Heavy
usage on the sports pitches at the Trojan Club in Eastleigh, Hampshire, means
that head groundsman Dave Edwards needs to ensure the turf stands up to the
rigours of winter sports.
It is for
this reason he chooses Sherriff Amenity’s Marathon Sport extended release
fertilisers.
The Trojan
Sports Club is a community-based amateur sports club which is run by the
members, for the members and is open to all. The club receives no ongoing
support from local or national sports authorities, and is totally reliant on
member subscriptions, bar takings and fund-raising for its continued survival;
and in a true case of Trojan by name, Trojan by nature - survive it certainly
does.
Trojan is
one of the largest amateur sports clubs in Hampshire and has a long history of
playing sport at a high level including rugby, hockey, squash, cricket and
football. Tasked with ensuring the quality and safety of the sports pitches is
Dave Edwards, who aside from the help of volunteers two days a week, tends to
the large site alone.
Dave has
been in the turf industry for the entirety of his career and after a nine year
spell as a groundsman at AFC Bournemouth, he went onto positions at Iford Golf
Club, Christchurch F.C and Meyrick Park Golf Club before accepting the role of
head groundsman at Trojan two and a half years ago.
It was in
his previous employment that he first became acquainted with Sherriff Amenity’s
Marathon Sport extended release fertilisers.
“I had
previous experience of using the Marathon range and especially when I was at
the football grounds - I didn’t really use anything else. I thought they were
good slow release products which lasted an incredibly long time. In my opinion
there are a lot of slow release products out there which are hit and miss and
it can be a bit of a lottery but I was impressed with the Marathon range. In
summer, the pitches used to really kick on when using them for the end of
season renovations, so when I started here I thought it made sense to start
using them again.”
The
Marathon range is characterised by a balance of nutrients, the analyses of each
product being geared to a specific growth stage or season. With five existing
products in the Marathon Sport range - Autumn, Pre-Seed, Spring, Summer, Lawn
Mini Pack– there truly is a solution for every requirement, no matter what the
time of year.
Across the
four rugby pitches, Dave’s maintenance programme sees him start the season with
the Summer mixture 10.0.15, which he applies at 35g/m2 before turning to the
Marathon Sport Autumn 7.0.21 to ensure good grass coverage over winter. Just
through these two applications, Dave believes that it is all he needs to ensure
the turf stays strong and healthy all year round.
“The
products are very good in respect of providing the turf with a lovely colour
and they are extremely hard wearing - it keeps the grass looking healthy but
toughens it up as well which is what we need for the amount of usage. The
pitches are used approximately 6-7 days a week through the winter and the slow
release gives us great longevity, it doesn’t tail off after a few weeks.
“Overall,
I would say that the Marathon Sport fertilisers are great value for money
without a shadow of a doubt. The customer service I receive from Sherriff
Amenity is also fantastic; I always get products on time and my representative
David Evans is full of advice and very supportive.”
