Carlisle Rugby Union Club has received three free robot mowers.
As part of a new partnership between England Rugby and STIGA they have taken delivery of the ultra modern mowers to help with the considerable task of cutting grass over eight acres of grass around the club.
As well as delivering practical help to the club, STIGA is also offering 15% discount on all their groundcare equipment, from robots to ride on mowers, strimmers to secateurs, available by using the QR code at the ground on the pitchside board, posters in the clubhouse and on the beermats.
The club will benefit from any purchases, by receiving 5% cashback from the purchase price from STIGA.
The club recently ran a competition to name the robots, through its Facebook page, with club members asked to think of appropriate names for them.
They had already named the smallest one ITSY – short for Itsy bitsy teeny weeny greeny grass cutting machiney, and members were asked to name the other two bigger machines.
A club spokesman said: “We are pleased to announce the winners are Luke from the under 11 age group team, and Hannah Wilkinson from our Cougars women’s team.
“Luke named one of them Duhan Van Der Mower. Luke is an Edinburgh and Scotland rugby fan, so clearly was influenced in the name he chose.
“Hannah, though a Welsh rugby fan, chose Mow Marler as the name for the other one. We’ll see if we can find a suitable haircut for Mow.”
Both winners received prizes from Gilbert Rugby, presented by club groundsman Bill Glendinning.
The robots are currently beavering away, with ITSY tasked to mow the grass behind the squash club, and Duhan and Mow have already cut the second team pitch and are currently working away on the First team pitch for the moment.
Once the grass really gets going they’ll both be assigned to cut a single pitch, most likely the second team pitch, throughout the main grass growing season.
They are designed to cut little and often, which is the optimal regime for grass health, and will cut a pitch up to three times a week during the season.
Mowing times are scheduled around training and game times, and they will cut early morning, during the day and late evening to avoid bumping into anyone.
