NEWS RELEASE July 20, 2024
Golf equipment makes the cut for New Zealand Cricket
Crestmead, Queensland (20 July 2024) — Golf and cricket. Beyond hitting a ball around a large area of grass, the sports are united in the pursuit of discipline, technical prowess, and maintaining the utmost concentration during long days in the sun – in an arena governed as much by etiquette as law.
For some, the similarities between the two sports also extend to greenkeeping.
Steve Tsukigawa is Turf Manager at the New Zealand Cricket High Performance Centre at Lincoln University, 20 kilometres south of Christchurch. The complex hosts a range of tournaments throughout the year and is the main training facility for New Zealand's international teams, the Blackcaps and White Ferns, the latter of which Steve's sister, Sarah, represented 61 times.
John Deere's range of golf and sports turf equipment has been a constant at the High Performance Centre since Mr Tsukigawa started in his role in 2017.
"We use John Deere greens mowers and fairway mowers, but we call them pitch mowers and outfield mowers," he said.
"While they're not labelled as 'cricket mowers', they're essentially doing the same thing for us as they do on a golf course. The greens mowers do a great job keeping our turf healthy by giving a clean cut, while the fairway mowers give us the power and longevity to cover a pretty huge section of grass."
The facility features three cricket ovals and a modern 18-pitch greenhouse, constructed in 2022, allowing year-round training in controlled conditions. The technology helps manage light and moisture, enabling constant pitch maintenance and creating an ideal training environment for players. The greenhouse also allows for simulating different pitch conditions for better preparation ahead of international tours.
"It's a pretty jam-packed schedule all year-round between training camps, tour games and tournaments, so the reliability of our John Deere equipment is super important as we can't really afford to have breakdowns," Steve said.
"The mowers are really nice to drive and super easy to use with things like setting the cut height and changing the reel to base plate, which is handy as we often have apprentices out here and they can master the equipment quickly."
The John Deere fleet at the High Performance Centre includes two 7700A PrecisionCut™ Fairway Mowers, three 220SL PrecisionCut Walk Greens Mowers, two Gators™, a 4066R tractor, 3000CX loader and a ZTrak™ Zero-Turn Mower.
John Deere Australia and New Zealand Production Systems Manager, Stephanie Gersekowski, said the condition of the facility is a testament to the versatility of John Deere's sports turf equipment.
"It's definitely not just golf we cater for," Ms Gersekowski said.
"Across New Zealand and Australia, countless sporting clubs, including polo, hockey, football and cricket are using John Deere equipment to manage their grounds.
"From precision mowing to aeration, raking, spraying and heavy hauling, achieving the perfect playing surface is made a lot easier with our sports turf solutions."
On top of the versatility and reliability of the equipment, Steve says the ongoing support from the Drummond & Etheridge John Deere dealership in Rolleston is invaluable to him and his team.
"We're pretty lucky having a dealership 10 minutes up the road so they're close by if we need them," he said.
"John Deere's service is a big reason we stick with them. If we ever need a mechanic or a regular service they're right onto it."
About John Deere:
Deere & Company is a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, golf & turf, construction, and forestry equipment. We help our customers push the boundaries of what's possible in ways that are more productive and sustainable to help life leap forward. Our technology-enabled products including the John Deere Autonomous 8R Tractor and See & Spray™ are just two of the ways we help meet the world's increasing need for food, shelter, and infrastructure. Deere & Company also provides financial services through John Deere Financial. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at JohnDeere.com or in New Zealand at JohnDeere.co.nz.
Media Contacts:
Tim Vetter
tim.vetter@bluehillpr.com.au
0439 681 793