Airforce rescues rugby match

AIRFORCE RESCUES RUGBY MATCH

By Carol Dutton

"Airforce", Terrain Aeration Services' hydraulic Terralift machine has helped a South Yorkshire rugby club maintain its fourth division position, at the top of the league.

Sheffield Rugby Union F.C. was in danger of having an important fixture against Middlesbrough cancelled, mid season, due to one and a half inches of surface water which had been accumulating on the pitch, for two to three days.

Carl Fulford, Ground facilities Manager at Abbeydale Sports Club, Sheffield, for the last 18 years, called in T.A.S, who arrived the day before the match, and treated approx. one fifth of the ground, concentrating on the worst affected, central areas.

Probing to a depth of one metre, at two metre spacings on a staggered grid pattern, "Airforce" injected air at 10 to 15 bar, to create underground fissures, which were back filled with Lytag. At the end of the operation David Green, T.A.S MD said, "we finished the job under floodlights, but by the time we left the surface water had completely gone."

The weather took its cue from the company's departure, the heavens opened and it rained all that night and into the following Saturday morning.

"We had a bit of forking to do on untreated areas, and the match just about went ahead," remembers Carl. "I can honestly say that without the Terralift treatment we would have had to postpone, which would have cost the club around £2,000. As it was, the home team won."

This is the company's third visit to Abbeydale Sports Club in the last three years. Previous contracts have been to relieve compaction panning on the club's busy crown bowling green.

For further information on aeration and drainage treatment please contact Lynda Green on Tel: 01449 673783 or e-mail TerrainAeration@aol.com..