Aussie groundsmen tour UK

Ricky Ponting and his team-mates were not the only Australians to visit the United Kingdom this summer.

Three members of the Australian Ground and Garden Managers’ Association also made the trip as part of a development programme linked with the ECB via Pitches Consultant Chris Wood, who visited Australia and spoke at the Association's conference in June 2004.

Rob Savedra from Wesley College, Melbourne, Bill Sciarretta from Scotch College, Melbourne, and Warwick Starr from Bankstown Council, Sydney, spent three weeks touring schools and sporting venues across the country as well as visiting Cranfield Soil Science Laboratory and the Sports Turf Research Institute at Bingley.

They received funding from their employers to take part in the exchange, which aims to give groundsmen from both countries the opportunity to compare working conditions and practices and to find out whether they are affected by similar issues at work.

The trio got to meet Australia captain Ricky Ponting © Getty Images

A gruelling itinerary took them right around the UK and as it coincided with a number of sporting events, provided the group with a number of 'once in a lifetime' experiences such as meeting Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting out on the square at The Brit Oval and being driven in a golf buggy down the fairway at St Andrews during The Open.

Rob Savedra is grounds manager at Wesley School, a traditional school in Melbourne which is the largest in the country with more than 3,500 pupils. It also sets the benchmark for sports surface standards, hosting the training sessions for the World Elite cricketers prior to their series of one-day internationals against Australia earlier this month.

He wanted to find out whether budgets, running costs, machinery and working conditions were on a par with those in Australia and to find out about the relationships British grounds managers have with their employers, in comparison to his experiences at home.

"It's been fascinating to see at first hand some of the turf management techniques used by the guys over here", Rob commented.

The weather makes life difficult for British groundsmen © Getty Images

"Take cricket preparation for example. The weather's so different in the UK - either too wet or too dry and there's a real danger of over-rolling.

“We're luckier in that with 80% clay content in the soil we'll roll just before a match to close the cracks.

"The cricket groundsmen over here have a very difficult job to do.

"I got the impression that grounds managers in the UK aren't valued in the same way as they are in Australia. They don't seem to enjoy the same level of communication with their managers as we do.

"I was surprised by the amount of grounds without irrigation and some having to make do with travelling sprinklers. In Australia, every pitch would have an irrigation system.

“I was also surprised by how little fertiliser is used in the UK. Everyone's so environment conscious, not wanting to spray if it's not absolutely necessary.”

Visiting Lord's was a highlight of the tour © Getty Images

Rob believed the trip was a huge success and was particularly grateful for the chance to visit The Oval and Lord’s.

"The whole trip was amazing. Visiting The Oval and Lord's just two days prior to international cricket was an honour and a privilege,” he commented.

“I was struck by how calm the guys were before such a major event - cool as cucumbers! Gordon Moir at St Andrews also took time out on the Friday during The Open to show us his machinery and irrigation system.

“Visiting world-class venues was great, but the hospitality shown to us by everyone involved in our itinerary was amazing and we're extremely grateful to them for making our trip such a success."

Since returning home the group has presented their findings to relevant institutions and are spreading the word about how knowledge can be shared across the globe.

Rob is looking forward to welcoming the party of British grounds managers that will be visiting Australia in 2007, adding: "The hospitality will be reciprocated of course, but you can bring the Ashes!"