these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

e nominated for Non-League Groundsman of the
Year. Paul says he tries these days not to get out on
the pitches as much, not wishing to intrude in the
day-to-day work carried out by Chris. The Estates
Department wanted someone who would play an
active part in policy meetings and the like, so his
job has changed significantly from what it was a
year ago. His main role now is to oversee the whole
picture.
Chris has the support of Dave Crowe, who started
working at the university as an apprentice assistant
two years ago after completing groundsmanship
studies at Hadlow College, Kent’s principal
horticultural study centre. Dave is the fifth
apprentice to have worked on the university pitches
since the scheme was introduced four years ago. It’s
a feeder source for talent, you might say. Two other
members of the team are in charge of all amenity
grass surrounding the university buildings and
student blocks. Regular cutting by triples takes
place over nine months of the year.
The pitches - grass and artificial - are all on what
is known as the Park Wood part of the campus. The
grassed area comprises three football pitches, two
grass rugby pitches, and an 11-strip cricket square -
all of it heavily used, week in week out.
The underlying soil is heavy, claggy clay, so
drainage is an ongoing problem and drains
installed some years ago are only at ten metre
centres. Before Paul’s time, they used to have a
contractor carry out vertidraining, but now they use
their own - both Wiedenmann and Sisis Mega-slit -
and pretty much keep on top of it. If waterlogging
ever occurs, Chris does not hesitate to put a halt to
keep players off, though this is rare. Paul
sympathises with the problems he himself had until
a year ago, and backs Chris to the hilt with such
decisions.
Student football is played to a pretty decent
standard, with the first team playing in the East
Kent League. All told there are three men’s teams
and a ladies team, with season-long mid-week and
weekend fixtures. Mini pitches are also made
available to Canterbury Youth Football and the
Under-16 Academy at Kent’s only Football League
club, Gillingham.
There is slightly less pressure on the rugby
pitches, with fixtures confined to mid-week during
term time only. American Football had also been
popular with students in recent years and a
dedicated pitch set aside for it. This waned and, at
the request of those still wanting to pursue it for a
handful of games, the hard-hat sport shares one of
the rugby pitches.
“The biggest problem with American Football is
pitch marking,” said Paul. “We had to have number
templates made up by staff carpenters. I’m very
much a believer in sport for all, but we’re not
heartbroken that the game is now off the students’
agenda. One game on the rugby surface virtually
obliterated it, so we had to put a stop to it.
“Rugby is a running game,” he said, with an
engrained empathy. “Its affect on a pitch is more
evenly spread. The American game gives a pitch a
very central, unforgiving pounding. As turf carers,
we’re not sorry to see the back of it.”
Paul is also responsible for maintaining the
extensive amenity areas around all of the university
teaching blocks and student accommodation.
Completing the department team and working for
him in these areas are a senior tractor driver who
handles all of the flail cutting and hedge work, plus
a tree man and a gardener for the bedding. All told
his responsibility spans the university’s whole 300acre
site. His work will also include keeping the
campus roadways and car parks clear and
serviceable. Last winter, this was a massive task and,
mercifully, twelve months on, with milder conditions
predominating, he and his team are able to
concentrate on groundswork duties. The pitches are
all the better for it, he says.
Schools & Colleges
“Rugby is a running
game. Its affect on a
pitch is more evenly
spread. The American
game gives a pitch a
very central, unforgiving
pounding. As turf carers,
we’re not sorry to see
the back of it”
Paul Griffiths, Grounds Maintenance Manager, University of Kent