Northamptonshire's head groundsman Paul Marshall has received a commendation for the quality of his one-day pitches at Wantage Road last season.

It follows similar recognition from the England Wales Cricket Board for his County Championship tracks in 2008.

"We'll be aiming to win awards in both categories next season and make our pitches among the best in the whole country," said Marshall.

"Special thanks go to my team for all their hard work and dedication."

Pitches are marked by the umpires at the end of each match and the marks are then averaged out - for both one-day and four-day fixtures - to find the outstanding groundsmen of the year.

Northants Cricket's chief executive Mark Tagg added his congratulations to Marshall and his team.

"They work in all weathers," said Tagg. "And they thoroughly deserve this accolade for contributing to the improvement of the facilities at the ground.

"I know this award will give them the encouragement to aim even higher."

Lancashire's Matt Merchant topped the four-day category for 2009, with Neil Goodrich of Derbyshire heading the one-day list.

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