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The Ryman League’s top groundsmen will be going about their business with an extra spring in their step this season whatever the weather throws at them after collecting their accolades at the Football Association’s 2014 Groundsmen of the Year Awards.

Now in its 14th year and held at the FA’s state-of-the-art National Football Centre at St George’s Park near Burton-upon-Trent for the second year running on Wednesday, the event saw more than one hundred groundsmen, including six from the Isthmian League, honoured in front of their peers as they collected national and individual league awards and commendations from members of the FA’s Pitches & Facilities Committee.

Ryman League and Enfield Town director Roger Reed, the Isthmian League’s grounds administrator and club development officer, represented the league at the event. Along with other guests, he enjoyed a tour of the facilities and a presentation from the FA’s Alan Ferguson, the governing body’s head of grounds and estates, before seeing Dereham Town’s Alan Hall named as the Ryman’s top groundsman, Canvey Island’s Dave Leigh take second place and Hastings United’s Simon Rudkins and Wealdstone’s Adam Rowlands share third spot.

In the national awards, Dereham’s Hall also flew the flag for the Isthmian in the Step 3 & 4 finals. He was highly commended by judges who named Southern League Taunton Town as overall winners, Tiverton as runners-up and Dunstable Town in third spot.

Bognor Regis Town’s joint groundsmen Phil Westwood and Adrian Williams and David Blaszowski of Leatherhead were also highly commended by judges for their efforts in the Ryman League category while Graham Gould at former Ryman League club Staines Town won the Football Conference Award.