Magazine - Villa raises game with new TORO kit

By Lesley Walker in Industry on 3rd Nov 2006 13:00

Aston Villa head groundsman Jonathan Calderwood has improved turf quality and slashed the time it takes to mow his new Villa Park pitch, thanks to a new Toro Reelmaster 2000-D mower and ProCore 648 aerator.

Jonathan was given the go-ahead to invest in turf maintenance machinery after the club installed a new Desso Grassmaster pitch. "I've used Toro before and liked it," he said, "but I did my research first, visiting other stadiums and getting recommendations from groundsmen - I'd seen the ProCore 648 aerator doing a fantastic job at Spurs. The overall result was, go with Toro. This is the first time we've used Toro on the main pitch and both machines are making significant improvements all round.

"The ProCore copes brilliantly on the new pitch. It's easy to manoeuvre, lightweight and as the pitch matures it will really help open up the surface in shady areas where the ground stays damp.

"The Reelmaster is also a great machine - superb cut and so quick around the pitch. Our mowing schedule can get very tight when we need to cut the grass before a midday kick-off, but with the Reelmaster we have reduced mowing time by half. For reliability and easy of use it's the best machine for the job."

Aston Villa is supported by local Toro dealer Abbey Mowers.

Toro commercial turf maintenance products are distributed throughout mainland UK by Lely (UK) Limited, St Neots, Cambridgeshire (tel: 01480 226800), and in all of Ireland by Lely Ireland Limited, Kilboggin, Nurney, Co. Kildare (tel: 00 353 (0)45 526170).

Photo caption: Aston Villa head groundsman Jonathan Calderwood has improved turf quality and significantly reduced mowing time, with the help of a new Toro Reelmaster 2000-D and ProCore 648 aerator.

Read more articles in Industry, by Lesley Walker or from November 2006.