A FLEET of machines made by Ipswich-based Ransomes Jacobsen is now helping to keep the pitch in trim at Brighton & Hove Albion FC’s new �93million American Express Community Stadium.

The machines being used to maintain the Fibrelastic pitch, which was seeded in April, include an all-electric Jacobsen Eclipse 322 triple mower, chosen by Brighton head groundsman Steve Winterburn for its “green” credentials.

“We are conscious of our environmental impact and that was part of the thinking when we decided to purchase the electric version of the Jacobsen Eclipse,” he said.

“It has adjustable frequency of cut control, which means we can vary the number of cuts per metre for different grass conditions. Obviously there’s no risk of an oil leak, but more importantly there’s no emissions and no noise pollution.

“We’ve had a lot of media interest in the stadium, with numerous TV and film crews here, together with journalists doing interviews. These are mainly done pitch-side and under normal circumstance we would have to stop mowing. Because the Eclipse is virtually silent, we can continue without disrupting the filming,” he added.

Three Ransomes Mastiff walk-behind stadium mowers were also included in the package. These have a special 9-blade cylinder, ideal for sports pitch mowing, and are used specifically for match-day pitch preparation, leaving an attractive stripe across the grass.

Also supplied to the club from Ransomes Jacobsen was an E-Z-GO electric powered ST400 turf utility vehicle, an Iseki TG5470 general purpose tractor, a Cushman Turf Truckster with a demountable Hardi sprayer, a Turfco 1540EC top dresser and from Wiedenmann, a GXi turf aerator and Terra brush.