Last week Nigel Youell and his guest Martin Whapshott, Alton Town Council Head Groundsman, attended a RFU / Mitsubishi Volunteer lunch at Twickenham. They were invited by Keith Kent, Head Groundsman at Twickenham, in recognition of the great work that has been done on the Anstey Park pitches over the last year. Hosted by the RFU President, Chris Kelly, the lunch was held in the Members Lounge with stunning views over the pitch and excellent food and some liquid refreshment!
During lunch Martin and Keith compared notes on their respective pitches and discussed a great many ideas and techniques for good pitch management. They both agreed that referees scratching marks in the pitch with their studs was their pet hate but that they were very happy when a game started as the supporters (80,000 in Keith's case) reverted from being expert Groundsmen to expert Referees!
There followed a tour of Twickenham which included the opportunity for Martin to have a closer look at Keith's pitch. He gave it the thumbs up as ready for the England v France game. I would guess Keith may well argue the result was down to the quality of his pitch!!!
The tour gave the two 'older boys' the chance to run out of the tunnel for a photo opportunity. I doubt England would have won if they had been playing...