Grounds Managers from across the country gathered at Headingley Carnegie Stadium in Leeds recently to see some of the latest innovations and developments in sports turf management and maintenance at ‘Pitch Focus’.

This year’s took full advantage of the stadium’s unique offering of first-class cricket and top flight rugby to offer a day of learning and discussion across a diverse range of turf maintenance issues.

Chris Wood demonstrated the pitch inspection he would conduct before a Test match.

The day was staged by Everris and partners Syngenta, Bernhard, EnviroMonitors, Lely Toro and Campey Turf Care Systems, along with the venue’s Head Groundsmen, Ryan Golding and Andy Fogarty, and their teams. 

The morning session was spent visiting stations presented by Syngenta, Bernhard and EnviroMonitors which were situated on the cricket outfield. 

Syngenta’s station addressed the specific challenges that spray application at sports stadia and training grounds presents. Caroline Carroll and application specialist Tom Robinson used a tractor-mounted sprayer to show how XC Nozzles provide even coverage of the leaf surface as well as working on undulations and reducing drift. This means that product gets down evenly to where it is needed.

On the Bernhard station, Steve Nixon, Scott Purdy and Jonathan Templar had set up an Express Dual and Anglemaster sharpening system pitchside to demonstrate the importance of surgically sharp mowing equipment for improving turf health and performance. Guests used macroscopes and prism gauges to look at the visible results from a comparison cut between a sharp and a dull blade.    

The EnviroMonitors team of Jacquie Holdsworth and Jim and Steve Copeland along with Steve Rogers of Davis UK, introduced a range of handheld tools and weather monitoring equipment to help turf managers optimise their time and inputs using factual data rather than guesswork. Attendees were able to take sample readings with some of the tools out on the outfield. 

At the end of the morning session, attendees were given a rare opportunity to walk out to the square with Andy Fogarty and ECB Pitches Consultant Chris Wood, who demonstrated the pitch inspection he would conduct before a Test match. The duo provided the group with a detailed look at three pitches each in different stages of preparation and renovation.

The first was used for the Test between England and Sri Lanka which saw Sri Lanka take victory by 100 runs. They then saw the match-ready pitch for that evening’s T20 Blast game between Yorkshire Vikings and Leicestershire Foxes before viewing the pitch for the forthcoming County Championship fixture between Yorkshire and Durham.  

The group took to the rugby pitch after lunch to visit stations presented by Lely Toro, Everris and Campey Turf Care Systems.

Roger Lupton and Robert Green from Toro irrigation distributor Lely UK built a working sprinkler rig at their station to demonstrate a range of sprinklers for sports applications, including the new patented Infinity series with Smart Access design. Guests were also able to take a closer look at the conversion assemblies that change existing sprinklers to Toro. 

At the next station, Henry Bechelet partnered with Leeds Rugby Head Groundsman Ryan Golding to explain the testing Everris is carrying out to guide turf nutrition and develop an effective fertiliser programme for the Headingley pitch. They described how the disease management strategy is helping sustain turf health in quite testing circumstances. Dr Andy Owen then showed the results they’ve obtained by analysing nutrient leachate from the drainage system to better understand the losses from sand-based pitches. 

Campey Turf Care Systems showcased some of the best innovations in turf installation, maintenance and renovation machinery at their station. David Briggs and Ian Campbell discussed the results obtained by turf managers around the world, including Graeme Farmer at Aston Villa Football Club who used a Koro Field TopMaker with the new Universe® Rotor to transform the management of the club’s training grounds. 

Commenting on the success of the day, Ed Carter, Sales & Development Manager for Everris, said: “Teaming up with other companies to share our research, experiences and insights was fantastic and the feedback we received after the event showed how much guests enjoyed the outdoor, interactive format.”

“What really made it a standout day was the input and enthusiasm of the two groundstaff teams and Chris Wood. To be at such a unique venue and to be welcomed onto the playing surface in the midst of intensive match preparation was a real privilege. We thank Ryan and Andy for being such generous hosts and Chris for opening our eyes to the issues affecting groundsmen preparing pitches in the First Class game.”