County groundsmen win national award

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

The hard work of county groundsmen across the country during one of the wettest summers on record has been officially recognised with a prestigious national award.

The Peter Smith Memorial Award, which recognises the presentation of cricket to the public, was presented to Essex head groundsman Stuart Kerrison, chairman of the county groundsmen, at the Cricket Writers’ Club annual lunch in London.

“This year was the wettest summer in 100 years and anyone who saw groundsmen stoically hauling covers on and off, day in and day out, month after month in dreadful conditions out could not possibly argue that they did more than anybody to bring cricket to the public,” said Pat Gibson, chairman of the CWC.

The CWC made a donation to Perennial, the horticulturists' benevolent society, in recognition of the unstinting efforts of county groundsmen.

Yorkshire were the county worst-affected by this summer’s miserable weather. They lost 138.25 hours – 36 per cent of their scheduled County Championship season – to the elements and over 100 hours more than they lost in 2011. Despite that handicap, Yorkshire still managed to clinch promotion last week.

It is only the third time in 20 years that the Peter Smith Award has been presented to a group rather than an individual. Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning side took the award in 1996 and Zimbabwe pair Henry Olonga and Andy Flower, now England coach, were recognised in 2003 for their black armband protest against the “death of democracy” under Robert Mugabe’s regime.

Yorkshire batsman Joe Root was voted the CWC Young Cricketer of the Year, an award which has been presented annually since 1950.

Root, who impressed with England Lions and who has been tipped to succeed Andrew Strauss at the top of England’s Test order, made 937 first-class runs and is the second successive Yorkshire batsman to win the Young Cricketer Award after Jonny Bairsstow.

Somerset batsman Nick Compton was rewarded for a prolific summer in which he was the leading run scorer with 1,494 and the first to 1,000 first-class runs on June 1 by becoming the inaugural winner of the CWC County Championship Cricketer of the Year.


Date: 17/09/2012 18:17:00 by Paul Bolton
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