Nottinghamshire Head Groundsman Steve Birks claims he’s ‘chuffed to bits’ after being named as runner-up in the ECB Groundsman of the Year Awards.

Birks was recognised for the phenomenal work that he and his team carried out this summer, with the heavy rain forcing them to remove more than three million litres of water from the Trent Bridge outfield during the course of June and July.

He has been named as runner-up in both the four-day and one-day categories and said: “It’s nice to be recognised by the ECB as we put in a lot of hard work this year. The lads are all chuffed to bits and it’s an early Christmas present for everyone.”

Bill Gordon from the Brit Oval was once again named as the winner in both categories, but Birks is determined to take the crown off his colleague.

He added: “Bill does a terrific job down there but does have the benefits of a massive square and the warmer and drier weather in London.

“But we’re getting closer to toppling him and we will get there eventually. We’ve got a great team here and they deserve all the credit for their efforts during the wettest season I can remember.”

Notts Chief Executive Derek Brewer said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Steve has received the recognition he so thoroughly deserved for an outstanding year’s work.

“I’ve worked in business for 27 years and he’s one of the best managers of people I’ve ever come across.

“His dedication during the horrendous weather conditions in the summer had to be seen to be believed and his team also deserve huge credit.

“When allocating major matches, the ECB clearly will look at the quality of the pitches and the surfaces Steve produced were outstanding - his Test Match track received a lot of plaudits from experts across the game.”