. I am sure there are plenty of ex-county and club pitch professional groundsmen who would be keen to take up this opportunity of serving the ECB in a paid role that would enhance club cricket from grassroots to county level. 

 

The ECB already have Iain James and Andy Mackay two turf professionals in the ranks - why not add a few more to enhance the services they could provide and deliver?

 

Chris Johnson - Grassroots Groundsman Knebworth Park CC

 

My perspectives would echo much of what has already been written. Although I would say I'm fortunate to have guys around our club who are willing to help, especially with tasks such as rolling and pre and post-match. That's down to them realising I work in their very best interests, preparing good tracks (usually!) and am totally committed to getting matches and practice pitches happening. I'm also not slow in asking for help - and often they respond!

 

 

Not just at my club, but at others too there is a lack of appreciation in looking to improve the range of equipment. Equally, groundsmen must appreciate the financial constraints. Having said that, it doesn't take much for club managers to talk to the groundsman to establish what is needed and to find a route forward. Equally, I know of one club where the groundsman won't seek advice and the club is scared to rock the boat because he's done the job for so long. And others where machinery is woefully insufficient.

 

There are times when I might bemoan matches being played in conditions that are too wet, but I've found with a strong root fabric, the recovery process is relatively simple.

 

I may get annoyed by a used track being employed for practice without my permission when it was due for a match, but in reality, the harm done is minimal. You have to remember our match wickets get several uses after the first team has played on them because of a packed schedule.

 

Umpires do annoy me at times when they are excessively pedantic in delaying the start of a game because of ground conditions which everyone else thought were perfectly playable after rain - or this year when they wanted covid lines remarked.

 

Another moan is the cancellation of games after all the good work has been done because of insufficient players. One occasion this season was understandable when for the final league match, I'd applied extra effort and attention for a rip-roaring track, only for an opposition player to test positive for Covid. Well, the wicket did used subsequently, resulting in a stack of runs!

 

If one element really angered me it was when I left the players to remove our flat sheet covers, only for them to let the wind get hold and they got ripped.

The film Arthur's Hallowed Ground on Channel 4 is an amusing tale, but it does highlight issues that are relevant on all sides of cricket ground upkeep.

 

And that includes groundsmen sharing their knowledge - and taking a holiday!

THE TURFPRO FILES
CARING FOR PARKS OF ALL TYPES
Mary Worrall
by Laurence Gale, TurfPro editor
 
Mary Worrall - senior manager Wirral’s Parks, Coast and Countryside services

Next in our regular series of the TurfPro Files, we hear from Mary Worrall, senior manager Wirral’s Parks, Coast and Countryside services.

 


TurfPro editor, Laurence Gale writes:

 

One of the biggest challenges our industry faces in the coming years will be inspiring the next generation of turf professionals to join our sector. We desperately need to start finding ways to encourage more people to come and work in this diverse, international industry.

 

To help start this process, I have asked a number of our leading professionals to write a piece about how they came to work in this industry and the opportunities it has given them.

 

 

Mary Worrall - senior manager Wirral’s Parks, Coast and Countryside services

 

 

Tell us about yourself?


I work for Wirral Council where I am the Senior Manager responsible for Wirral’s Parks, Coast and Countryside services. Wirral has over 240 fantastic parks of all types, including the world-famous Birkenhead Park which is one of a very few grade one historic public parks in the country.  The Wirral is very fortunate to have such a great range of parks and countryside sites and so many Friends Groups local volunteers and staff who care passionately about their local environment.


Before working here, I worked in London both for English Heritage, where I was the National Training and Development Manager for five years and then at the London Borough of Hillingdon, which was the first time I had worked for a local authority, I started at Hillingdon in 2002 as Green Spaces Service Manager, when Hillingdon had the second joint lowest level of resident satisfaction related to parks and open spaces and no Green flag awarded sites, together we turned this around.


Before I moved to London, I worked at the Woodland Trust for ten years, where amongst other things I developed the Trust’s early community woodlands programme, and I started my career as one of the Urban Field Officers for the Conservation Volunteers in Dudley.

 
Who or what inspired you to take up your career?


Although I did quite well at school, I really had had enough of sitting indoors by the time I was 16 and I was fortunate to come across the ‘working holidays’ run by the Conservation Volunteers. I booked onto one to learn how to dry stone wall at Rivington Terraced Gardens and enjoyed learning how to do practical tasks and work as part of a team.  Doing conservation tasks in the North west and across the country in my school holidays was a good antidote to school. As a family we had been youth hostelling and I’d sometimes wondered who’d made the bridges we walked over on coastal footpaths, now I know and found out that that people had paid jobs doing outdoor practical conservation work, that was when I realised it might be worth exploring!

 

Between school and university I took a year out and did more conservation tasks, some voluntary ranger work with the RSPB and a YOP (Youth opportunity programme) bricklaying course at a local college – I was the only female, it was rather different from the conservation tasks but useful too. After I left University with a BSc in Environmental Biology, I got my first paid job.

 


Which individuals have inspired you or helped you develop professionally?


Paul Todd from the Green Flag Award is very inspiring, he has a quiet calm and passionate approach which he always applies when championing the importance of parks, this is quite a rare combination of skills.


Philomena Bach, helped me develop professionally a great deal while I was at Hillingdon, I still use her wise words.


John James was the Chief Executive when I started work at the Woodland Trust, he had helped ‘grow’ the organisation from his home office in Nottinghamshire, working to the board of Trustees who were mainly in Devon. When I joined the Trust had about 200 woods and a small office in Grantham, ten years later it had around 1000. John’s determination and high standards helped the Trust become a well established national organisation and it is to his credit, and everyone else who has worked there, that the Trust is a well-known organisation today.


What three pieces of machinery or innovations have in your opinion helped drive our industry forward or helped make your job easier?


HAVs monitors we use at work are really important. With over 60 square miles and 240 plus sites they are a great help for safe working. We are also piloting use of electric strimmers and other items too to help keep HAVS points low and also in support of the low carbon economy and our Trimax mowers have proven themselves a great help recently.  

 


What concerns do you have for the future of our industry?


The significant financial pressures being placed on Local Authorities are a big concern. As many people have said, it is such a sad irony that the Covid pandemic means more people than ever are reliant on access to good quality parks and open spaces for their health and wellbeing and yet these places are at risk.


The age profile of parks staff working on the Wirral is mainly people in their 40s and 50s, and so we are introducing a careers pathway programme in our current restructure to help people join the industry in entry level positions and progress through different roles.


How do you think we can entice the next generation of industry professionals to come and work in this industry?


It is important to see people as individuals and to listen to people’s interests to find roles that work well for people, in addition to promoting the sector as a great place to work and develop. As an example of how not to do it : when I was doing my A levels, I had a careers meeting at school, the Careers teacher looked at the A levels I was studying which were Maths, Physics and Chemistry, he then pointed to a poster on the classroom wall that said ‘Engineering needs a Woman’s touch’ and told me – ‘that’s what you should be doing’. He was not interested that I was spending all my time learning practical skills like drystone walling, hedgelaying, fence construction, coppicing, tree planting, path construction, pond construction etc. Practical skills make the world a better place but are sadly under rated in so many ways, this needs challenging!

 

 
How have recent events impacted on your job and how would you like to see the government support our industry?

 

I have been working at home since the last week in March of 2020. It has been really challenging to manage and support our team of 190 staff and I would like to take this opportunity to say what a fantastic job everyone in Wirral’s parks and countryside team has done. People have adapted quickly to new safe working methods, have kept parks open, have provided respectful burials and cremations in the very difficult circumstances, swiftly responded to the needs to open or close parks facilities such as playgrounds, tennis courts and football and bowls pavilions as guidance and legislation changes, often overnight. People have volunteered to work in the Wirral Covid PPE hub,  and we have picked up so much rubbish it beggars belief.
In answer to your final question: I am sure government understands the importance of parks and that support is essential both for the health and wellbeing of local people across the country and support for young people who are able to enter the industry through apprenticeships, which is crucial.