The head groundsman at Solihull School has scooped a top national award for creating a cricket square of first-class county standard.

Karl Brotherhood was recently crowned the Cricket World Pitchcare 2010 Groundsman of the Year for his hard work in preparing the perfect pitch for a record-breaking performance last season.

The 45-year-old produced a wicket that saw Solihull School and Nottingham High School score an incredible 809 runs in one day.

Solihull went on to win the first XI match, which set the record for the highest aggregate in the history of school’s 50-over cricket in Britain.

Karl, who leads a team of five groundsmen at the school, said it was an honour to earn the recognition and the award.

“I am delighted to have received the award,” he said.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my team, our coaches and the school itself, which has continued to invest in the latest grounds maintenance technology.

“I’m full of pride in how Solihull School made history on the cricket pitch last season.

“It was a golden day for my whole family as my 15-year-old son Darryl played in the game for Solihull and took the final wicket that won us the match.”

The fixture was one of the highlights of Karl’s five years at the school.

Captain Chris Williamson scored a staggering 263 in a Solihull score of 408 for five on the superb batting surface.