Ewan Hunter, Grounds Manager, and his deputy Mathew Tietjen with the Ransomes Mastiffs, new and old. Click picture to enlarge

Ewan Hunter, Grounds Manager at Nottingham Forest Football Club has recently purchased a new Ransomes Mastiff walk-behind mower for pitch preparation at the club’s City Ground. 

Purchased from local Ransomes Jacobsen dealer Platts Harris at nearby Tuxford, the 36”, six blade mower will be used exclusively on the fibresand playing surface by Ewan and his deputy, Matthew Tietjen. RANSOMES JACOBSEN is a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company.

“This new Mastiff replaces an older machine, which has served us well for many years,” said Ewan. “I saw this latest version at Saltex last year and was impressed with the upgrades that had been incorporated into it. We had a demo from Platts Harris which proved conclusive. It’s now better balanced, even more comfortable to operate and the quality of cut is spot on.”

Ewan is responsible for six staff spread over three sites at the training ground, academy and the stadium. He began his career as a greenkeeper at various golf courses in East Anglia and while on day release studies at Otley College, worked with Alan Ferguson at Ipswich Town. He moved to Delapre Golf Club in Northants before joining Rushden and Diamonds FC as Deputy Head Groundsman. Within six months he was promoted to Head Groundsman and three years later joined Forest.

“I’ve had a rounded career to date,” he added, “which has given me an excellent grounding for the job here at Forest. The management are very good when it comes to investment in maintenance equipment and with good support from our local dealer we have the ability to provide a quality playing surface that is the envy of many clubs in the top divisions.”

Ransomes Jacobsen is a subsidiary of Textron Inc., a $13.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 34 countries with approximately 44,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.