Millfield gets the MM treatment

Craig Richardson, Head of Grounds and Gardens, is using a range of MM and Designer grass seed on a variety of sports pitches at the prestigious Millfield School in Somerset.

Boasting a fascinating history and a brilliant present, Millfield is one of the leading UK independent schools for boys and girls, aged 2-18 years. It all started back in 1935 when six princes were brought back from India to be educated by the School’s founder Jack Meyer.

The School grew steadily and in 1939 became one of the first independent schools to be coeducational. It was shortly after that Millfield gained fame as the first in the country to deal successfully with dyslexic pupils.

Fast forward to the present and Millfield continues to gain widespread recognition for both academic success and an outstanding array of extracurricular activities. Sport is also a serious matter at Millfield and it proudly holds the reputation of the best sporting school in the UK.

“I can’t think of a sport that we don’t have here,” said Craig, who has been in his position at Millfield since July 2016.

Indeed, Millfield is known for its sporting prowess and has produced many top-class international sports persons and Olympic athletes. One look at the stunning sports pitches and amenities will tell you that no stone is left un-turned in providing facilities of the highest quality –and that’s where Craig and his team of 24 grounds staff come in.

Maintenance regimes for all surfaces and gardens across the three sites (Millfield Prep School, Millfield School and Kingweston Sports Ground) are set by Craig and he uses a wide range of suppliers to identify only the best equipment and materials.

One such supplier is MM Sports Seed and Craig has been a long-term advocate of the company’s range of grass seed.

MM is one of the most respected brands in the UK sportsturf and amenity industries and is relied upon at top sports grounds throughout the UK and beyond.

In particular, Craig uses MM10 on the School’s golf greens which offers good, dense putting surfaces; MM50 - a hard-wearing ryegrass mix which is ideal for cricket squares and outfields; Action Replay (from the Designer range) for winter pitches; and MM60 – which Craig reserves for the main pitches.

“I solely use MM60 on what I class as my premium pitches. These are the pitches where we have installed drainage and irrigation and carry out annual fraise mow renovations, these include our first team pitches for football and rugby.”

MM60 is renowned for producing an excellent playing surface. It is a 100% ryegrass formula which is perfect for renovation and divot repair, has a high disease resistance, fantastic aesthetic qualities and offers extremely fast germination – which is boosted by the inclusion of Headstart GOLD.

“It’s important that the first team pitches get the MM60 treatment. The mixtures are clean, they give me peace of mind, you know what they are going to do, and they perform. Ultimately, I always get good results from the seed.

“Furthermore, Matt Gresty (UK sales and marketing manager) provides everything you want and more. He is full of technical knowledge and is always there when you want him.

“What I like about Matt is that he always provides an honest and informed view.” n www.mm-seeds.co.uk