When Tony Provan moved from Charlton Athletic to become head groundsman at Gillingham Football Club there was only one machine he ever wanted to cut the pitch and training grounds at his new club – a Toro Reelmaster 3100-D.

Tony Provan with Richard Hill of John Shaw Machinery, Lely’s Larry Pearman and Jay Berkhauer.

“I first used the Reelmaster when I was assistant groundsman at Charlton Athletic and it’s stuck in my mind ever since,” explains Tony. “There are two of us in the grounds team here at Gillingham.

“So when it came to choosing new machinery we needed something that would help us save time and allow us to easily get on with the job in hand. With that in mind I knew I was going to look at getting the Reelmaster.” 

Tony and his assistant groundsman Jay Berkhauer have been using the machine on the match pitch and three training pitches every day since it arrived at the club.

“We were previously cutting at 35mm, which was too long. With the Reelmaster we cut at 25mm every day to keep on top of presentation and that takes around two to three hours. It gives such a good quality of cut and a far better finish compared to previous mowers I’ve used. It has, without a doubt, speeded things up and definitely improved the quality of the playing surfaces. Plus it maintains that standard.”

Now productivity and efficiency has improved for Tony, thanks to the Reelmaster’s 21hp engine and exclusive three-wheel-traction drive system. “The Reelmaster cuts properly and gets the job done right,” says Tony. “It’s easy to use and simple to set, and as a result I’m now looking at investing in another.” 

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