Grown by the inch, ruined by the foot (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Grown by the inch, ruined by the foot

3:14pm Monday 19th April 2004 in

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"IT is a stage," says Keith Kent of the cabbage patch that is the home of English rugby. And he should know, as head groundsman at Twickenham he tenders every blade of grass on the world famous pitch.

"It is important to have a perfect pitch every time it's played on, no matter who plays," says the 49-year-old.

And as we sat in the royal box looking down on the pitch the day before the Daily Mail school boys' competition, it became clear that this philosophy is a way of life for the staff of three who maintain it.

A groundsman is cutting the grass with such precision that the mower almost caresses each individual blade and as he crosses the pitch the distinctive light and dark stripes become visible. His colleague is painstakingly rolling white lines onto the grass, making sure every boundary is clearly marked. Watching his staff at work, Keith seems content in his relatively new home.

Recruited by the Rugby Football Union from Old Trafford in 2002, he has 32 years experience with football pitches. He is renowned for his ability to make grass grow and was named groundsman of the year in 1995.

So why did he make the move? "What really sold me was they said they were going to develop the stadium," he said with a smile.

"It is going to be really exciting for local residents and industries, but from a groundsman's point of view it will stop air from coming in and will send me even greyer. Coming here the challenge is to beat the air and light movement."

The development will not begin until 2005 by which time Keith will have been at the stadium for almost three years and beginning to understand what is going on.

"Once the stadium has been completed, there will be a microclimate," he explained. "We can cheat sometimes. I have experiments going on with four foot squares of turf on the car park which are exposed to light and dark and to which we are applying different fertilisers and seeds."

But why is the quality of the grass so important? "If the pitch is in a good condition, then I have done a good job for England. When I am standing in the middle of the pitch looking around, I think to myself this is an easy game. I forget there are 15 other players trying to stop you getting there. It is a nice setting, a beautiful setting. Inspiring."

Moving to the area after years in Manchester Keith has found Twickenham, and his house beside the stadium, easy to settle into.

"It is lovely and has almost a country feel," he enthused about the area. "You would not believe you are in London. We found Richmond, walked around the shops and the river. We take the dog for a walk in Richmond Park. I find it very relaxing and cannot believe we are in the capital of the country."

Keith became a groundsman after answering an advertisement in a Leicestershire newspaper. Realising he would never make it as a professional footballer, his mum convinced him that looking after the ground would be close enough. He learnt his trade on the job nurturing Leicester City's training ground, although he did study what he describes as a boring City and Guilds - it focused on golf courses.

"Then about four or five years ago I needed to advertise for an assistant and realised I was asking for someone with qualifications I didn't have," he explained. "So me and five members of staff decided to do a distance learning course about sports pitches and I found it fascinating."

A working year for Keith at Twickenham is dictated by two factors games and the weather. In the cold months the grass grows very little, if at all, and during dry spells liquid feed is used to ensure a luscious covering of green.

"Before every game I prepare the pitch," said Keith. "That involves double cutting or rolling the grass. Then I check the makings, put the flags and post protectors out and wait for the game to build up.

"My favourite part of the job is when the flags and post protectors are up and the pitch is ready - in some ways the game spoils it." This feeling is summed up by a sign on the edge of the pitch that reads Grass is grown by the inch - ruined by the foot'.

"I'm always nervous for half-an-hour before and the first ten minutes of the game," continued Keith. "I won't know how it will play or how the weather will affect it. After the ball has moved on, I look at the grass and see if there are any divots.

"Once the game is over, I inspect all the areas that have been cut up and put as many divots back as I can."

It is important for Keith and his team to keep the pitch in perfect condition throughout the year, because even when the rugby season is over the pitch is used.

"Twickenham schools have their sports days here," he explained. "It must be a thrill for them and so it is a thrill for us."

But maintaining good quality grass across the entire pitch has its problems. The west side is cast in shadow which means the grass struggles to grow and is often patchy. "Now I have been here for 12 months I am going to try one or two things on the west side to see if we can stimulate more growth," insists Keith, consumed by determination to grow a perfect stage.

One of the biggest challenges he has faced since arriving at Twickenham has also been his most enjoyable. "We hosted our first ever rock concert last year," he said with excitement. "It was the Rolling Stones. To host them was such a thrill."

But a 400 ton, 80ft high stage covering the south-east corner of the pitch for nine days took its toll. "We had to work hard to get the grass up to scratch. But when we played France, I am proud to say you couldn't tell where the stage had been," he insisted.

"Then they came back for a final concert. They got the stage out even faster but the damage was worse because all the grass was young."

Keith joined Twickenham as England were reaching their peak. His first three games were England wins over the southern hemisphere big three - Australia, South Africa and New Zealand - and or course he was at Twickenham when the boys brought the World Cup home. "I stood in the tunnel when the team came out with the World Cup at the end of the Barbarians game. The atmosphere that night was totally electric. It was absolutely fantastic, I will remember that forever."

Lovingly tendering the grass at the home of English rugby is a privilege for Keith, but also a quest for perfection. And it has clearly had an impact on him. "As I leave every evening, I look back through the gates and that is the image I take home with me."

And as we were leaving, he insisted I look back through the gates at the pitch framed by the stadium and I began to understand his quest to grow a perfect pitch, the ultimate stage for any rugby player.