Pitchcare Feb March Edition - Featuring Eamonn Murphy

Educational Establishments

Sometimes, the careerdecisions one takes can leadto bigger and better things.That was certainly the casefor Eamonn Murphy, Grounds& Gardens Manager atHaileybury in Hertfordshire, ashe explains to Peter Britton

A rewardingcareer change

Haileybury

76 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015


PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 I 77

In the mid nineties, Eamonn Murphydecided to leave a career at a largeconsultant engineering firm in centralLondon to pursue one that he wouldenjoy. That decision saw him study foran HNC in Sports Turf Amenity Horticultureat Otley College in Suffolk, during which timehe took a work placement at Ipswich TownFootball Club, following which he went on tobecome Senior Groundsman, working underthe highly regarded Alan Ferguson; aninspiration, states Eamonn.

In 2002, Eamonn left the Suffolk club totake on the role of Deputy Head

Groundsman at Haileybury, an independentco-educational boarding and day school inHertfordshire. Eamonn was quickly promotedto Head Groundsman in 2004, and becameGrounds & Gardens Manager in 2010.

It was in 1806 that the Honourable EastIndia Company commissioned William EWilkins (later the designer of the NationalGallery, Downing College, Cambridge, andmuch of the University of London) to planthe buildings for its new training college forcivil servants for India.

On an area of empty heath, just a fewmiles south of the county town, Hertford,

Wilkins created his buildings in a neo-classicalstyle around a large grass quadrangle - stillregarded to be the largest academicquadrangle in the land - and here the EastIndia College flourished for fifty years.

It was one of the countrys mostdistinguished centres of scholarship andteaching and the training ground forgenerations of those destined to governBritish India.

Four years after its closure in 1858,Haileybury opened its gates once again, thistime as a public school. In 1874, a Haileyburyhousemaster was appointed the first

The grounds here are simply stunning and wehave, arguably, some of the most picturesquesports pitches in the UK


Our departmentholds regular toolbox sessionsrelating to relevantissues, for exampleworking on slopesand banks, hand armvibration and suchlike

Haileybury Grounds & Gardens Team

Eamonn Murphy

headmaster of the United Services College atWestward Ho!, which later moved toWindsor and became the Imperial ServiceCollege.

In 1942, Haileybury and the ImperialServices College combined to becomeHaileybury and Imperial Service College; nowsimply known as Haileybury, such is itsesteem in education circles.

Moving from the relative order of leaguefootball to work at Haileyburys 500 acre sitemight, to some, appear foolhardy, butEamonn says it has been the highlight of hiscareer thus far. The grounds here are simplystunning and we have, arguably, some of themost picturesque sports pitches in the UK.

There are 250 acres of formal and informalgardens, sports pitches and associated areas,with the remaining 250 acres beingwoodland.

As you can imagine, the department has awide and varied range of staff, includingspecialists in tree work, grounds, horticultureand pest control. Where possible, staff withcertain skill sets, knowledge or experienceare involved in any relevant procedures

relating to that particular skill. On theoccasion of inclement weather, in particularperiods of heavy snow, it is an all hands tothe pump approach to ensure the campusremains open. The department has its owngritting policy.

Eamonn has a staff of eleven to supporthim: Ian Mackay is my Deputy Grounds andGardens Manager. Adam Smith is ourqualified mechanic; he does all servicing ofdepartment machinery and vehicles. NeilAllison, Chris Bartlett, Graham Perrin, LukeWhite, Ryan Wilson and Steve Whorlowmake up the Grounds and Gardens staff,whilst Michael Ricketts, Christian Bath andRob Lloyd are the teams tree surgeons, withthe latter two also responsible for pestcontrol. They also work on the grounds andgardens on a regular basis. Ian, Christian,Michael and Luke are our registered firstaiders.

All staff are compliant with currentlegislation, continues Eamonn. Ourdepartment holds regular tool box sessionsrelating to relevant issues, for exampleworking on slopes and banks, hand arm

On the occasion ofinclement weather, inparticular periods ofheavy snow, it is anall hands to thepump approach toensure the campusremains open




vibration and such like.Ongoing training is a key part of the

department. Where relevant, all staff havethe opportunity for training and I also ensurethat they all have current and updatedcertification for their own qualified skill set.

Im also looking to appoint an apprenticein the near future, as I believe it is importantto encourage youngsters into the industry.My staff and I set high standards and Ibelieve that, with our extensive experience,we have a lot to pass on to the next

generation of industry colleagues. Haileybury employs an efficient and

helpful Health & Safety Manager, FionaRussell.

As with all top public schools, presentationranks highly - first impressions count. Afterpitch safety, it is a very close second on thelist, confirms Eamonn. In the formal areas,it is all about aesthetics as Haileybury, quiterightly, requires a high standard ofpresentation. Soil samples are taken inJanuary on all sports pitches and some of the

higher profile amenity grass areas to ensurethat remains the case.

The pitches are highly regarded, so muchso that they are regularly used by TottenhamHotspur and also Hertfordshire rugby inconjunction with Saracens. They areoccasionally used by other professionalfootball clubs and local clubs. Several localcommunity football clubs, with ages varyingfrom 13-16 years old, as well as OldHaileyburians cricket and football teams playat Haileybury.

We can cut our pitches more quickly, evenly and cleanly.The front and rear rollers stripe the pitches nicely and no tractor wheel marks are left after mowing.Chris Parry - Loughborough Endowed Schools Head Groundsman

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Logistically, it will bedifficult, especially asTottenham Hotspur'ssummer camps are stilltaking place. It will be achallenge, but one thatI am up for. I love achallenge


Somehow, with a lotof hard work by theteam, all the grasspitches and someformal areas areoverseeded duringthe Easter prior tothe pupils return

This year, both the Argentinian and USAnational rugby teams will be using ourpitches as their training grounds for theRugby World Cup 2015 - a pretty goodaccolade to the state of our pitches today,states Eamonn proudly. Our rugby pitch infront of our College Terrace and Chapel issurrounded by 450 year old oak trees and isone of the most picturesque pitches anyonecould play on in the UK.

With so much extracurricular activity, plusthe constraints of an educationalestablishment, what end of seasonrenovations can Eamonn and the teamundertake?

Its certainly not as easy to fit in as, say, astandalone sports club. It is furthercomplicated by outside lets during the termbreaks. Somehow, with a lot of hard work bythe team, all the grass pitches and someformal areas are overseeded during theEaster break (not leaving much of a window;three weeks generally) prior to the pupilsreturn.

The 1st team rugby pitch is scarified inearly July (3-4 passes), overseeded with DLFPremier Pitch grass seed and topdressed

with 40-60 tonnes of 70/30 rootzone.Depending on need, sports sand is applied tothe 1st team pitch over the Christmas breakperiod.

All four cricket pitches (this year, thisnumber will increase to five) are firstlyscarified by AT Bone contractors, with theremainder of works carried out in-houseusing Surrey GOSTD 125 loam and acombination of DLF Premier Wicket and DLFwicket.

The College has a long and celebratedhistory, continues Eamonn, of which weare all very proud. In terms of the pitches,they have been used for sports since theearly 19th Century. Over the years, theCollege has played all the major publicschools on its pitches, including Harrow,Tonbridge, Uppingham and Wellington and,to this day, retains a prestigious fixture list.

The soil is London clay which requiresplenty of aeration, both shallow and deep;the timing of which is crucial. We use a ToroProCore SR70 (using a wide variety of tinesand sizes) and a McConnell deep slitter,followed by sand topdressing, whenappropriate.



We do have drainage of various forms onsome pitches, in particular the 1st teamrugby pitch and1st/2nd team cricket outfield,plus mobile cricket covers for the 1st teamcricket square but, in an ideal world, moredrainage, additional covers and irrigationwould be top of my wish list. Morerealistically, another John Deere 4720 tractorand a couple of utility vehicles would also beuseful. Oh, and more sunshine and blue skydays!

Our biggest concern, sports pitch wise, is

to ensure they are in prime condition for theCollege pupils and visiting teams to use.With the World Cup squads being here laterin the year, we have scheduled additionalwork to ensure our pitches are the best theycan be this year.

Logistically, it will be difficult, especiallyas Tottenham Hotspurs summer camps arestill taking place. It will be a challenge, butone that I am up for. I love a challenge.

Eamonn is responsible for thedepartments budgets, which are agreed via

an annual financial meeting with the Bursar.Additional meetings with the Bursar are heldthroughout the year, as required.

All machinery is purchased outright fromlocal dealers, most notably George BrownGroundscare, Oliver Landpower Ltd and RTMachinery. We aim to stay loyal to thesesuppliers, where possible. Weve built upgood relationships with Steve Lee, JamesBoyle and Richard Taylor at the respectivedealerships. This ensures that we not onlyget best price on new equipment, but also

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that we are well looked after when it comesto spares and repairs.

Recent purchases have included a TrimaxProcut which produces a quality aestheticpresentation to the pitches, a Toro SR70aerator which is versatile and efficient anda Toro 3100D which presents the formalgrass areas to a high standard, commentsEamonn.

Machinery is hired in for scarification forend of season cricket renovations and a sidearms flail is required for some areas of thesite. AT Bone are the contractors of choicefor the sports pitches and BW Services areused for any landscaping works.

In addition to the natural turf surfaces,there are two full size sand filled pitches andeight macadam tennis courts.

These are maintained in-house withregular brushing of the surfaces. The sandfilled pitches receive a quarterlypowersweep courtesy of Technical Surfaces.Annual pitch inspections take place andrejuvenation is carried out, when required.

Construction of the second full sized all-weather surface resulted in the loss of one ofthe existing rugby pitches. So, in conjunctionwith this build and to restore/increase thenumber of grass pitches, a new grass areawas created from a horse paddock. This will

accommodate two rugby pitches which, inthe summer, becomes a fifth cricket squareand outfield. All topsoil removed from thenew artificial pitch construction was utilisedon the new grass pitch area.

The weather provides a constantchallenge. The seasons dont appear to beas defined as they once were, suggestsEamonn, certainly here in the south ofEngland anyway. This makes our jobincreasingly more complex. Winters, ingeneral, appear to be less cold, which createsissues with disease; and the summers can behit and miss also.

The last couple of years has seen anincrease in worm and chafer grub activity,which I put down to the generally milderweather. We try to control the worms with asuppressant and use a target specificchemical for the chafer grubs.

Regular cultural practices greatly reducepest and weed outbreaks. If and whenrequired, we apply systemic weed controland apply a total weedkiller to all hardstanding areas. But we are ever mindful ofenvironment issues here; it is crucial to keepour ecosystems healthy and vibrant.

Where possible, we do things inenvironmentally friendly way - the wholedepartment is sustainability and

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environmentally focused. We have purchased severalpieces of kit - chainsaws, blowers, strimmers,hedgecutters and mowers - that are battery operated tohelp reduce our carbon footprint. We have instigated acompost tea fertiliser programme, which has greatlyreduced the amount of inorganic product being appliedneedlessly to the soil.

I firmly believe that it will only be a question of time,in the near future, that inorganic products and chemicalsare banned from being used at educational sites, similar tothe legislation in Europe and North America. We like to beone step ahead, if possible.

We keep aware of all industry developments and bestpractice in terms of environment and sustainability.

It is our intention to construct a wildflower meadow inone of our dormant fields in the near future, Eamonnconfirms.

As I stated earlier, working at Haileybury has been thehighlight of my career so far. It has opened up so manyopportunities to learn new procedures and techniques.And it also gave me the opportunity to be involved in apitch project in Almaty, Kazakhstan as anadvisor/consultant.

The project involved transforming a former Russianarmy pitch into the national Kazakhstan rugby pitch,explains Eamonn. This project came about becauseHaileybury has recently opened Haileybury Almaty, one ofour two sister schools in Kazakhstan, and some of therugby sessions at the school in Almaty were undertakenby the captain of the first team.

The Kazakhstan Rugby Union were hearing goodreports about our first team pitch in the UK and, with thekind permission of the Bursar, I was invited, on severaloccasions, to travel over to Almaty to assist and consult onthe improvement, care and maintenance of their pitch.

So, within two hours of landing at Almaty airport,following a seven hour flight, I found myself deep indiscussion with the president of the Kazakhstan RugbyUnion - a meeting that (mainly due to translation) lastedthree hours!

Consulting on the project was a fantastic opportunityand something that, although providing lots of logisticaldifficulties, was a rewarding, yet challenging experience.But thats another story for another time!

Who are you? Eamonn Murphy, Grounds &Gardens Manager, Haileybury.

Family status? Live with my lovely sixteenyear old daughter Yasmin.

Whos your hero and why? Jose Mourinho,Chelsea Manager: a great man, managerand leader.

What would you change about yourself?To have some hair on my head to brush!

Whats your guilty pleasure? No pleasuresare ever guilty for me!

Whats been the highlight of your careerso far? Working at Haileybury, whicharguably has some of the best and mostbeautiful sports pitches in the UK. In termsof a specific project: assisting theKazakhstan Rugby Union in transforming aformer Soviet Union military rugby pitchinto a pitch to be used by the nationalKazakhstan Rugby team at HaileyburyAlmaty, one of our two sister schools inKazakhstan.

Which three people, living or dead, wouldyou invite to a dinner party? Billy Connolly,for pre and post meal entertainment;Katherine Jenkins, purely for her singingability of course! and David Attenborough,for discussions during the meal to tellstories about all the places he has visited.

If you could be anyone for a day, whowould it be and why? TV personality JoeyEssex, just to see what it would be like inhis world.

Do you have any bad habits? I have anequal amount of good and bad!

Do you go to bed worrying about the nextdays workload? Not generally, I enjoy myjob, even when theres a challenge!

What are you reading at the moment?Never really been a book reader but, whenI do, it tends to be sport autobiographies;the latest one I read was Roy Keanesautobiography.

What are your pet peeves? Arrogance, badmanners, and know it alls.

If you could go anywhere right now,where would it be? The Moon.

Whats the best part of your job?Satisfaction of being part of team that hasproduced work to a high standard. Comingto work each day in a beautifulenvironment and working on some of thebest pitches in the UK.

... and the worst? Being constantly askedwhat the weather forecast is going to be,either for that day or the future.

Do you have a lifetime ambition? Soundslike a clich, but I would love to see asmuch of the world as possible.

Favourite record, and why? Thats adifficult one; it all depends in the mood Iam inat the moment, its Happy byPharrell Williams.

Who would you choose to spend aromantic evening with? Holly Willoughby.

If you won the lottery, what is the firstthing you would do? It would depend onhow much I won I am not one of thosepeople who say they would continueworking; I would retire and travel.

If you were to describe yourself as amusical instrument, what would you beand why? A pencil and enough stuff tobeat it on to get a good sound. I go to thebeat of my own drum.

Whats the best advice you have everbeen given? Always do the right thing and,regardless of the outcome or consequence,keep doing the right thing.

Whats your favourite smell? Freshly bakedbread.

What do you do in your spare time?Watch and play sport.

Whats the daftest work related questionyou have ever been asked? I get asked somany, as I am sure we all do in thisindustry. I was recently asked if we couldrake off the frost just prior to a footballgame!

Whats your favourite piece of kit?Amazone, because of its versatility and endresult.

What three words would you use todescribe yourself? Confident, level headedand relaxed.

What talent would you like to have?Psychic powers so I could predict thelottery numbers.

What law/legislation would you like tosee introduced? Introduction of three dayweekends!

Eamonn Murphy - happy with his lot, especially ifKatherine Jenkins and Holly Willoughby are around!

GETTING Personal...


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Pitchcare Feb March Edition - Featuring Eamonn Murphy