IN ACTION
DRAIN ON TIME Penrith FC had just weeks to transform its poorly performing pitch ahead of a big game. So the club called in Duncan Ross Ltd It takes time to get a football pitch in perfect playing condition. But with just six weeks until a key match, that was something Penrith FC just didn’t have. A lucrative pre-season fixture against League Two side Carlisle United was arranged, but its Frenchfield Park Stadium hadn’t been maintained properly for nine years, with major drainage problems rendering the surface impenetrable. Urgent action was needed, so the club enlisted Duncan Ross Ltd. “The pitch wasn’t draining at all. We had drains that had been dry for the past eight years and Duncan came down and gave us a thesis on what he thought was wrong,” says Brian ‘Billy’ Williams, the Penrith chairman. “He presented a solution – what he thought would solve the problems – and luckily our local council, along with the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, got involved and funded the project.” Within three days of work starting, the top was stripped off using a Koro
SOWING THE SEEDS OF SUCCESS Limagrain’s MM50 seed mix helps Danny Negus provide the best possible playing surfaces at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park
A pristine-looking Devonshire Park court
Frenchfield needed some serious work
“The pitch wasn’t draining at all. The drains had been dry for eight years” Field Top Maker, sand banding was introduced and the pitch was seeded. “It’s been a pleasure for people to come along to the ground and ask what’s been going on,” says Brian. “I’ve been in business myself for the last 50 years and I don’t think I’ve ever met more conscientious people [than the Duncan Ross team], regarding the quality of their work. “We played our game against Carlisle United on 12 July. That had really put Duncan Ross to the test, because the decision wasn’t made
to bring him in until the early part of May. There was just a five- to six-week window to start doing the work, which was quite considerable. “The game against Carlisle meant a lot to us financially, so it was really important that the pitch was ready. Thankfully Carlisle players said they were absolutely thrilled with the condition of it and we’ve had nothing but positive feedback.”
Tennis fan Danny Negus has landed his dream job: head groundsman at Devonshire Park International Tennis Centre in Eastbourne. As a lover of the sport, it’s important to Danny that he’s able to give players the best possible experience. “As the sport of tennis is getting more demanding, players are putting so much into their diets, their mentality and their approach to everything. Therefore it’s only fair that we do the same and provide a great surface for them to play on.” Danny decided that finding the right grass seed was key, and set about testing seed on the sites at Devonshire Park and the two other sites he manages, the Meads Lawn Tennis Club and Moira House school. “I trialled Limagrain’s MM50 last year throughout the three sites, which consist of approximately 27 courts. I wanted to see the reaction of the seed on different sites in different
conditions. It enabled us to see how the seed responded in a tournament situation, and also for club and professional use. The results I got back from the trials revealed to me that it was a no-brainer to use MM50 across all three sites. “It has a recovery rate I’m really impressed with – every time it gets knocked the recovery is huge. The grass colour is also fantastic and its reaction to light has been far superior compared to other grasses I have used before. I think the blends are really good. “Simply put, MM50 is the only seed I use and will continue to use. That is throughout the season – in between the tournaments, any bits of minor renovation works such as baselines and for the main renovation works at the end of the season.”
i
i
For more information visit www.duncanrossltd.co.uk
For more information visit www.lgseeds.co.uk/amenity
www.iog.org THE GROUNDSMAN 43