Pitches at busy training grounds can take a lot of wear and tear, so an effective pitch renovation regime from British Seed Houses is essential to maintain the quality of the turf.

A prime example is the ground at Sale RFC's Carrington Road where, in addition to providing training facilities for Sale Sharks, the pitches are also in demand four evenings a week under the floodlights and are used every weekday by schools and rugby development squads.

More high profile bookings have recently included the England A team training for a nearby friendly game and the GB rugby league squad.

The ground was first developed into pitches from farmland seven years ago. Three pitches were drained and sandbanded as they were established, with the remaining two being converted from meadowland. They were sown with a ryegrass, hybrid bent and red fescue mix and since 2005 have been reseeded annually with a perennial and ryegrass mix.

After a meeting with British Seed Houses’ area manager Paul Moreton, Head Groundsman David Lomax trialled the company's A20 mix on the sandbanded areas. Lomax reported that the ryegrass mixture - which combines the Gallus, Vesuvius, Lucius and Carnac cultivars - rooted well, and he was sufficiently impressed to choose it for his reseeding programme in 2008.

David used an average of 10x20kg bags of A20 per pitch for last spring's reseed, drilled using a Charterhouse overseeder in three passes, with a fourth in worn areas. The seed came through within seven to 10 days, and that there was good coverage within a month.

David was able to top off the new growth with a rotary mower after four weeks, and moved on to the cylinders he uses to get a top quality finish within six weeks, although as the wet weather set in, he went back to the rotary to protect the sward.

Getting the right fertiliser was also key. Soil sampling showed that a low Phosphorous formulation was needed. Working with technical specialist Mike Butler, Moreton recommended Floranid NK for use on the main pitch.

According to David Lomax, the technical advice and support offered by British Seed Houses' Paul Moreton was invaluable. Originally from New Zealand, Paul has been in the amenity industry for 10 years and has worked for British Seed Houses since moving to the UK. He is also familiar with the needs of the end users of sports pitches, having played rugby and cricket to a high level.

"Paul understands that I'm working to a tight budget but that I want to produce high quality rugby pitches," David explained. "He has been very helpful, organising soil tests, offering advice and taking a keen interest in the pitches. Having trialled British Seed Houses' A20 mix and Floranid fertiliser in 2008 with excellent results, I now have a baseline to work from and can go forward with Paul's help to produce quality pitches in an economical way."