W managing the multi-sport surfaces at Cranleigh
TOP DRESSING
DLF supports the scale and scope of top-level sport at Cranleigh School
hile the challenges of
W managing the multi-sport surfaces at Cranleigh
School may be akin to those faced by most in the education sector , here they ’ re on a mammoth scale ! With 248 acres of sports pitches , grounds and gardens to keep in quality condition year-round , the priorities when it comes to seed selection is reliability , versatility and tolerance for wear and tear . This , according to Deputy Grounds Manager Andy Burke , they ’ re achieving with mixtures from across the DLF and Johnsons Sports Seed ranges .
Cranleigh is one of Surrey ’ s leading co-educational independent schools and notes a number of leading public figures and some seriously sporty alumni over its 150 + year history . Its high sporting calibre is perhaps unsurprising given the scope of the surfaces available to pupils which includes 21 winter sports pitches , 8 cricket pitches and a 9-hole golf course . When Andy joined the school 9 and a half years ago , mixtures from the Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed ranges were already used site-wide , and he goes on to explain why this has continued .
“ In our environment , and with the sheer scale of facilities , our scheduling of operations and renovations has to be pretty strict which ultimately means we are often putting seed in the ground when conditions aren ’ t perhaps optimal . For example , in the Spring of 2022 we carried out extensive overseeding on our
14 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | November / December 2024