An initiative by the FA to recognise Groundsman at grass roots is now in its second year. The judging at County, Regional and National levels are complete and the winners of the County and Regions' awards announced. For full details of the winners click here. The National winners will be announced at an award ceremony at SALTEX on September 3rd.

The synthetic vs natural turf debate continues, with further discussion at a recent Campey Open Day at Macclesfield Town. Seminar speakers, Steve Patrick and David Rhodes offered their own thoughts on this contentious subject.

They know a thing or two about growing grass in Ireland. They also know about protecting it while keeping it green and healthy, which means free from thatch and disease. People in the know tell you it’s not called the “Emerald isle” for nothing.

Knowing about green grass also means knowing the value of effective top dressing. It’s probably the worst kept secret, yet for all that it is vitally important, since every Greenkeeper knows that regular dressing is the only way to maintain true healthy turf over long periods, while to ignore the process is to court disaster.

So, it will come as no surprise to learn that the very best machinery for applying top dressings comes from the Emerald Isle itself, actually manufactured in County Tyrone, where Ultra Plant have designed, refined, and thus perfected a wonderful range of top dressers.

Click here for full details on Ultra Plant's range of machinery.

1) The Competition is designed to raise the interest and awareness of Groundsmanship and to encourage and promote Groundsmen in Cricket at all levels.

2) The Competition Board, comprising of Cricket World and Pitchcare (it is anticipated that the ECB and IOG will be in partnership with the Awards later in the year) are inviting entries from players, administrators, umpires and local authorities to nominate a Ground/Groundsman for an Award. The award may be nominated for the outstanding Quality of the playing surface, General Upkeep of the Ground, Longevity of Service or an 'against all odds' type of Achievement Award.

The Awards for Groundsmen, outside of the County circuit, will be judged in three catagories - a) Club, b) School and c) Local Authority.

3) The Competition Board will select 9 Regional Winners from the nominated entries who will be invited to attend the Presentation ,at Saltex, in September 2003. Regions are North East, North West, East/West Midlands, South West, South East, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Simply send your nominations with the appropriate category to CGC@pitchcare.com, via fax to +44 (0)1902 824393 or via regular mail to:

Membership continues to grow at around 100 new members per week, and to mark the milestone of our fast approaching 5000th member we have decided to offer a Pitchcare Polo Shirt to the person that guesses the correct date and time that member number 5000 joins. It is simple to enter, just use the drop down boxes below, to select the day and the time and press the submit button. The closing date is at midnight on the 26th May, and the closest guess wins the prize.

Seed, fertiliser, turf, machines, sands and soil, tools, line markers, irrigation parts, in fact anything to do with renovation or pitch maintenance. As a Pitchcare member you can benefit from our group discount prices.

Check out the Pitchcare Shop or call for a price on +44 (0)1902 824392. You've got nothing to lose, everything to gain, and if it's not in the shop then we'll do our best to source it for you.

This month's special offers include a four foot dragmat for the price of a three foot, special hole cutting scissors, and the massively popular Kombi spray marker.

The April winner of the Technical Merit Award 2003 in association with Tillers Turf was Jack Kenneally from Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland.

Jack works as the Golf course manager with Kinsale Golf Club in the tourist town of Kinsale on Ireland's south coast. There is a modern 18 hole course which Jack designed and a picturesque 9 hole course overlooking the sea. Jack is married with three grown up sons and a daughter, likes to play golf in his spare time, and runs his own sports pitch maintenance company with his youngest son. As his prize, Andy has chosen a case of red wine.

April's questions focused on air and soil amendment. Check out the answers to learn all you need to know about how this affects your grass.

May’s questions are all about general turf care. Have a go, or miss out.

Our Job section is regularly updated by Groundsearch and N&G Recruitment but we also have a direct link to the available Groundsman, Greenkeepers and Gardeners jobs nationally, on a daily basis with JOBCENTRE PLUS.

For all of you potential employers we also have a section of keen applicants searching for a new career. We have a list of current job seekers and you'll find their details and contact numbers in our work required section. Alternatively why not advertise your position on Pitchcare. With nearly 5000 members, we are sure to provide you with the right person for the job.

Contact the office on +44 (0)1902 824392 for more details or e-mail jobs@pitchcare.com.

Next Tuesday 27th May at 6pm, Terrain Aeration's Managing Director, David Green talks about general problems affecting sports surfaces, particularly focusing on waterlogging, drainage and compaction. David will also explain in more detail about oil degrading micro-organisms (bugs) and the benefit of using hollow core profiles. To ask David questions live on-line, follow the link in the Pitchcare chatroom to the interview on Tuesday evening (6pm). We look forward to seeing you.

Direct access to a duty forecaster for only £1.50 per minute with no minimum charge. The Met Office’s minimum charge for speaking to a duty forecaster is £17! Click on the map for more details. Call now to speak to the duty forecaster, live and in person:

09061 992 069

Got a big fund raising event planned for the summer? Worried about the weather? The cost of a cancelled event can be frightening - loss of admission charges, committed purchase/hire costs for entertainment and equipment, unsold or wasted food, and so on. Event insurance will take all you worries away, so give us a call for a free no obligation quote on +44 (0)1902 824392.

(Calls cost £1.50 per minute at all times. Available from 0800 to 2000, seven days a week except Christmas Day. Average call time under three minutes.)

Pitchcare always brings you the most interesting and up to date information on what is happening in the grounds industry, and this month is no exception:

• Monthly diaries of things to do and tips for each of the main grass sports.
• Features on groundsmen and greenkeepers out on the tools.
• The latest industry news as it happens.
• Share and solve problems with your colleagues via our Message Board.
• Get the best bargains on second hand equipment and spares.
• Chat to your heart’s content with your fellow groundsmen and greenkeepers.

As we write this newsletter, our membership sits at 4,685 members; not too bad at all in 20 months. However, if we want to drive the industry forward, providing advice, shared knowledge, better conditions, education and pay, then the bigger the membership the more strength we have to achieve this. Our industry deserves to be viewed as professional, so we are asking you to recommend Pitchcare to at least 1 of your colleagues. To send this newsletter to them fill in their email address and name:

Pitchcare was designed and is run by fellow Groundsmen and Greenkeepers for Groundsmen and Greenkeepers. Remember, Pitchcare is your site.