THE man in charge of keeping York Racecourse at the top of the turf table has been named the best groundsman in the country.

Head groundsman Adrian Kay won the Alex R Millar national title to be crowned Professional Groundsman Of The Year in a contest organised by the Institute of Groundsmanship.

He not only won the top accolade for racing, but was crowned the best across all sports.

Finalists were assessed by experts from the UK’s best-known stadia, with Adrian receiving the title alongside his assistant, Kevin Upton, at a ceremony at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.

The 46-year-old joined York from Aintree Racecourse in 2006 and has been involved in a huge track development project as well as preparing the turf for the likes of the legendary Frankel.

William Derby, York Racecourse chief executive and clerk of the course, said: “I am truly delighted for Adrian and the whole team at York, who work with such endeavour, talent and determination to innovate, learn and improve - Adrian leads by example, mentors, develops and encourages his team and is a true ambassador of York and our sport.”