A Quick Brush for Moulton College

Tony Hawkinsin Synthetics

There are three full-sized artificial sports pitches as part of the facilities at Moulton College in Northamptonshire. In addition to providing these for the College they also offer bespoke training, conditioning and rehabilitation camps for sports teams.

The floodlit, third generation rubber crumb pitch, specifically designed for football and rugby, was the first of its kind to be developed in the county. There is also a water-based hockey pitch at the College's Pitsford Centre, which has a carpet surface, among the many other sports pitches and courts available to professionals and the public alike.

It is important then to be able to maintain the surfaces in top condition and that comes under the watchful eye of Grounds Manager Andy Flower. Visiting last year's Saltex, he took a good look at artificial surface brushes and arranged a demo with GKB Machines of their Quick Brush QB 200 and Topfinish. What he and his team were looking for was simplicity, while being able to brush the artificial surfaces quickly and easily. Dirt between the fibres readily promotes algae growth and results in the knock-on effects of reduced drainage, hardening of the surface and of course a deterioration of the appearance. With surfaces sanctioned by the Football Association for tournament match play, there can be no effort spared in keeping the pitches in top condition.

"We chose the GKB Quick Brush and Topfinish drag mat having considered powered units. What we liked, in addition to the excellent job they made of cleaning and standing the carpet up, was the fact there are so few mechanical parts, plus there are stiffer brushes and low maintenance costs. Without the cost of a powered machine we also had money left over for other pieces of kit." Says Andy.

He and his team were also impressed with how fast the Quick Brush works, saving time compared to powered brushes in what is a small maintenance window. They were equally impressed with being able to clean quite wet surfaces without smearing, and the drag mat in the wet is very effective at working the rubber back into the surface.

www.gkbmachines.com 07495 883617.

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