When Harry Wilcox, founder of contractors Wilcox Groundcare, took on his first bowls contract in 2020, he knew having the right equipment would be critical.
After evaluating the options, he found that nothing matched the cut quality of a Baroness LM66 hand mower.
Six years on, and with two further bowls clubs on his books, the decision was made to invest in two more LM66’s – the trio now delivering precise, consistent and efficient mowing on all three sites.
With the assistance of a team of five, Harry looks after a vast and varied portfolio of amateur and professional sports clubs across north-west London, encompassing rugby and cricket alongside lawn bowls.
To get the finesse demanded for a first-class bowling green, Harry consulted with Jon Ryan of dealers George Browns to explore the options. “It quite quickly became clear that the Baroness machine not only gave the best quality of cut and finish, but also the weight and width of the machine was ideal for cutting the green in less time than other hand mowers available” he says.
He specified the LM66 with an 11-blade cutting cylinder, additionally equipped with a front-mounted 94-blade groomer. “This combination is a gamechanger. In one pass I can groom and cut, all-but-eliminating the need to do additional verti-cutting.” Harry continues, “We’ve reduced the poa content on the green by grooming this out, and the amount of weed control we need to do has also reduced as nothing has an opportunity to grow and take hold.”
“We’ve taken this set-up that works so well and now have two further LM66’s, delivered in February 2026, all equipped with groomers at each of our bowling greens. This reduces the need to transport machines around, thereby lowering our chances of transferring weed seeds or diseases from green to green, as well as reducing our risk of knocking machines off cut or damaging them in transit. Each machine can then be fully configured to the needs of that specific site and green, maintaining that all-important consistency and quality with every cut.”
The LM66 from the Baroness pedestrian range is designed to provide the highest quality finish, with a solid build but a light footprint for its class. By utilising nickel-chrome-molybdenum alloy steel cutting cylinders and specially hardened, tipped bedknives, operators are ensured of samurai sword sharpness that keeps its cutting edge longer than any other mower in the market.
He adds, “In terms of maintenance, there isn’t much to say as I’ve not had a single breakdown in the six years I’ve had the mower! We just keep on top of the regular upkeep and in return, get a mower that performs perfectly every time.”
