York and Newcastle groundsmen collect their 2009 Neil Wyatt Groundstaff awards

York and Newcastle groundsmen collect their 2009 Neil Wyatt Groundstaff awards

Following on from the award to the Plumpton groundstaff team for the Best Jumps Racecourse of 2009, subsequent presentations have been made to the winners of the other two categories - Best Flat Racecourse and Best Dual Purpose Racecourse.

York received the accolade for the Best Flat Racecourse, and on hand to present the award to Adrian Kay and his groundstaff was Neil Wyatt, the former Senior Inspector of Courses, after whom the award is named. York's groundstaff team successfully completed one of the largest track and drainage projects undertaken on a British racecourse costing around £3.5 million.

The Best Dual Purpose Racecourse award went to Newcastle, runners-up on two previous occasions in the last five years.

The course was recognised for its significant investment in drainage and general improvements to the track, and taking into account their extensive schedule of fixtures. Head Groundsman, Guy Woodward, and his team received their award from John Richards (Pitchcare) and Bob Bolland (Amenity Land Solutions) who, together with Fornells, are the sponsors of the awards.