Kubota UK deliver first-class finish for Abbey Rangers F.C.

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Abbey Rangers Football Club has stepped up to the mark this season to deliver a first-class finish across its 14-acre site at Addlestone Moor Secondary School.

Daily maintenance is the responsibility of Club Chairman, Denis Healy, and his team of five volunteers, along with their high performance Kubota STW34 utility tractor.

Formed in 1976, the grassroots football club originally accommodated junior boys from the ages of seven to 16 and was set up by the local community on the playing fields of the closed secondary school. Fast forward 41 years, the secondary school has now reopened and shares the club’s nine pitches. Abbey Rangers’ greenkeeping team is accountable for ensuring the pitches are kept in perfect condition, every single day.

Denis commented: “After having spent a number of years using an old worn-out tractor, our new responsibility to maintain the grounds for both the players and the students required a machine that would deliver a higher standard of finish.

“I knew Tim (Area Sales Manager) from our local Lister Wilder dealership very well and he brought the Kubota STW34 utility tractor down with a cutting deck so that I could test out the machine on the pitch. I cut the first team pitch and was so impressed by the tractor’s hydrostatic transmission (HST) and bi-speed turn that I purchased it to help me easily complete the daily maintenance tasks.

“The tractor and cutting deck combined are fantastic and have made maintaining our pitches incredibly quick and easy. I can now cut one of our full-sized pitches in 20 minutes and the presentation of it is second to none. With the old machine it would take me all day to cut the nine pitches, but now I can do it in about 3 ½ hours. The Kubota utility tractor offers the perfect balance between manoeuvrability and durability, whilst its factory-fitted cab makes the job so much easier. The additions of air-con and radio are a huge bonus when you’re using it all the time.”

As a new club in the Combined Counties Premier League, Abbey Rangers shares the playing fields with the local secondary school and will be welcoming an £800,000 synthetic 3G pitch in early 2018 to accommodate around the-clock-matches and practice sessions. This means that it’s even more important to ensure that the team can efficiently and effectively provide a world-class finish.

Denis continued: “As we look towards another season in the top flight of the Combined Counties League, our Kubota STW34 will be a catalyst for ensuring our pitch is one of, if not the best surface, to not only play football on, but also for the pupils to enjoy.

“I’m delighted that we made the decision to purchase the Kubota from Lister Wilder. It’s been a massive help to the club and will be prolific in the school reopening and the developments continuing on the new 3G pitch. If the club continues to grow at the rate at which it has over the last couple of years, I would not hesitate to look at other Kubota machines as possible investments; the performance is outstanding and the reliability of the machine we currently use is excellent.”

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