Job done: round the clock work to install a new pitch at the Wales Millennium Stadium
Posted on: November 20, 2009 by normanmaitland posted in News
It wasn’t long ago that we posted a spoof video showing how we re-turfed the Wales Millennium Stadium in 1min and 29 seconds. Little did we know that, following problems with the turf that were outside anyone’s control, we would be back relaying the pitch again: this time working night and day against a real clock – watched each night by the urban fox pictured here!
There had been some damage to the pitch during the Wales v New Zealand match and we undertook repairs to around 200 metres squared. However, as the final whistle was blown at the Wales v Samoa match the WRU took the wise decision to returf it completely in view of forthcoming fixtures. Inscapes had been placed on standby in case this happened and we had taken the precaution of provisionally contracting-in Premier pitches to help with korrowing off and preparing the ground: the more men and machinery on hand to do this bit the better. Work started at 11pm – one and half hours after the final whistle. We worked through the night and by 7am Saturday had the korrowing done so that work could begin on removing the resulting 700 tonnes of materials from the stadium.
After preparing the ground we started laying the new pitch in three shifts. The first started at 3pm on Sunday and finished at 2am Monday. The second started at 4:30 that morning and worked until 5pm that afternoon. The final shift started then and worked though until the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Hats off to County Turf who had an epic task in harvesting and delivering the new turf by the wagon load at 45 minute intervals. By the time we tidied up on Tuesday and Wednesday the pitch was (if we say so ourselves) looking fantastic. The Wales squad practiced on the new turf on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th November in preparation for the match against Argentina on the 22nd.
Job done: but our installation crews are ready for short break before Monday!
