HEAD Groundsman at Carlisle Racecourse Tony Wootten and his team have been rewarded for their many long hours, hard work and effort in preparing and maintaining the track at Blackwell which this year celebrates its Centenary Year.

Carlisle has been awarded The Tote Neil Wyatt Groundstaff Award for the Best Dual Purpose Track in the Country, a competition open to all 59 racecourses in the United Kingdom.

The awards, sponsored by the Tote, are in their eighth year and recognise the outstanding achievement of the ground staff at Carlisle to offer consistent and safe ground upon which racing can take place.

Having been runner-up in previous years Tony, who started at the track in 1987 when it was under the direction of Teddy Robinson, is delighted' with the win. Tony has built a superb team, even enlisting the help of 24-year-old son, Thomas, who has worked on the ground staff team at the course since leaving school.