Magazine - Articles by Tom James (Page 2)

Ups on the Downs
5 Aug 2010 - Racing - Tom James - Issue 31 - Jun / Jul 2010
“There’s a place for figures and science in the industry, but you can’t always go by the book, sometimes you have to deal with matters as they come up”. So says Nigel Whybrow, Head Groundsman at Epsom Downs Racecourse

Earning his Spurs ...
2 Aug 2010 - Football - Tom James - Issue 31 - Jun / Jul 2010
Tottenham Hotspur Grounds Manager, Darren Baldwin, is playing a pivotal role in the club’s new stadium and training facilities. These are exciting times for the North London club as Tom James finds out

Security & Theft II
23 Jul 2010 - General Sports - Tom James - Issue 31 - Jun / Jul 2010 - 1 comment
Most crime reduction measures are common sense but, sadly, they are not common practice. In part II of his article, Tom James questions the police about security issues, investigates what deterrents there are on the market and finds out what one manufacturer is doing to make their products more secure

A tale of two turfs
28 May 2010 - Tennis - Tom James - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010
Under assault by the powers that be, grass courts can make just as much financial sense as synthetic ones, given the right maintenance regimes, Tom James talks to Paul Bishop about maintaining both grass and artificial tennis courts

The Keeper of the hallowed turf
27 May 2010 - Cricket - Tom James - Issue 30 - Apr / May 2010 - 2 comments
Mick Hunt is celebrating twenty-five years as head groundsman at one of the most prestigious sporting venues in the world, the iconic Lord’s. Tom James talks to him about his career and the pressures he faces to maintain the hallowed turf

The Waitt goes on!
31 Mar 2010 - Racing - Tom James - Issue 29 - Feb / Mar 2010
Tom James meets Andy Waitt, Clerk of the Course and Estates Manager at Folkestone Racecourse, and finds that he's had a difficult winter.

The Garden of Cricket ...
23 Mar 2010 - Cricket - Tom James - Issue 29 - Feb / Mar 2010
Kent CCC has emerged from the cold snap ready for the grounds maintenance programme to begin in earnest, reports Tom James, who meets a head groundsman committed to the cause

Flat out at Salisbury!
29 Jan 2010 - Racing - Tom James - Issue 28 - Dec / Jan 2010
With Pitchcare, ALS and Fornells Fencing sponsoring the Neil Wyatt Racecourse Groundstaff awards for the next three years, we thought it would be timely to catch up with the team who won the 2008 Flat trophy.

The perfect partnership
25 Jan 2010 - Golf - Tom James - Issue 28 - Dec / Jan 2010
A former greenkeeper at Wentworth and Sunningdale, Darren Lee has taken over as Course Manager at Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club. Report by Tom James

Bowl'dly Going ...
29 Dec 2009 - Cricket - Tom James - Issue 27 - Oct / Nov 2009 - 1 comment
In twenty years with Hampshire CCC, Nigel Gray has seen the club develop facilities that are set to place it in the premier league of international cricket. But there’s even more to come, as Tom James discovers

A touch of Glass!
18 Dec 2009 - Cricket - Tom James - Issue 27 - Oct / Nov 2009 - 1 comment
Nestled in the medieval village of Midhurst, and bordering Cowdray Park polo club, is one of the gems of Britain’s local cricket tradition. Tom James reports on the Head Groundsman of Midhurst Cricket Club who is providing ' a touch of Glass'

Leeds Castle
5 Dec 2009 - Best of the Rest - Tom James - Issue 27 - Oct / Nov 2009
Tom James meets Estates Grounds Manager, James McConkie, who works and lives at one of Britain’s most beautiful historic settings, the imposing Leeds Castle, now a private charitable trust. He finds a man very content in his surroundings

The Driving Force
16 Oct 2009 - Golf - Tom James - Issue 26 - Aug / Sep 2009
Driving is second nature for members at the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park estate, where golf and memories of the freedom of the open road rub shoulders. Tom James meets Course Manager Bob Wiles and finds that he has been the driving force.

Goodwood
25 Aug 2009 - Best of the Rest - Tom James - Issue 25 - Jun / Jul 2009
Under the entrepreneurial auspices of Lord March this dramatically beautiful corner of England has become, arguably, the country’s greatest sporting estate - hosting not only horseracing, motor sport and golf, but flying, shooting and cricket, not to mention a calendar of glamorous social events.

Health & Safety Part II
17 Jul 2009 - H & S - Tom James - Issue 25 - Jun / Jul 2009
Is machinery and equipment as noise and vibration-free as some manufacturers and suppliers claim, and are clubs doing enough to reduce the risks? Tom James uncovers some worrying trends in part two of his special report on health and safety, which also looks at sun scares and pesticides application

Keeping Up Appearances
25 Mar 2009 - Football - Tom James - Issue 23 - Feb / Mar 2009 - 1 comment
Spearheading changes in football playing surfaces for the top flight can be a precarious occupation, especially when you run the risk of being cruelly exposed to trial by media - not to mention the club and supporters - if the venture falters.

Rebirth for the Marshes
4 Oct 2008 - Football - Tom James - Issue 20 - Aug / Sep 2008
Hackney Marshes, one of Britain’s most renowned community sports resources, is to receive a multi-million pound facelift under plans newly unveiled. And not before time it seems. “I wouldn’t put cattle in some of the changing rooms,” was the reaction of one official after a tour of the facilities last year.

Lacrosse roads?
10 May 2008 - General Sports - Tom James - Issue 18 - Apr / May 2008
A sport sidelined for decades is enjoying a groundswell of interest but is still battling a shortfall of adequate facilities.

Cliffhanger
17 Mar 2008 - Bowls - Tom James - Issue 17 - Feb / Mar 2008
Many people wouldn’t associate the word cliffhanger with the sport of bowls, exciting as it often is. But, in the case of St John’s (Meads) Bowling Club, the term is more appropriate than they would perhaps like.