Flooded clubs benefit from Keith Kent visits
KEITH Kent, the RFU head groundsman at Twickenham Stadium, has spent three days making emergency visits to some of the rugby clubs who have been badly affected by the recent flooding across England.
Even though he is in a particularly busy period, between home RBS 6 Nations matches for England against Ireland and Wales, Kent took time out to offer practical advice and support to some of the clubs in the Midlands, South West and London & South East whose pitches have suffered from waterlogging, flooding or contamination as a result of the recent treacherous weather.
‘Our normal programme of 100 clubs visits needs to be planned months in advance in order to fit in with Keith’s busy schedule at Twickenham, so hats off to Keith who has made himself available at short notice, in the middle of two massive Six Nations matches at Twickenham,” said Ted Mitchell, the RFU Club Facilities Technical Manager.
“I have no doubt it will make a great difference to clubs to have advice from someone with such knowledge and experience, especially when they are facing such difficult challenges brought on by the excessive rainfall.”
Kent was accompanied on his visits this week by members of the RFU’s team of Area Facilities Managers and Rodger Bowles from Rigby Taylor, a company that supplies products for the improvement and maintenance of sports turf.
Keith Kent’s three-day visit took in Avon RFC in Bath, Bromyard RFC in Herefordshire, Stourport-on-Severn RFC in Worcestershire, Eton Manor RFC and Romford and Gidea Park RFC in Essex, Tonbridge Juddians RFC in Kent, Weybridge Vandals RFC in Surrey, Portsmouth RFC in Hampshire and Wallingford RFC in Oxford.
All the clubs visited were identified by the RFU’s team of Area Facilities Managers as being in need of support.
Keith Kent is regarded as one of the leading sports groundsmen in the country having spent 15 years as head groundsman at Manchester United’s Old Trafford football stadium and the past 11 years in charge of the turf at Twickenham Stadium.
Kent’s expertise and advice are much sought after and his regular pitchcare workshops at rugby clubs across the country are hugely popular.
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