30 groundsmen from around the Northern Districts region gathered at Seddon Park on October 16 for an open day/workshop; the fourth year the event has been held.

The purpose of the day is to build connections between groundsmen from all levels of cricket across the region; providing a forum for discussion and learning opportunities.

The format changed slightly for this year, but still included pitch visits to Seddon Park and St. Paul's Collegiate, as well as two guest speakers; Ian McKendry, New Zealand Cricket's grounds and facilities manager, and Susan Freeman, training adviser for Horticulture and Sport Turf.

Additions to the schedule were three workshops, each followed by a Q&A session.

'Renovations' led by Jared Carter of Bay Oval, 'Turf Health' was delivered by Andy Carswell of Seddon Park, while Karl Johnson, also of Seddon Park, led the 'Irrigation' workshop.