Sports facilities at a school in Rochdale will soon be of a premier standard thanks to White Horse Contractors (Northern), one of the UK’s leading natural and artificial sports ground specialists.

The company continue to go from strength to strength in 2013 with the completion of the Kingsway Park School Pitches project. WHC (N) were appointed by the main contractor, Carillion Building, to provide a 3G synthetic grass surface, fencing and floodlighting with the pitch being constructed on a grass field adjacent to the main school building.

After consultation with the school regarding sports and community use on the pitch, WHC (N) proposed to build a 40mm pile synthetic surface together with a sand & rubber in-filled pitch on a macadam base with 15mm shock pad to meet the requirement of being FIFA and FIH National standard.

The grass field area, where the new artificial pitch was going to be constructed, had been found to be heavily contaminated with asbestos to such a degree that it was necessary to limit earthworks and disruption of the sub soil to a minimum.

“The CAD department of White Horse provided construction drawings and sections that limited the requirement for earth works and the expensive off-site removal of contaminated spoil,” said Jim Crabbe, White Horse Contractors (Northern) Contracts Director.

“As we could not dig in to the ground, normal drainage was replaced with a system that could be laid on to the formation and filled over with construction material. This also assisted in the requirements to make the pitch self-attenuating in terms of drainage. The entire structure formed a “holding tank” with a regulated outflow of drainage water to the storm water system.”

Despite the asbestos issues encountered, excellent progress was achieved largely due to the company’s in-house resources of specialist equipment and manpower. The project was completed within the program agreed and to the set budget.

For further information, please contact White Horse Contractors on 01865 736 272 or visit www.whitehorsecontractors.co.uk

Continuing its programme of working closely with turf professionals, Sherriff Amenity, in association with Bowcom and Everris, recently held a ‘Differences in Fertilisers and release patterns’ seminar and line marking demonstration at Pembroke College in Cambridge.

The aim of the event was to educate groundsmen and greenkeepers on the difference in types of fertilisers and release patterns: conventional, slow release, controlled release and organics, with areas of use for each product and the benefits which was held by Lewis Blois, Technical Area Sales Manager for Everris.

This was followed by an on-site demonstration of the Bowcom range of products and the correct line marking paints to be used on each surface.

The seminar attracted representatives from golf clubs, football clubs, schools, colleges and local authorities.

Kevin Whitby, Marketing Manager of Sherriff Amenity said: "The aim of the seminar was to give the group of attendees the latest information about some of the products available on the market which can make the lives of the users that much easier.

"We had some very positive feedback from attendees, who said they found the day very informative and interesting. We are keen to organise more of these seminars in the future, not only to keep turf professionals informed, but as part of our programme of supporting our suppliers."

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or visit www.sherriff-amenity.com

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity.

A video of the day can be viewed here.

Natural and artificial sportsground contractors White Horse Contractors (Northern) have recently completed the design and construction of a new state-of-the-art 3rd generation artificial surface and three artificial cricket wickets at Trinity Academy in Halifax.

After a competitive tender process, White Horse Contractors (Northern) were appointed by the main contractor, Carillion Building, to provide a 3G artificial grass surface predominately used for football, but also to FIH requirements. Adjacent to the STP, a synthetic three strip netted cricket facility was also constructed.

The site for the installation had been cut in to the existing slope above the academy. Half the pitch was constructed on underlying rock, with the other half of the pitch being constructed on consolidated crushed materials from the old school. The resulting reduction in vehicle traffic, retention of valuable void space in landfills and minimising waste were all practical ‘green’ benefits, meaning that there was minimal disruption to the local residents.

“Cutting drains through both materials provided a challenge,” said Jim Crabbe, White Horse Contractors (Northern) Contracts Director. “The entire construction required to be self-attenuating to reduce the overall site drainage discharge. The rock strata proved sufficiently porous to allow drains to discharge in to under pitch soak-aways.”

Construction commenced in March 2013, with the site promptly being buried in heavy snow. Once a thaw set in, work recommenced and the project was completed on time and on budget, which is testament to the specialist in-house staff and plant at the company’s disposal.

The facility now boasts a 40mm pile, sand and rubber filled artificial surface on a macadam base and with a 15mm shock pad.

For further information, please contact White Horse Contractors on 01865 736 272 or visit www.whitehorsecontractors.co.uk

The SISIS team of designers and engineers have been working closely with groundsmen, greenkeepers and course managers, throughout the country, to ensure that the launch of the new Rotorake 600HD meets the high expectations that the company sets.

This heavy duty pedestrian scarifier and linear aerator can be used for regular, routine use at a shallow setting or a deeper setting as and when required. It also contributes to aeration and compaction relief by cutting clean, continuous slits to assist water and air absorption. Featuring a new, modern design with more responsive manoeuvrability makes the Rotorake 600HD more operator-friendly.

Following numerous ‘out in the field’ demonstrations and research through a ‘focus group’ method in the harshest of environments with groundsmen, greenkeepers and course managers, the machine has proven to be successful on a range of different grass species.

Like other scarifiers in the SISIS range, the Rotorake 600HD works on the successful contra-rotating principle developed by the company in the 1960’s, and has the effect of throwing the removed thatch forwards as well as firmly holding the machine to the ground to give a consistent working depth. This is a precision machine which can be used on bowling greens, croquet lawns, tennis courts, cricket pitches, golf courses and ornamental lawns & gardens.

Advantages of the new model include ease of use, a range of quick-release, interchangeable reels including scarifying, verticutting and brushing, variable blade spacing/depth for control on the move, large working width of 600mm (24”), six forward speeds and a reverse gear for efficiency under varying terrain, an independent drive to the wheels and reel for operator safety and a collection box.

“We are delighted to launch the Rotorake 600HD at IOG SALTEX,” said SISIS Sales Manager Toby Clarke. “We are very excited with this new product and are confident that it will be extremely successful with our customers.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery.

SISIS have launched two re-designed products – the pedestrian Dart powered vertical action aerator and Rotorake TM1000 tractor mounted heavy duty scarifier.

For the past twelve months, the SISIS team of engineers have listened to what customers were looking for with regard to the current product range. Following in-depth consultations with groundsmen, greenkeepers and course managers, they have made a number of key refinements to the existing popular products.

The SISIS Rotorake TM1000 is a tractor mounted unit which is now available with five quick release interchangeable reels to aid the removal and control of thatch and help reduce standing surface water by improving water infiltration.

Like other scarifiers in the SISIS range, the Rotorake TM1000 works on the successful contra-rotating principle for a clean, consistent performance with a selection of blades to suit key seasonal tasks.

Unique features of the re-designed product include a floating unit to follow ground contours, a range of five quick release interchangeable reels and optional spacing for scarifying, linear aeration, verticutting and brushing and a no tools required depth setting ensuring fast, simple adjustments can be made.

The weight of the collection box and material is carried by the main frame on the front roller and is totally independent from the reel, which means when the machine is in use, the additional weight does not force the reel to scarify deeper than the user has set it.

The SISIS Dart has been re-designed to incorporate two wheels at the front of the machine to improve steering and ease of manoeuvrability and a stronger, firmer chassis for durability.

The Dart has a maximum working depth of 100mm (4 inches) and a wide range of interchangeable tines making it ideal as a bowling green and golf green aerator as well as being suitable for cricket and ornamental lawns.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery.

Martin Guy Developments (MGD), a golf services supplier and maintenance contractor, has signed a rolling 12-month preferred supplier agreement with Sherriff Amenity. The agreement covers exclusive provision of fertilisers, chemicals and grass seed.

MGD has earned an enviable reputation in the UK golf industry for being able to renovate and maintain golf courses to a standard well in excess of usual expectations whilst still keeping a keen control on costs. The company is a preferred golf services supplier to over ten courses across Essex, Hertfordshire and the southeast, including Braintree Golf Club, West Essex Golf Club, Rickmansworth Golf Course, Bushey Golf and Country Club, Stevenage Golf Course, Windmill Hill Golf Course and Nazeing Golf Club.

The agreement that has been reached will ensure that MGD will not only benefit from volume group purchases, but will also be provided with a high level of technical support and the latest in new product technology available within the amenity arena.

“Working with Sherriff Amenity gives us the ability to work with the best products for our business, whilst being able to provide quality golf courses,” said Martin.

“We chose Sherriff following 2-3 years background research work into different suppliers and products which we were using at the time. Sherriff was the company that could help us the most, and who could supply us with an unrivalled range of products within the time frames we required them.

“The agreement is working very well because they work hard to understand our business and to tailor-make their supply service to fit that. I would have no hesitation in recommending Sherriff. We have total confidence that we are getting the best products we can possibly get to maintain our golf courses.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or email info@sherriff-amenity.com

For more news and insightful views, you can follow Sherriff Amenity on Twitter @SherriffAmenity.

Drainage works carried out by leading sports turf contractor, Souters Sports, at North Wales Golf Club have recently been completed and delivered beneficial results to the club.

Set in the seaside town of Llandudno with excellent views over the Conwy estuary and the Snowdonia Mountain range, North Wales Golf Club is a true Championship Links course, having previously hosted the Welsh Team Championships.

The 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th holes had historically always suffered from poor drainage. However, the rest of the course is typically links on sand and drains well. Using specialist trenching machines to cut minimum-width drainage trenches to a laser controlled depth and grade; the contractor laid main and lateral drains to allow rainwater to drain freely and quickly.

“It’s a links course with a clay base which is below sea level. The wet summer we saw last year brought drainage problems to a head on several badly-draining fairways,” said Head Greenkeeper Stuart Macdonald. “Since the drainage works have been completed, it’s actually been reasonable dry, but when it has rained; the drainage has been good.

“Souters’ in house labour and plant combined with the standard of their work throughout the whole project were exceptional,” said Stuart. “Some of the machinery they have is very large, but when weather conditions were not suitable, it was kept off the course, ensuring no disruption or damage was caused.”

Souters Sports has completed extensive drainage projects on many other golf courses around the country including Gleneagles, the venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup.

For further information, please contact Souters Sports Limited on 01236 453030 or visit www.souterssports.co.uk. Souters Sports are also on Twitter @SoutersSports

Horsmonden Primary School in Kent has transformed their playground with a new Complete Safety Play surface – a new product and service brought to you by Complete Weed Control, the UK’s leading specialist contract service for the eradication of all problem weeds.

The old uneven concrete area was overlaid with Complete Safety Play to give an attractive, low maintenance surface with an even finish, perfect for the children to play and conduct outdoor activities and lessons.

Working closely together with the school, Complete Weed Control (Kent) utilised the existing paving slabs as a sub-structure and incorporated a ramp from the school into the area, making it an accessible and safe environment for the students to play, allowing them to integrate with other children while encouraging active and healthy lifestyles.

The last Ofsted report raised concerns about the area and suggested a soft surface could be used to improve it. As Richard Greenwood, one of the school governors explained: “After the Ofsted report, we looked at different surface options including artificial grass, but we felt there would be a higher level of maintenance required along with the younger students not being able to ride their tricycles around.

“We knew that the nursery opposite had a wet pour surface and were extremely pleased with it, so after a meeting, we got some quotes and decided to use the Complete Safety Play surface. We’ve now been able to create an outside teaching area as well as play area which is also used for after school activities. The surface ticked all of our boxes.”

The specialist contractor laid 110 square metres of the highly durable rapid cure, anti-slip and waterproof safety surface for students, within a very tight time-frame of just one day – ensuring disruption to the school was kept to a minimum.

The Complete Safety Play surface is permeable, helping to avoid standing water, and has no joints, unlike tile systems. The surface requires only minimal maintenance compared with loose fill material such as sand and bark chippings, and will retain its critical fall height properties.

The surface is available in a wide range of colours to create attractive finishes and bespoke designs and can also be readily installed on both new and existing surfaces. Typically, it is ready for use within 24 hours of application. Uses include:

 Children's play surfaces
 Pedestrian areas
 Anywhere that needs an impact-absorbing safe surface

“The new surface is cleaner, safer and far more practical than what we previously had. It has been one of the fastest projects we’ve ever completed at the school and the heads of department have all raved about the new area because it’s now free of mud and dirt allowing the children, staff and parents to use the areas in comfort,” said Richard.

For more information, please contact Complete Weed Control’s National office on 01325 324 277 or visit www.completeweedcontrol.co.uk. You can also follow CWC on Twitter @CWCLimited for more news, reviews and insightful views.

Synthetic surface maintenance specialists Replay Maintenance, who are celebrating after announcing their partnership with the five County Football Associations residing in the East Midlands, have appointed Fusion Media (Europe) as their corporate communications agency.

The Kent-based agency, which includes Complete Weed Control, Dennis, Etesia and SISIS amongst others in its client portfolio, will handle all PR, advertising, design, digital and media representation.

Garry Martin, Director of Replay Maintenance commented: “We are very excited to have appointed Fusion Media as our PR and marketing agency. Replay is a young and energetic company with ambitious plans, and there is a great culture match with Fusion’s bold, creative and passionate approach to PR and marketing.

“The team at Fusion came very highly recommended when we began our search for an agency which combined creativity with strong market knowledge and reputation. They work with a number of high-profile companies as well as ourselves and I have, so far, been impressed with their professionalism and industry contacts."

Commenting on the appointment, Christopher Bassett, Managing Director of Fusion Media said: “Replay is the kind of progressive company that we enjoy working with and our marketing efforts on behalf of the other companies we work with convinced them that we could take their brand to another level in terms of its image and profile.”

For further information, please contact Fusion Media on 01322 424 499 or visit the company’s website www.fusion-media.eu

White Horse Contractors, one of the UK’s leading natural and artificial sportsground contractors, has announced the appointment of Fusion Media (Europe) to handle all corporate communications.

Gary Kneller, Managing Director at White Horse, comments: “We were hugely impressed by Fusion Media’s levels of expertise and professionalism. They demonstrated their understanding of the industry which we work in and recognise the huge opportunity to grow our brand’s influence. From dedicated support at high profile events to keeping our website news current, the Fusion team have shown that they understand our brand’s challenges and have translated these into strategies to move White Horse Contractors forward.”

Fusion Media won the account following a successful pitch, and the company’s strong industry contacts and market knowledge.

The Kent-based agency MD, Christopher Bassett added: “We are firmly established as one of the top communication agencies in this sector and are absolutely delighted to welcome such a prestigious brand as White Horse Contractors to our portfolio. It has been a fantastically successful year so far, which has seen us win five new accounts this year in this sector alone.”

Fusion Media is a multi-award winning communications agency offering public relations, brand development, graphics and design, marketing, media space bookings, event management, creative photography and digital marketing services.

Leading natural and artificial sports ground contractors, White Horse Contractors, has continued its policy of heavily investing in specialised plant and machinery with the purchase of a GKB Drainmaster and 2.2m heavy duty disc seeder from sportsturf equipment specialists BLEC (Global) Limited.

Equipped for the 21st century, White Horse Contractors maintains and operates a large fleet of plant and equipment, undertaking a diversity of operations including earthmoving and landscaping works. The company also pioneered the development of specialist sports field trenchers for use on existing turf surfaces, with full laser grade control and an additional facility for elevating excavated soil directly into transport.

The latest investment, the GKB Drainmaster, is designed to provide a robust solution for the drainage of natural turf sports facilities. Typically used as a secondary drainage treatment over a primary land drainage scheme, the Drainmaster combines the drainage intensity of traditional sand slits with the speed of installation found with the BLEC Sandmaster, thereby creating a highly cost-effective method for the control of excess surface water.

It is suited to all forms of natural turf sports pitches or golf course fairways and can be installed with the minimum of disruption to the facility. The machine excavates 40 mm wide x (up to) 230 mm deep trenches at 1.0 or 0.50 m centres that are simultaneously backfilled with sand or rootzone as part of the same operation.

Spoil from the trenches is elevated cleanly into trailers where it can be removed from the drainage area. Following completion of the secondary drainage operation, the sports surface should be reinstated by overseeding and, where possible, the surface should be top dressed with sand to prolong the serviceable lifespan of the Drainmaster slits.

"The new machines added to our fleet increase our productivity," said Gary Kneller, White Horse Contractor’s new Managing Director. “The Drainmaster also reduces labour and transport cost which means the surface benefits from improved surface drainage and improved playing capacity without increasing clients renovation budgets The excavated material can also be utilised on-site which further reduces the cost of off-site removal.”

The investment has already started to pay off with the new machine being put straight into work with the installation of secondary drainage as part of a larger pitch renovation project at Chelsea FC’s Training Ground in Cobham, Surrey.

This investment and continued improvement of equipment underlines White Horse Contractor’s commitment to the 'in-house' approach which has kept them at the forefront of the industry since 1957.

For further information, please contact White Horse Contractors on 01865 736 272 or visit www.whitehorsecontractors.co.uk

As one of the UK’s leading artificial pitch maintenance providers, Replay Maintenance recognises the importance of specialist maintenance to aid safe and enjoyable play as well as prolonging the longevity of the surface. Here, Nick Harris, Business Development Manager from Replay, who has over ten years’ experience of synthetic surface maintenance, talks about the development of maintenance of artificial sports surfaces from being a contentious issue to an accepted normality.

Once thought of as all-weather and maintenance free, it is now clear that to maximise the durability and longevity of a surface maintenance is key. And as for all-weather, which many people refer to, think ‘more-weather’. A quick look back to this past winter is evidence enough to show that come wind, rain or shine the pitch will be fine, but add a drop in temperature and a bit of snow then they can become a complete no-go.

Artificial Turf Pitches (ATP’s) have clearly evolved through their generations, with the much vaunted, non-filled 4G carpets a very real possibility. Each generation of surface has brought its own specific maintenance requirements, which the solutions for has generally evolved retrospectively rather than been at the forefront of the carpet manufacturers R&D departments.

Before these surfaces become available for use in the mainstream they have to go through rigorous laboratory tests. One of which utilises the Lisport machine (the Lisport is a machine which has become the industry standard for artificial wear simulation of synthetic surfaces), but of course the real test is in everyday usage. The accepted Industry standard is that for every ten hours of pitch use, then you need to allocate one hour of maintenance, although this figure can vary greatly with the size of surface, extended hours of play and actual footfall.
In the early years, maintenance was wrongly considered unnecessary until a problem became apparent; which often resulted in an expensive but necessary reactive fix. All surfaces require a pro-active approach to maintenance and now with modern techniques and processes; the look, feel and life of an artificial surface are greatly enhanced.

With 3G surfaces, the need for regular pro-active maintenance is clear for all to see. With rubber infill particles bouncing around off each other, often through the fence or into the shoes of players, with 15mm of unsupported carpet fibres above the infill wilting under the footfall of several hundred 5-a-side players (some wearing their flat soled all-purpose trainers against the better advice of the manufacturer and facility) the surface can start to look pretty weary very quickly. The visible and physical benefits of maintaining a 3G pitch is therefore very apparent. The rubber infill is loosened and cleaned, evenly redistributed and the carpet fibres lifted upright again to help ensure the perfect playing surface.

Historically, maintenance had to be sold by maintenance companies and not by the people that had the most influence, namely consultants, manufacturers, contractors and installers. Fortunately, over the last few years the importance of good, best-practice maintenance has been widely accepted and indoctrinated into the provision of ATP’s. On a national level, those that influence and often fund the build of such facilities such as Sport England, The FA and RFU have recognised that maintenance is key in protecting their investment and insist that this is included in all tender and procurement documents.

When a maintenance provider comes along, make sure that you get a unique, tailored maintenance regime suited to your needs which will benefit your facility, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ package which only benefits the contractor and not you, the customer. To make a simple analogy, just like cars, who regardless of make and model all require petrol, oil, windscreen wash and correctly inflated tyres and don’t forget the annual service and MOT. But be aware, just like the quality, experience and cost of mechanics can vary, so can your ATP maintenance provider.

Always ensure you choose a maintenance contractor that comes accredited, recommended and approved. That they can recognise your needs and diagnose your specific problem and don’t try and sell you anything more than you really need.

Replay Maintenance is proud to be a founding member of the IOG customer driven website and supplier of bespoke tailored synthetic sports surface maintenance training for the benefit of synthetic sports facilities and the individuals responsible for them across the UK.

For further information, please contact Replay Maintenance on 01636 640 506 or visit the company’s website www.replaymaintenance.co.uk

The next round of the Dennis and SISIS bowling green maintenance seminars has been announced, with the company heading to Currie Bowling Club, Near Edinburgh on 1st October before moving on to Cardonald Bowling Club in Glasgow on 2nd October.

The hugely popular educational seminars will combine practical tips and information from industry experts followed by the now infamous ‘Turf Clinic’ open forum session. Amongst the impressive line-up of speakers is Willie Wood MBE giving his views from a player’s perspective, bowls maintenance guru Dave Bracey, Patrick Hulbert from Bowls International, Jim Smith from Rigby Taylor and Ian Henderson from Golf Finance.

Topics on the day will cover the maintenance of a bowling green, a guide to pesticides and fungicides, funding, what an international player looks for in a green and practical machine demonstrations.

Both days start with registration at 9am. To register for either of the free and highly informative seminars, please contact Roger Moore on 01332 824777 or email roger.moore@dennisuk.com.

Further information about the range of bowls maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK and www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers and www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

Etesia UK, the exclusive distributor of Pellenc battery-powered equipment in the UK, have recently supplied a rental giant with a multitude of 28 machines, 13 batteries and a range of cutting blades. This order is the largest single order of Pellenc equipment from one customer at one time and will be used exclusively by the Canal and River Trust for maintenance work in Newark Nottinghamshire.

After a period of testing and evaluation, the national supplier of tools, equipment and related services took delivery of over 50 pieces of kit from Pellenc dealer RT Machinery, which have been put straight to work by the trust, who care for 2,000 miles of historic waterways across the country.

The hire company was looking for environmentally-friendly equipment to add to their fleet. A team of people visited the Etesia UK head office, initially to look at some pedestrian mowers and became intrigued with a new range of battery-powered hand tools.

“We had heard about battery-powered equipment before, but never looked at it as there had always been an issue with how long you could perform with the tool and the initial purchase price,” explained Andrew Kirk, Ground Care Asset Manager.

“We had a demo of the equipment whilst we were at Etesia and were very impressed with how lightweight the equipment was, the life of the battery and how well it performed on the day. They are extremely environmentally-friendly products with low noise and the batteries pay for themselves over a period of time as you don’t have to purchase fuel. With the price of fuel rocketing over the last 12-18 months, there is now an even quicker payback time.”
The company held one of their demo days where they invite customers along to try out new equipment in their own environment. The Pellenc products were a success and the first large order was placed.

“We wanted to bring it to the contractor’s attention because as a company, we feel it’s the way forward. We had the Canal and River Trust in mind specifically because of the areas they maintain which have a lot of wildlife. The Pellenc products are environmentally-friendly and very low noise. There is no mixing of two-stroke fuel, so it was an easy decision to make.”

In the last five years, Pellenc has gained market recognition by offering a unique range of ‘zero emission’ battery-powered handheld tools, thanks to the development of Lithium-ion ultra-high performance batteries. This exclusive Pellenc technology allows for a drastic reduction in the production of greenhouse gases and noise pollution. It is also comfortable for users, meets new sustainable development demands and offers excellent economic profitability.

“All operatives received a full training session from Etesia and Pellenc. It’s been very successful so far and we are hoping that we can persuade more HSS customers to look at this equipment. It ticks a lot of boxes with it being environmentally friendly, low noise and low vibration levels which the more conventional petrol machines are unable to compete with,” adds Andrew.

Pellenc is exclusively distributed in the UK by Etesia UK. For further information, or to arrange a free demonstration, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Etesia on Twitter @EtesiaUK and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/EtesiaUK.

Dennis will be back at IOG SALTEX in 2013 on stand B40 showing a prototype tractor mounted cutting unit, designed specifically for cutting golf fairways, cricket outfields, football pitches and large ornamental areas.

As a leading British manufacturer of professional grounds maintenance equipment, Dennis is dedicated to working closely with its customers, and this latest prototype will allow those who will use the equipment to have a say in its final specification.

Complementing the prototype model at this year’s show will be the world renowned FT, Razor Ultra and G860 range of professional cylinder mowers along with the S500 Plus seeder, which creates ideal seed germination pockets reducing seed wastage.

In addition to the range of Dennis products on show, the combined display with SISIS will also show a range of natural and synthetic turf maintenance machinery. The company’s experienced team will be on hand throughout the exhibition and will give visitors guidance and help whilst welcoming any product feedback.

"We value the trust our customers place in our products and are continuously striving to exceed their expectations. SALTEX provides the ideal platform for us to meet new and existing customers and this year will form an integral role in getting the necessary feedback on our prototype model,” said Roger Moore, Customer Manager at Dennis & SISIS.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers.

Four of the eight grass pitches at Premiership club Stoke City’s Clayton Wood training complex recently underwent major renovation work this summer courtesy of contractor Souters Sports in conjunction with the club’s pitch advisers PSD.

The work was the latest stage in an on-going project to upgrade first team and academy pitches.

Souters Sports have been handling end of season renovations and upgrading works, including drainage and surface refurbishment at the 70,000m² Clayton Wood site for five years and proves the good relationship that Head Groundsman Andrew Jackson has with the contractor. The latest work was completed within a seven-week period of concentrated upgrading of surfaces and drainage. With training usage still required well into May it meant a precise staggering of the work was essential.

“The idea has been to make it a progressive pitch improvement project over a number of years, rather than a massive one-hit change with all the disruption and risks involved,” said Stoke City Head Groundsman Andrew Jackson.

“It is working very well and Souters can take big credit for that. They are very mindful of our needs here at the club when they’re on site. We had to put them on an extremely tight schedule. They were very quick to react if there was any weather downtime. It is good to have a contractor that works with you, not just for you.”

Andrew has been on the groundstaff at the club for 18 years. City born and bred, he is passionate about everything it does.

“The club has invested hugely in its new academy system and the facilities here at Clayton Wood. It is absolutely vital that we give young players the best possible training pitches. Souters’ work including the helpful germination conditions meant they are the best yet. New boss Mark Hughes is very impressed and like everyone here raring to go.”

The main aim this year was the upgrading of the floodlit match pitch, including the introduction of 420m³ of sand ameliorated into the upper 50mm of topsoil after localised re levelling works, additional lateral drainage and secondary drainage installation using the Koro Topdrain, which excavates sand slits 50mm wide, 300mm deep at 450mm centres and backfills with injected sand in one pass, to further enhance surface drainage capabilities. The pitch is then treated with an application of pre seed fertiliser at a rate of 35g/m² and seeded with sports rye mix, supplied by the club, at 45g/m².

Work on three other pitches included fraise mowing, vertidraining, sand top dressing, sand slitting with the Blec Vibramaster, fertilising and re-seeding. Four further pitches underwent a more basic renovation programme of scarifying, sand top dressing, vertidraining, fertilising and over seeding.

All of the pitches renovated by Souters for the Club were back in full use seven weeks after seeding.

For further information, please contact Souters Sports Limited on 01236 453030 or visit www.souterssports.co.uk. Souters Sports are also on Twitter @SoutersSports

Midway through the 2013 cricket season, Sherriff Amenity, one of the leading turf care and sports equipment suppliers in the UK, continue to give on-going support to the work of the Surrey Cricket Groundsman’s Association.

The 60-plus delegates and guest of honour ECB Managing Director and MCC President-elect Mike Gatting at this year’s SCGA seminar at the Kia Oval heard about the latest in pitch grass disease and weed identification and control from Bayer CropScience advisor Eleanor Jenks. Her presentation, which included details of the company’s latest pest and weed apps, had been arranged by Sherriff Amenity as part of its sponsorship of the event.

A recent event held at Farnham Cricket Club, Nr Guildford, organised by the association, saw over 20 groundsmen attend a ‘one stop shop to renovation’ evening featuring some practical work as well as a Q&A session.

The SCGA, first set up in 2003, aims to support cricket groundsmen at all levels by providing training courses, a pitch advisory service, and machinery hire for renovation work. Its Pitch Advisory Team will inspect squares, outfields and machinery at any club or school looking to upgrade facilities or apply for grant funding.

“We are delighted to carry on supporting the SCGA in what it does for cricket at pitch level,” said Sherriff Amenity’s marketing manager Kevin Whitby. “Mike Gatting’s presence at its annual seminar at the Kia Oval shows how seriously its work is being taken. We are pleased to be working in partnership with the association and look forward to working with them at future events.”

“We’ve had a good relationship with Sherriff Amenity over the last few years,” said Chris Bullen, Surrey Cricket Development Manager. “To be able to have a representative from Sherriff Amenity here this evening to offer advice to any groundsmen is very much appreciated.”

For further information, please contact Sherriff Amenity on 01638 721 888 or email info@sherriff-amenity.com

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Dennis and SISIS, a leading British manufacturer of innovative world class turf maintenance equipment, continue to give on-going support to the work of the Surrey Cricket Groundsman’s Association by supporting the recent ‘one stop shop to renovation’ evening, held at Farnham Cricket Club.

Committed to educating cricket groundsmen on how to maintain and look after their pitches and outfields, the British manufacturer was pleased to support the event which saw groundsmen from the local area attend.

The event, which was organised by Surrey Cricket Development Manager Chris Bullen, featured John Dodwell, Head Groundsman at Caterham School and Surrey’s Cricket Groundsman’s Association pitch advisor, give a hands-on practical session on pitch repairs and renovations before live demonstrations of latest state-of-the-art turf maintenance equipment by John Milner, who forms part of the company’s Field Support Team.

The SCGA, first set up in 2003, aims to support cricket groundsmen at all levels by providing training courses, a pitch advisory service, and machinery hire for renovation work. Its Pitch Advisory Team will inspect squares, outfields and machinery at any club or school looking to upgrade facilities or apply for grant funding.

“We’re always looking, through the groundsman’s association, to support cricket. We think that one of the much maligned roles of cricket clubs is the groundsman,” explains Chris. “Anything that we can do to support the groundsman, whether that is to give them a bit of knowledge or the opportunity to try top maintenance machines goes down very well.”

Both Dennis and SISIS have each been manufacturing machinery for cricket pitch preparation and maintenance for a considerable number of years and their commitment to helping groundsmen get the best possible playing surface is underlined by regular participation in conferences and seminars, not just in Surrey, but across the country. SISIS is well known to many cricket groundsmen for its range of hand and powered tools, notably for scarification, aeration, brushing and levelling tasks, and Dennis for its fine turf cylinder mowers, especially its interchangeable cassette system which allows a groundsman to complete key maintenance tasks such as cutting, spiking, verti-cutting, and slitting using a single power source.

“We’re very lucky to have a partnership with Dennis and SISIS. As a company, they are always looking to support what we would like to achieve through educating cricket groundsmen,” says Chris.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis and SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK and www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers and www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

Following an extensive demonstration process, Leicester City Council has purchased a SISIS Supaturfman - an independently powered heavy duty aerator, for key maintenance tasks throughout the year on their five bowling greens.

The SISIS Supaturfman is ideal for maintenance as a bowling green or cricket square aerator. Complete with a pivoted tine bar for vertical penetration and withdrawal without surface disturbance, it has a maximum working depth of 100mm (4”) and a choice of interchangeable tines which allow for a variety of aeration methods to be carried out, and its simple yet effective design requires little maintenance for the operator.

“We wanted something that we could use throughout the playing season which causes the minimum amount of disruption to the bowling green surface” said Mark Humphrey, Leicester City Council’s Team Manager based at Evington Park.

Mark has worked for the council for over 30 years and in that time has used a range of SISIS turf maintenance equipment: “In my time here, we’ve found that SISIS manufacture reliable and easy to maintain equipment. If we ever need any spare parts, then we know that we can always get them easily. When we were looking for a new aerator, SISIS was our first choice because of our past experience.

“The Supaturfman is so easy to use and manoeuvre around the green, and because it’s a pedestrian machine we can get in and out of each of the five sites with no problem – something which we used to struggle with in the past.”

Prior to the Councils latest turf maintenance machinery purchase, the grounds team previously used a tractor mounted aerator which as Mark explained did a reasonable job but was very disruptive to the playing surface and limited the team to only using it out of season.

“We want to be spiking throughout the season, not just when the bowling greens are not being used,” continued Mark. “With the Supaturfman; it only takes us about an hour and a half to spike a green, and because it’s such a good, quick and clean machine which leaves no mess, we are able to use it once a month. To be honest, I’d like to use it twice monthly, or even weekly, but man power dictates what we can and can’t do.

Complete with a set of pencil tines for regular maintenance work, Mark also purchased a set of hollow and chisel tines for the machine which the groundcare team use for autumn renovations.

"SISIS have been very good to work with and their sales manager Jason Briggs has provided us with excellent service. All in all, we are extremely pleased with the Supaturfman."

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachine

Npower Championship football club, Leeds United, has purchased two Dennis G860 34” professional cylinder mowers, complete with a range of interchangeable cassettes, to help maintain the Elland Road pitch.

Head Groundsman Kiel Barrett explained that the decision to switch from their previous supplier had been driven primarily by the amount of turf maintenance tasks that he can now perform with just one machine.

“Our previous mowers were a lot heavier and although they were only six years old they were becoming unreliable,” explained Kiel. “We had a Dennis G860 which was ten years old and it’s never missed a beat, so when it came to buying a new mower, we spoke to other groundsmen to see what they were using – everyone we spoke to was using Dennis; so it was a natural choice for us.”

The pair of Dennis G860’s gives Kiel and his assistant Oliver Brown a consistent cut quality and height, with the added benefit of rolling which produces a visually superior finish. “Many of our games are televised and the G860’s give us a precise sharp cut that we need for the best possible presentation.”

Kiel chose two 8 bladed cutting cylinders and two tungsten tipped verti-cutter cassettes for regular thatch control, which as he explains mean the club has had to purchase less maintenance equipment.

“Verti-cutting is of major importance at Elland Road, so being able to do this with the same unit as what we use for mowing is a major benefit. They are also extremely lightweight at just 166kgs and extremely easy to use. The cassettes are very quick to change – we can change from cutting to verti-cutting or brushing in quick time.”

With a rich heritage of producing professional mowers used at top sporting venues around the world including the World Cup finals and European Championships, Dennis is renowned with groundsmen looking for the perfect finish.

“The build quality of the G860 is of an extremely high standard. Dennis as a company has been excellent to work with and Ian Waddington, our area sales manager, has been extremely helpful. We see Dennis as one of our key suppliers and I would have no hesitation in recommending Dennis to anyone looking for a versatile football pitch mower.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK. You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers.