Before... and after.

Long before I joined the club, Beech Hurst’s green had a fine reputation (older skips are always telling me so).

In more recent times, the state of our rinks has been inconsistent, to say the least, not least last “summer” when two or three months of virtually incessant rain, following a less-than-inspiring autumn and winter of work on the green, left it in a sorry state.

As the weather improved, so did the green. But it was Mid Sussex District Council’s decision to appoint Glendale as its greens contractor that kick-started the improvement that has seen it widely complimented this year.

And at the centre of the transformation stands Marley Brooks, the Plumpton College student, who is Glendale’s greens guru.

He started looking after Beech Hurst last September, at the end of last season. And through hard work, abundantly evident dedication and a bit of know-how, he had it in tip-top shape by the time the new season started in April.

Tireless worker

Above are photos he took (click on them to enlarge) – one of the green when he took over and another about a month ago. Senior club members have been full of praise for his efforts – as have many visiting bowlers.

Club secretary Jennie Evans, who has worked closely with him since he was appointed, says: “Marley has worked tirelessly getting it back to a good playing condition.

“He often cuts the green around our important games so that we look smart, and even on a Sunday when we had an event on the bank holiday.

“He is studying for his level-3 advanced sports turf technician apprenticeship and he also has a certificate in spraying for pesticides and putting feed and fertilizer out. Marley has also received tractor training.

“He is a very nice young man”

Photos: Marley Brooks/Jennie Evans