For the second time in three years, Ross Spry, Head Groundsman at Cheltenham College, has been named as ‘Groundsman of the year’ by the English and Welsh Cricket Board in the out-grounds category. The award, which has been running since 1997, is in recognition of the standard and maintenance of pitches used for County Cricket games. Umpires score each pitch throughout the cricket season, markingdifferent aspects of the wickets’ performance, from bounce and movement to the evenness of grass coverage and how well the game can be played on it.

Ross, who has worked at Cheltenham College for over five years, runs a team of five groundsmen who prepare the grass pitches all year round, including six College and three Junior School cricket pitches, as well as a County Square.

He commented: "To be recognised by the English and Welsh Cricket Board for the standards we set here at College means a great deal to me and my team. There is a lot of hard work that goes into preparing and maintaining a cricket wicket; more than many people realise. We start preparing the wickets with preseason rolling in February and then it's a gentle increase in work up to the College’s cricket season and the Festival. In the meantime however, there are plenty of rugby and hockey pitches to maintain!”