Regions & Branches

West Yorkshire/Leeds Branch

Forthcoming events for the Branch:

Course details  01908312511       e-mail   training@iog.org     or web  www.iog.org

Please note:

All evening events commence at 7.30 pm sharp unless stated otherwise.
All feedback from members greatly appreciated.
Please contact the Branch Secretary for full details of forthcoming events.

Recent Events;

10th January 2007 Keith Boyce at Cleckheaton Sports Club

Yorkshire County Cricket Club have, yet again, decided that they probably don’t require Keith’s services for the coming year. It’s a carbon copy of the situation he described at our January meeting last year except this time they had the courtesy to mention it to him before posting the P45. I wonder what his opening line will be at our 2008 meeting, could it be a hat-trick?

 You’d think that a man of seventy with over fifty years experience would be fed up with the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”* by now, but not Keith full time groundsman at New Rover CC, he retains the  energy and enthusiasm that has always been  his trademark. He believes the best groundsmen, irrespective of academic achievement, possess an intuitive foresight, affinity for hard work and ability to adapt to new techniques.

Keith is proud to point out that during his seventeen years as Headingley test groundsman it was the only venue never to have a match finish in under four days, a statistic unrecognised by the “popular” media obviously. He is proud, too, of the staff who have worked with him and progressed to prestigious positions especially Jason Booth who followed him at the Rugby ground and has been nominated for Turf Professional of the year. Jason was probably not inspired by the academic curriculum whilst at school, says Keith, but on joining the groundstaff at Headingley proved that his greatest attribute was enthusiasm. He has subsequently worked hard for his qualifications and in turn is justifiably proud of one of his own lads, Ryan Goulding, who won student of the year at Askham Bryan College – the legacy continues.

Jason Booth Headingley Carnegie, Leeds
Jason has been head groundsman at Headingley Carnegie since 2001, preparing pitches for both rugby league side Leeds rhinos and rugby union outfit Leeds Tykes. Never a dull moment at Headingley as the codes overlap summer and winter giving Jason barely three weeks to carry out pitch renovations which have recently included a new drainage system to replace a 40 year old under soil heating system.**

 * W.Shakespeare (playwright)

**Turf Professional magazine

December 2006 Keith Boyce’s  “Botham’s Ashes”

Another good turnout of members at the December meeting were shown a BBC documentary of Keith Boyce’s preparations for the 1981 Headingley Test, subsequently labeled “Botham’s Ashes”. Presented by Sheldon Bonner, who at the time was a twenty-one year old apprentice, the film contrasted the euphoria of the  England team with Keith’s disappointment at the inconsistency of his pitch.

  Determined to put matters right before the following year’s visit of the Pakistanis Keith set about a progamme of spiking, seeding and top dressing using soil imported from York. The method he developed for testing the strength of his loam using the kitchen sink and bathroom scales has become standard practice today (with only minimal refinement). Needless to say the  product of his labour (and Sheldon’s) was a near perfect surface and England won again. Keith’s pioneering methods, meticulous attention to detail and sheer hard graft subsequently laid the foundation for the dramatic improvement in consistency of today’s  Headingley pitches, we just need another Botham and Willis.

November 22nd Manchester City Football Club

Manchester Branch Secretary Lee Jackson kindly extended an invitation to their  meeting at The City Of Manchester Stadium on Nov 22nd when the topic of his presentation was the use of artificial lighting to promote winter growth. Manchester City was at the forefront of research trials using the prototype Norwegian MLR system and are now using the latest production version. The lights are used for 20 hours a day, allowing a 4 hour rest period and can be positioned by one man in about 15 minutes. Strong root growth promotes rapid recovery from wear and virtually eliminates costly re-turfing which had become a routine winter operation.  Energy consumption is 2476 kWh per session. The concept is now so successful that it has been adopted by the majority of Premiership clubs and other prestigious sports venues. Watching “Match Of  The Day” over the Christmas period, I reckon it was possible to pick out the clubs without access to this new technique.  Still at the cutting edge of  new technology Lee is working with Barenbrug to develop cultivar mixes which optimize the benefits of the system.

Blec Sand Master at Leeds Grammar School

Due to the tight schedule of contractor Pugh-Lewis, Head Groundsman Sheldon Bonner was only able to announce their arrival two days before the event. However a  small quorum of members who were able to attend were given a tour of three newly constructed rugby pitches due to be operational by September 2007. Well drained, well grassed and with nine months to mature the new facility should be in first class condition on commission. Sheldon is highly complimentary of Pugh-Lewis’s work.

Operating on the current first team pitch the “Sand Master” was enhancing surface drainage before the onset of winter rains. A sand hopper attached to the “Ground Breaker” produces 20mm wide sand slits, 200mm deep at 260mm centres with minimal surface disruption. The pitch was scheduled for a match the following day and would require only brushing to be playable. Up to 9000 m2 can be  covered in a day.

Simon Heppenstall at Cleckheaton Sports Club

Branch member Simon( Rigby Taylor’s Sales Consultant in our area) gave a thought provoking presentation on water management and wetting agents to our well attended November meeting. After explaining the science behind  soil hydrophobia Simon was keen to emphasize that wetting agents must be allied to sound cultural practices for best effect. Specialised curative versions are available  to destroy established fungal colonies and lay a foundation for routine treatment and aeration regimes.

A number of our members have already benefited from Simon’s advice this summer especially on bowling greens. As a former groundsman himself he understands the conditions and  constraints under which many of us operate.

Simon can be contacted on  email – s.heppenstall@rigbytaylor.com or phone -  07734745018

Middleton CC Hosts its First Level 2 Cricket Course

There’ll be filthy bathroom floors in Wigan, Perth and Glossop after the level 2 courses at Middleton CC. Total Turf Solutions Alan Lewis encouraged delegates to take home their motties and calculate the crushability using bathroom scales. “Understanding The Science” may not be an acceptable excuse in some households.

Alan, a knowledgeable and natural communicator, ably assisted by Middleton’s full time groundsman Ian Mather-Brewster, is adamant that enjoyment is an essential factor in the learning process and subtitles the course “Taking the guess work out of groundsmanship”. Armed with an elementary understanding of soil mechanics, nutrient chemistry and plant physiology the groundsman is able to interpret results of soil analysis and tailor his cultural practices to best effect.

Hosting it’s first Level 2, Middleton CC provided an ideal venue thanks to the professional support from Ian and club secretary Elaine Roydes. Delegates were able to see how the science translates into sustainable management at a county standard facility.

Missing from the “team” photograph is Sri Lankan professional cricketer Ruvin Peiris who, during the lunch break, was busy organising his flight home. Formerly with Middleton, but now playing with Lancashire league side Church, Ruvin delayed his post season departure to complete both level one and two courses. He outlined some of the contrasting cultural practices between Church and Columbo but what he didn’t mention was his 1239 runs in 25 innings. He obviously knows a bit about English pitches already.

Ruvin with his mottie (we wondered how he would get it through airport security)

11th October Nick Gladstone Hurrells Seeds

Guest speakers Nick Gladstone and Simon Travers attended our October meeting at Cleckheaton Sports Club. Who better than the managing director and production coordinator to tell us about the thriving family seed company, Hurrells.

Nick heads the family firm renowned for over forty five years for it’s commitment to quality and customer service. Simon joined in 2003 bringing with him over thirty years experience in the amenity market. The relaxed and informal presentation was very well received by members leading to much informed discussion on current criteria for cost effective seed selection. Are there important characteristics overlooked in cultivar comparisons? Are all the “league table” categories relevant to my sport? When will an appropriate ryegrass be available for bowling green renovation? Why is the label on my seed bag green?     www.hmseeds.com

Level One Autumn Cricket Courses (Alwoodley and Keighley Aug 28 & 31)

Autumn courses are practical “hands on” days designed to cover all aspects of end of season renovations. They are run by experienced professionals (usually Ian Brewster, full time groundsman at Middleton CC) who understand the constraints under which many club groundsmen operate. These courses will help you get the very best out of materials and equipment at your disposal.

Level Two Course (Middleton Sept 20/21)

 A two day course understanding the science behind the practical work.

18th July SISIS Day with Manchester and Shropshire Branch

How often do grass roots groundsmen get to chat informally to directors of a company exporting turf machinery worldwide? William and Roger Hargreaves, grandsons of the SISIS founder, communicate comfortably with the people who use their products.

Twenty-five members were given a tour of the Macclesfield factory where the ruggedly reliable range is assembled, followed by practical demonstrations at The King's School. Amongst items on display were OSCA 3, oscillating brush probably the most effective maintenance tool on rubber crumb artificial, VEEMO, for removal of enormous quantities of thatch in outfields, prototype Mk5 AUTO ROTORAKE with redesigned blade geometry, and JAVELIN AER-AID currently delivering impressive trials data.

The day was both enjoyable and informative. Our thanks go to Messrs.W and R.Hargreaves, UK Sales Manager Keith Vertigan, Territory Managers Andrew Roberts and Allan Gray, Demonstrator Andy "mind your fingers" Walker, the adaptable girls from the office responsible for an excellent buffet and the groundstaff at the King's School Macclesfield.

28th June 2006 Tour of the KC Stadium in Hull with Head Groundsman Mark Harrison

Twenty three members and guests were treated to a "behind the scenes" insight into the management of Hull's Kingston Communications Stadium by Head Groundsman Mark Harrison.

After a brief introduction by Stadium Manager John Cooper (A former Groundsman of the Year winner) stressing the importance of involving the community in education and training, Mark detailed the work involved in maintaining a surface used intensively by Hull City FC, Hull RLFC, the local community and Jon Bon Jovi. It is acclaimed as one of the most "user friendly" Desso pitches in the country.

The visit was co-ordinated by Simon Heppenstall of Rigby Taylor who supply Mark with a range of products to keep the surface in pristine condition. Simon kindly donated a Rigby Taylor shirt which was won by Jim morley who guessed the area of turf to within two square metres, (We think it must be the same size as Batley RLFC).