Oxford University's wicket in The Parks has been voted second only to The Oval as the best cricket pitch in the country.

In its yearly rankings, the England & Wales Cricket Board has placed the Dark Blues' wicket above the likes of Lord's, Trent Bridge and all the other Test and county grounds.

The table is based on marks awarded by umpires over the course of the season.

Head groundsman Dick Sula put the award down to the hard work of his team.

"The staff here have put in a lot of time and effort," he said. "They're very dedicated.

"I'm in charge of four other grounds as well, so I rely a lot on them and on my assistant Alan Hawkes.

"Alan has been with me for 12 years now and I know I can just let him and the rest of the team get on with it. They're excellent and they've all earned this award."

Sula has been working in The Parks for some 25 years, assuming the role of head groundsman 15 years ago.

"The wicket has just got better and better over time," he added.

"We've not been competing against the county grounds for all that long. We were considered an 'outground' rather than a headquarters, but our marks were so good that we eventually got promoted into the top category.

"This is the highest we've finished, and we're extremely proud to have beaten a lot of Test grounds."

So, does Sula believe that he and his team have a chance of claiming the No 1 spot from The Oval next year?

"To be honest, I just don't know, but I would like to think that there is a chance. These things are all down to fractions. We finished behind Cambridge University last year and I don't think either our wicket or Cambridge's has changed a lot since then, but we are happy with second for now."