Steve Birks was elated to be named as Groundsman of the Year as Nottinghamshire continued their hugely successful 2017 by winning four categories at the Business of Cricket Awards (BOCAs).
He collected The Bernard Flack Memorial Trophy, which has been awarded to the outstanding head groundsman in county cricket since 1972.
This year for the first time the award was presented at the black-tie BOCAs ceremony held at Lord’s, which has been recognising non-playing excellence in the professional game since 2006.
In addition to winning that trophy for the quality of first-class pitches at Trent Bridge in the Specsavers County Championship and the Investec Test against South Africa, Birks was a joint winner of the award for best One-Day pitches – including the Royal London One-Day Cup, NatWest T20 Blast and white-ball internationals – with Andy Ward of Leicestershire.
“It’s a great honour to win the award, not just for me but the whole groundstaff team and everyone else at the Club,” he said.
“We work alongside Director of Cricket Mick Newell and Head Coach Peter Moores to provide the kind of pitches they want our team to play good cricket on and if we get a good mark from the assessors, then that’s great.
“But the most important thing is to help Notts as we try to climb the table and win trophies and Championships – that’s what matters to me, at the end of the day.”
Birks had previously won the four-day award in 2012, and this is the third time in seven years he has been recognised in the One-Day category, after he won it outright in 2011 and 2016.
He added: “It’s about knowing what you are doing, having a good team around you and working well with your coach by trying to give them what they need.
“Cricket pitches are marked out of six and for the last two seasons we’ve had 5.9 – the highest ever in our industry – and hopefully that speaks for itself.”
There was further recognition for Notts as the Club won two other BOCA categories for the Best Growth Strategy and Welcome Families.
Marketing and Brand Manager Claire Webberley said: “We’re very proud to be recognised for our efforts in attempting to take cricket to new audiences and make the experience of visiting Trent Bridge a great family day out.
“Our venue is renowned for its welcoming atmosphere and family-friendly values and winning awards such as these as we strive to grow and improve our matchday offering shows that our initiatives are being well received.”
The successes cap a memorable year at Trent Bridge in which Notts won the white-ball double by adding their first NatWest T20 Blast title to the Royal London One-Day Cup, as well as securing promotion back to Division One of the Specsavers County Championship at the first attempt.
Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “The BOCAs have become a highlight of the county calendar to celebrate the excellence and hard work of the hundreds of staff who play such a crucial part in delivering the success of our professional game.
“The groundstaff who put in so many hours to ensuring the quality of pitches for all our domestic competitions and internationals fit firmly into that category of unsung heroes. So it seemed entirely fitting to give them a moment in the limelight at the BOCAs for the first time.”
Business of Cricket Awards – full list of winners
Best Campaign International - Yorkshire. (Also nominated - Surrey, Warwickshire)
Best Campaign Domestic – Derbyshire. (Also nominated - Yorkshire, Lancashire)
Warmest Welcome – MCC (Lord’s). (Also nominated - Surrey, Kent, Lancashire)
Service Excellence – MCC (Lord’s). (Also nominated - Glamorgan, Notts, Warwickshire)
Fan Innovation - Somerset. (Also nominated - Glamorgan, Yorkshire)
Growth Strategy – Nottinghamshire. (Also nominated - Somerset, Glamorgan)
Volunteer Development – Yorkshire. (Highly Commended – Sussex)
Commercial Partnership – Kent. (Also nominated - Lancashire, Warwickshire)
Welcome Families – Nottinghamshire. (Also nominated - Warwickshire, Surrey, Durham)
Inspiring Fan Loyalty – Durham. (Also nominated - Warwickshire, Somerset)
Unleashing Cricket – Warwickshire. (Also nominated - Essex, Lancashire, Glamorgan)
Rising Star - Chris Airey (Derbyshire). Runners-Up - Treve Whitford (Yorkshire), Martyn Bicknell (Glamorgan)
Groundsman of the Year Awards
Bernard Flack Memorial Trophy (first-class pitches) – Steve Birks (Nottinghamshire). Runners-Up – Lee Fortis (Surrey), Andy Mackay (Sussex).
Best One-Day Pitches – Steve Birks (Nottinghamshire) and Andy Ward (Leicestershire).
Best Outground Pitches – Lee Farquhar (Arundel, Sussex) and Christian Brain (Cheltenham College, Gloucestershire).
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