Groundskeeping Journal Issue 10 2022 | Page 46

M at Exeter Rugby Club for over 11 years with full responsibility as the Head Groundsman for the last four years . Working as part of a team of three with one first year apprentice they carefully maintain the premiership rugby pitch , alongside the two Desso rugby training pitches , the grounds and car parks . With over 100 players training three to four times a week it can be quite the challenge with the small team to keep everything in top condition .
TOOLS , PLANT & EQUIPMENT

Iseki hits the mark for exeter rugby club

ISEKI UK & Ireland , distributors of ISEKI compact tractors and mowers alongside their local dealer MST based in Tiverton , recently sold a TG6507 IQ to Exeter Rugby Club
ax Sandford has been working
M at Exeter Rugby Club for over 11 years with full responsibility as the Head Groundsman for the last four years . Working as part of a team of three with one first year apprentice they carefully maintain the premiership rugby pitch , alongside the two Desso rugby training pitches , the grounds and car parks . With over 100 players training three to four times a week it can be quite the challenge with the small team to keep everything in top condition .
Following the recent multi-million pound investment and a new East Stand built , the stadium now has capacity for over 15,000 fans and with the new hotel development it offers the opportunity to hold numerous events throughout the year .
When the pitches were built a couple of years ago the consultant helped specify the equipment required , this included a 35hp tractor , Wiedenmann Spiker , sprayer and zero turn mower . Since moving up from a championship to a premiership side there comes an increase in expectations , so 18 months on the club needed to upsize their equipment to cope with the increase in demand .
Commenting on the equipment Max explained ; “ In order to cope with the larger aerators required we needed a larger tractor so we went out to the market to obtain three demonstrations and quotes . This is where we came across the ISEKI TG6507IQ . Scott Struthers , from our local dealer MST Group in Tiverton , brought this machine to us so we could test it out on our site . Its high lift capacity of 1,580kg , tight turning circle , auto pick up hitch and of course the highly specified cab made our decision easy .”
“ Another brilliant feature of the TG6507 IQ is the headland management system that can be set to automatically disengage the PTO on lifting and
46 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | March 2022