Worcestershire Head Groundsperson, Stephen Manfield, and his hard-working team have been short-listed for a major award by the Grounds Management Association.
Manfield and his staff have had to battle against a constant stream of floods, with the current one the 10th in total at Visit Worcestershire New Road since the end of the 2023 campaign.
But their outstanding efforts have been recognised by the GMA and they are short-listed in the ‘Professional Cricket Grounds Team Of The Year’ category alongside staff at three Test counties in Warwickshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire.
The GMA Industry Awards, which will be held at Liverpool FC’s Anfield ground on March 13 2025, highlight the outstanding contributions of individuals, teams and organisations who set the benchmark for excellence across the sector.
Manfield and his team have been short-listed by a panel of 10 leading grounds management professionals tasked with selecting stand-out candidates across 17 different categories.
After the opening two home Championship matches of 2024 had to be switched to Kidderminster, Manfield and his staff worked tirelessly to ensure the remaining programme could go ahead at New Road throughout the summer.
Former Essex deputy Head Groundsperson Manfield said: “It is a good achievement for us to be nominated and very proud of it.
“We have five people in our team at New Road but I would also like to mention Head Groundsperson Brad Jefferies of Kidderminster CC where we started the season and I’d like to think of him as part of the group.
“The floods have been relentless, haven’t stopped coming, and sometimes it’s felt like one step forward and then the next week two steps back, but we’ve dealt with it quite well.
“Just to be able to play cricket here, after the year we had, what everyone at the club has had to go through, was really an achievement in itself.
“We’ve had a good year with pitches (match referee markings), we’ve stayed up in the Championship, it’s nice to be recognised, and we’re recognised alongside some big Test counties in Warwickshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire.”
Manfield praised the support he has been given during a testing year from Worcestershire CEO, Ashley Giles, Head Coach, Alan Richardson, and Club Captain, Brett D’Oliveira.
He said: “Yes, we had some spicy pitches, not easy to bat on, I can’t lie about that, and every head groundsperson wants their pitches to be better.
“But there are never any complaints, no nasty comments, and Ash, Richo and Brett are the three best people I’ve probably worked for in cricket.
“They are top drawer in terms of understanding things, the support they provide etc.”
