Lancs make lightening-quick work of ground preparations with help from TORO

Lancashire head groundsman Peter Marron has shaved well over two hours off the time it takes to cut the outfield at Old Trafford, after bringing in a big new Toro reelmower this season. A feat that could be aptly described as 'Lancashire Lightening-quick'.

With a hefty schedule of matches to fit in from England internationals and the County Championship, to the Twenty20 Cup, to the Pro40 League, C&G Trophy and more, Peter is always looking at ways to improve productivity and get jobs done quicker. And his new Toro Reelmaster 6700-D seven-deck mower certainly does that.

He says: "We can cut the outfield in 40 minutes now, as opposed to our previous time-scale of three hours with pedestrian mowers - that's a fantastic saving. It gives a great fine cut, too, and we take it down to as low as 10mm, which for such a beast of a machine is incredibly precise."

Peter is also delighted with other productivity improvements Lancashire County Cricket Club is benefiting from with Toro's Workman e2050 electric utility vehicles.

"We have just had a fourth Toro e2050 electric Workman delivered, and these vehicles have really helped speed up operations all round," he explains. "No one walks any more. The grounds staff use them for transporting nets and other equipment to the pitch, the catering staff load them up with beer barrels, and the maintenance crew ferry their electrical gear around.

"We used to have petrol and diesel buggies - not Toro's - but they were so noisy and troublesome. So when Toro brought out the electric we decided on a change. They are quieter vehicles, better for the environment and very economical to run. There's plenty of room in the back to take whatever we need to shift, they are also easy to use, comfortable, and you just plug them in at the end of the day to charge them up."

Local Toro dealer Cheshire Turf Machinery provides Peter with first-class back-up. "They are very professional, fast and give us great support," he says.

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: The time-saving Toro fleet at Old Trafford. Peter Marron is standing left, with Peter McGreevy, of Cheshire Turf Machinery, and the grounds team.