Landscape & Amenity
July 2017 Taking a look ahead to autumn maintenance
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ECB first to trail hybrid pitch in cricket The England Cricket Board in conjunction with SIS Pitches has taken groundbreaking steps to install two SISGrass wickets at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.
Chris Wood, the ECB’s PitchesConsultant, explained: “This goes back several years to a conversation I had with Darren Baldwin, the Head Groundsman of Tottenham Hotspur.
The ECB are the first to install a trial wicket using SIS Pitches’ latest innovation in the world of hybrid surfaces, SISGrass Universal.
“The majority of Premier League venues now use hybrid pitches, and even to the casual observer of football, I think it’s obvious that those pitches have been of a far more consistently high quality, around all clubs and throughout the season.
Combining speed, mobility and laser precision, SIS Pitches’ game-changing hybrid pitch system, SISGrass Universal, is the latest addition to the company’s award-winning technology. The pitches combine a majority of natural turf grass with around 5% of twisted yarn. In football, that has led to considerable improvements in stability and durability and is being used in the Luzhniki Stadium for the 2018 World Cup Final in Russia. Now the ECB are able to investigate whether there could be equivalent advantages for cricket, especially for the recreational game.
“That is because introducing a relatively small amount of artificial twisted yarn greatly improves the stability of the surface underfoot, and allows the sward to endure the long football season with a consistent playing performance. “We have had to wait to apply this technique to cricket – there have been semi-hybrid pitches, but using artificial turf with cricket loam infill rather than natural grass. But now SISGrass have developed a new, more compact stitching
Terra Brush gives club additional polish A golf club celebrating its bicentenary this year has taken delivery of a double width Wiedenmann Terra Brush. Scotscraig Golf Club is the world’s 13th oldest course and was founded in 1817 by members of the St Andrews Society of Golfers. Just 15 minutes north of St Andrews, it features a championship course in a traditional loop, influenced firstly by Old Tom Morris and later by James Braid. Course Manager, Chris Barnard, and his greenkeeping team of five
have newly finished an intensive two year renovation project which reinstated many original features of the famous links and heathlands layout. Chris Barnard said: “We’ve wanted a brush for a while. Last year we improvised and fashioned one ourselves but it didn’t quite do the job. We chose the Terra Brush with folding wings, and yellow bristles, the firmest ones, because it suited our situation best.” The Wiedenmann Terra Brush comes with four rows of bristles, two rows aligned perpendicular to the direction of travel and two in a zig zag formation, making it ideal for intensive and even brushing. On large area such as fairways, the wings can be deployed to extend the working width to 3.95 m. Wiedenmann
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unit than has been used for football. We took the machine to Loughborough last week and have laid one pitch on the square and another in the outdoor nets. “We’ve used a straw-coloured yarn, rather than the brighter green in use in football, to make it look as authentic as possible. They still need to be seeded and enhanced, but we hope they will be playable in the near future. “Possible advantages are increased durability of pitches for matchplay and practice, with prolonged uniformity of grass cover. “It is fitting that we have installed the pitches at Loughborough, as our centre for innovation around cricket.” Phil Blackwell, SISGrass Director in the UK, added; “It is very exciting to be partnering with the ECB on this project. “SISGrass Universal has already made a big impact on the industry across all sports that
Inside Knowledge Meet the team at Royal Leamington Spa BC
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haven’t been able to access the benefits of hybrid pitch systems in the past. We have managed to combine all of the qualities of our flagship SISGrass product and make them accessible to all.” SISGrass Universal is an advanced reinforced turf system featuring patented fibre injection technology, utilising yarn that is tested to FIFA recommendations, which offers increased surface stability, more playing hours and faster recovery than 100% natural grass surfaces.
Just 1.20m wide, 2m in length and weighing a maximum of two tons, SISGrass Universal offers flexibility of stitching at every location quickly and accurately, with different depths, spacing or size using precise laser guidance, making it the perfect solution for groundskeepers who are challenged to maintain uniform grass quality in highwear areas.
Grass Cutting The machines you need to consider
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Zaun’s Duo Sports fencing for new AGP A Liverpool arts college is enjoying a new state-of-theart football pitch after it was opened by a former Premier League referee and the Everton Ladies captain. Chris Foy joined Michelle Hinnigan and her first team coach, Andy Spence, to open St John Bosco Arts College’s new £1m floodlit third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) and changing room pavilion. A £637,245 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund made it possible to build the 3G AGP and pavilion, which will be used by Everton FC Centre of Excellence and local grassroots clubs, community groups and primary schools. Through this project, the school worked in close partnership with the Football Foundation and Liverpool FA to establish a fiveyear Football Development Plan
to increase female participation by over 40%. ETC Sports Surfaces collaborated with long term sports fencing partner Zaun to put in the 3G AGP surrounded by Duo Sports fencing, which will host a new 11v11 mid-week floodlit league throughout the winter months. Chris Foy said: “Grassroots sport in Liverpool is better off thanks to the investment in this new pitch and changing room. St John Bosco will serve as an important sports hub in its community, with provisions for people of all ages and abilities to play sport just for the pure enjoyment of it.”
Captain Michelle Hinnigan, who is also a PE Teacher at St John Bosco, said: “It is really important to have quality facilities at the grassroots level because this not only helps youngsters to maximise their potential, but give whole communities a focal point to come and enjoy playing sport with their mates.”
Line Marking Putting the spotlight on latest products
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Top Dressers & Spreaders
Everton Ladies secured a place in the Women’s Super League in 2017-18 just last Friday, when the FA announced them as the preferred bidder to take the place of Notts County, who went out of business.
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