Latest news with #turf
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Chris Scott takes brutal swipe at famous Aussie venue as Geelong wrap up convincing win
Geelong boss Chris Scott has hit out at the Sydney Cricket Ground, claiming that the turf looked more like a cricket pitch in India than a footy oval. It came as the Cats kept the pressure on Adelaide at the top of the AFL ladder, after his side cruised past Sydney, securing a 43-point victory, even without their star man, Jeremy Cameron, scoring a goal. While Sydney has been struck by a deluge of rain over the past few months, the veteran footy coach was not at all happy about the playing surface, claiming the centre square was rock solid. He took a walk out to the middle of the footy field to check over the SCG's turf. Alongside the Gabba, SCG grounds staff chose to leave the turf wicket in place during the winter months, while other grounds like the MCG and the Optus Stadium remove the wicket during the footy season. Scott did commend the grounds staff for their work preparing what was a lovely surface but then questioned the centre square. Chris Scott took a swipe at the famous pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground, claiming the centre square was 'like Mumbai' Scott also claimed that the SCG had covered up the centre square in order to protect the cricket pitch from the rain before Geelong were set to perform a captain's run 'The actual surface looks beautiful, the rye grass is quite soft, I know there's been a lot of rain up here,' he said. 'But it's the contrast between quite soft area outside the centre square and then pretty rock-hard centre wicket area — it's just not conducive to AFL football. 'That's for them to work through, but my position would be, if you think that's optimal for AFL football, you don't understand what's optimal for AFL football. 'It looked like Mumbai out there,' he added. 'But again, not my concern, really. Well, it was my concern today, but I wouldn't read too much into my body language.' Geelong had held a captain's run at the SCG earlier this week, but Scott stated that in order to protect the centre of the pitch from the rain, the SCG had covered the centre square. 'I wasn't that worried; it was exactly what we expected. We rocked up here yesterday and the centre wicket's covered,' he said. 'I'm not sure there's much point having a training session the day before when the pitch is covered — it's pretty much the reason we're here.' Cats spearhead Cameron was held goalless as the visitors posted a 16.15 (111) to 10.8 (68) result in front of 37,565 fans at the SCG on Sunday. Geelong had held a captain's run at the SCG earlier this week, but Scott stated that in order to protect the centre of the pitch from the rain, the SCG had covered the centre square Jeremy Cameron endured a difficult outing with the Cats spearhead failing to score a goal Scott's side should easily wrap up second spot for the finals with lowly Richmond up next for their final home-and-away clash. Ladder leaders Adelaide, who are one game clear, will also be heavily favoured to beat strugglers North Melbourne. Geelong would gain home team designation for their finals if they finish top two, but the AFL has said they would be at the MCG rather than the Cats' GMBHA Stadium. "Our ambition is just to win the next game and I think that would get us a home final," Scott said. "The language around, 'Oh, we won't settle for anything less', it implies that if there was less on the line that we'd try less. "I just don't subscribe to that theory. We should be trying to get every single bit right now." Cameron was looking to make strides towards becoming the first player since Lance Franklin in 2008 to reach 100 goals in a season. Instead, Cameron - who leads the league on 79 goals - finished with just 10 touches and one behind under close attention from Sydney defender Tom McCartin. Shannon Neale was electric early with four goals in the first half, while Tyson Stengle and Shaun Mannagh slotted three goals apiece. Cats midfielder Bailey Smith collected 30 touches and five clearances. Cats midfielder Bailey Smith collected 30 touches and five clearances during the match Geelong coach Scott pulled all the right levers to limit Sydney's midfield stars, with Mark O'Connor brilliant in a tagging role on proven match-winner Isaac Heeney. Heeney (one goal, 15 disposals) could not contain his frustration and gave away three free kicks to the Cats defender for high blows and a dangerous tackle. Isaac Heeney's free kick was reversed following this "high contact" push.#AFLSwansCats - 7AFL (@7AFL) August 17, 2025 "The only discussion I had with Isaac is to worry about what he can control," Swans coach Dean Cox said. "Frustration can get the best of you and it happened a couple of times tonight." Errol Gulden and Chad Warner had little say, while Pete Ladhams impressed (two goals, 35 hitouts) as a fill-in for concussed Swans ruck Brodie Grundy. Sydney had started brightly and kept Geelong goalless until near the 20-minute mark of the first quarter. But the Swans fumbled their 20-point lead, with Neale kicking two goals to fire the Cats ahead. Ladhams responded to draw scores level at 4.3 (27) at quarter-time, with Cats ruck Mark Blicavs spraying his after-the-siren snap from the boundary. A rare McCartin goal helped the Swans regain the lead but it didn't last long. Geelong wrestled back momentum with two Neale goals and built a nine-point lead at halftime when Stengle kicked his first major. The home side slotted only one goal in the third quarter before Tom Papley reached the 300-goal mark with a long bomb from just outside the 50m arc.
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘He Ran Huge': Doncho Sets World Record On Turf At Ellis Park
'He Ran Huge': Doncho Sets World Record On Turf At Ellis Park originally appeared on Paulick Report. History was made Friday, Aug. 8, at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming when JAL Racing's Doncho set a world record for 5 ½ furlongs on turf in :59.75, eclipsing the mark of :59.80 set by Cogburn in 2024 at by Brian Hernandez Jr. and trained by Michelle Lovell, Doncho went gate-to-wire in race 7 to score an 11-1 upset in the allowance event. 'I'm so proud of this horse,' Lovell said. 'He deserves the credit. He ran huge today, and I'm so thankful he was able to get to the winner's circle again. Breaking a record by doing so was icing on the cake.'The 4-year-old gelded son of Mo Town has now improved his record to four wins from eight previous Ellis Park track record for 5 ½ furlongs on turf was 1:00.26, set by Totally Boss in 2019 during the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint. Live racing resumes Saturday through Monday at Ellis Park with daily first posts at 11:50 a.m. is Ellis Park Derby Day, featuring six stakes races led by the $300,000 Ellis Park Derby presented by Hallway Feeds (Listed) and the $200,000 Groupie Doll (Listed).The day also serves as Kentucky HBPA College Day, with scholarship prizes awarded throughout the 10-race more information about racing and gaming at Ellis Park, visit This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Matrix Helix from Hellas Installed at University of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium
LINCOLN, Neb., July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hellas, A TenCate Company, has completed the installation of its Matrix Helix® turf system at Memorial Stadium, home of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. "Working with a historic program like Nebraska to provide its athletes with a top-tier surface is a privilege," said Jeff N. Smith, president of Hellas. "Our Matrix Helix turf will deliver best-in-class performance and safety for the Cornhuskers." The installation includes Matrix Helix® synthetic turf, Cushdrain® shock pad, and Realfill® infill—matching the system installed at the university's indoor practice facility, completed in January 2025. "I have had the privilege to work with Hellas on several significant projects," said Kortne Gosha, senior associate athletic director, capital planning and facilities at the University of Nebraska. "Their professionalism, attention to detail, and superior product quality have consistently exceeded expectations." The Matrix Helix® turf system is trusted by 14 NFL teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, and Los Angeles Rams, for its durability, playability, and consistent performance. Cushdrain® enhances safety and field longevity by absorbing impact and protecting the underlying subgrade, while Realfill® provides optimal traction and shock absorption. "Hellas continues to be the preferred partner for collegiate and professional sports programs," said Michelle Kuhns, VP of the Central Region for Hellas. "It's an honor to bring our expertise to Nebraska and we look forward to a great season of football on our turf." About Hellas Construction Inc. – Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Hellas is America's largest sports contractor specializing in the manufacturing, construction, and installation of sports surfaces and amenities. Hellas is a single-source provider of turf, tracks, courts, sports lighting, and sports amenities projects. In addition to hundreds of K-12 and collegiate sports projects across the nation, many NFL teams play or practice on Hellas turf. For more information, visit Hellas is a TenCate company. With more than 300 years of expertise and nearly 5,000 employees worldwide, TenCate is a global company with strong local roots. TenCate provides high-performance turf systems for sports, landscaping, and outdoor living in more than 60 countries. For more information on TenCate, please visit Contact: Erica Rumpke Director of Public Affairs, Media and Internal Communication 513-484-6795 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Hellas, A Tencate Company Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Turf grower's fields 'dry as biscuits' after heatwave
A turf grower who supplies Wimbledon and football stadiums including Manchester United said "relentless warm temperatures and drought" have had a "heartbreaking" Hutton, managing director of Tillers Turf, near Lincoln, said between 65 and 75% of his fields were dry after a lack of rainfall since Hutton said he felt frustrated at having to "sacrifice" watering some fields in order to prioritise harvesting high end produce. "It's a challenge, we don't really know what's coming next." Mr Hutton said just over 1in (30mm) of rain had fallen on his 2200 acres (890 hectares) of fields since the end of to a lack of rain Mr Hutton said he had to prioritise watering high end turf used for football stadiums, Wimbledon and Lord's Cricket Hutton said because of his efforts, those venues had not been impacted, but lower grades of turf had. "There's no ifs buts or maybes, we've thrown everything at it," he said."We put our blood sweat and tears into what we do." Out of the 135 fields, Mr Hutton said they are only able to water 25% through irrigation said he avoided checking the weather forecast."What falls from the skies is what we get."According to the Environment Agency, areas in north-west England and Yorkshire are in drought. The organisation said other parts of the country could soon follow if dry weather conditions continued. According to Mr Hutton, some turf which had been grown to use on golf courses had been affected by the heat and would have to be sold at a lower cost. "So that means profit loss, it sells for a lower grade," he said."Its incredibly frustrating."Technical manager Richard Owens said the heat had the ability to "burn out" some fields. "Its quite crisp and crunchy, not how we like it to be" he said."It's like a Ryvita biscuit."Although relentless periods of heat was frustrating, Mr Owens said he tried to keep a positive outlook."The weather is out of our control, there's only so much we can do."We're doing our best."Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Click here, to download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and here, to download the BBC News app from Google Play for Android devices.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Fun To See What She Develops Into': Return To Dirt Possible For Nitrogen Post-Belmont Oaks
'Fun To See What She Develops Into': Return To Dirt Possible For Nitrogen Post-Belmont Oaks originally appeared on Paulick Report. After a 17-length romp in the sloppy, off-turf Grade 3 Wonder Again that was just 0.27 seconds slower than the G1 Met Mile, a true dirt race is being considered for standout turf filly Nitrogen, reports Blood-Horse. Undefeated in five starts this year, Nitrogen is the expected favorite in the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 5 at Saratoga. Depending on how she performs, the D.J. Stable homebred could target the G1 Alabama Stakes over 1 ¼ miles on dirt. Advertisement "The plan is that if she runs well here, she'll probably come back in the Alabama. It will add a lot of intrigue to that race if she shows up," Casse told Blood-Horse. "I've tried to keep her and La Cara separate, but they will probably meet there. I know Nitrogen would love the mile and a quarter. She's developed a bit of a following now, and it will be fun to see what she develops into, and it would be great for racing to see her do big things." The Belmont Oaks Invitational is the first Grade 1 offered to 3-year-old fillies on grass in the United States this year. Yet to win a G1, Nitrogen was third in the G1 Natalma and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at two. The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro out of an Uncle Mo mare is held in high regard by Casse, comparing her to the likes of multiple Grade 1 winners Tepin and Got Stormy, 'At this point in her career, she's much more than those two.' Read the full report at This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
