Pitch Perfect
Bulldozers, fresh sand, and an unexpected gift for Staines RFC: the latest on pitch renovations at Twickenham Stadium.
As parks and gardens became dustbowls nationwide due to lack of rain, the Twickenham Stadium pitch was being nurtured by Head Goundsman Jim Buttar and his team.
Renovation work began on 15 August, Jim’s birthday. The pitch was stripped by a specially adapted machine, designed with a big spindle scraping up to 50mm of vegetation off and exposing the fibres.
The pitch is one of the most iconic and best playing sports surfaces, a high-tech Desso GrassMaster version having been installed by the RFU in 2012 for about £1.2 million.
Bulldozers dug up 9,000 tons of rootzone as the old Fibresand pitch reached the end of its life and, over 14 weeks, strands of artificial grass were sown into the pitch 20cm deep every 20mm,
This hybrid pitch, a 100% natural sports grass pitch injected with artificial turf fibres means less wear on the natural grasses, with the grassroots intertwining with the fibres below the surface. Thus creating a stable surface for the players.
19 lorry loads to Staines RFC
The recent renovation saw a gift but not for the birthday boy, as 19 lorry loads of material removed headed to Staines RFC for their groundsman Angus Thompson to use, rather than sending it to landfill. Meanwhile 155 tons of fresh sand was spread on the Twickenham pitch, together with one and a half tons of nutrition. Then 600kg of seed went down, with a seeder on the back of a tractor creating dimple in the surface and then covering the seed to stop it drying out or providing lunch for the local pigeons.
“The seed needs to be where it’s dark, moist and warm, so once it’s in the soil it’s in its happy place,” says Jim. “Within 84 hours we could see germination and a week later we did the first cut. We are not affected by hosepipe bans as we are a sports ground with a business requirement. After the first cut we cut about four times a week, depending on the weather, and then there’s four of us out with the mowers. On average we will walk 10 miles every day.”
114 years and counting...
Originally laid in 1908 after Billy Williams bought up ten Twickenham acres for £5,572.12s.6d in 1907, the pitch area was raised above flood levels of the nearby Duke of Northumberland’s River. The first ever match was played on the hallowed turf in 1909 when Harlequins beat Richmond 14-10. And the pitch was in pristine condition for the first international in 1910, when England ended a 12-year losing streak to Wales with an 11-6 victory.
Matches continued until World War 1 when rugby was suspended, and Twickenham Stadium became part of the war effort, horses grazing on the pitch in readiness for battle, and the ground used as a store.
Looking to the future
Jim and his team can be seen at half-time on match days putting divots back in place after the wear and tear of scrummaging. After the match they are out with rotary mowers which, like vacuum cleaners, hoover up vegetation kicked out during the match and keep the surface clean from debris.
Says Jim: “The Desso Grassmaster pitch is a decade old now and we will have to look at what we are going to do regarding removing the original fibres and bringing in new material. A Rugby World Cup year would probably suit best as there would be more time in the autumn to grow in a new pitch without the tight time constraints.
“Right now though, it’s a question of being ready for two days training on the pitch in early October ready for Argentina. We should be in a good place and for me I see being at Twickenham as an honour and a chance to be its custodian for a period of time. I love the job, having put in 14 years at Spurs and then being a pitch consultant travelling the world and training staff to look after sports turf, being here at the Home of England Rugby is really special.”
