Bay Oval is being recognised for a marathon season of international cricket after gaining a NZ Cricket Turf Management award, for the best International Short-Term Pitches in the country.

The pitch of the year awards is based on the information and data collated from player surveys, match reports and ICC reports over the 2017-18 cricket season.

Bay Oval Turf Manager Jared Carter says the team are honoured to have won.

'It's a great honour to receive this award, especially as there are so many venues producing top quality pitches around the country.

'I am lucky to be part of a great team of staff and volunteers, looking after the ground, who all share the vision to make the Bay Oval the best venue in the country. Special thanks to David Johnston and Kyle Dovey.”

In thirteen short years the Bay Oval has been completely transformed from the former wasteland it once was when the first sod was turned in March 2005, to an international cricket venue, which has earned the praises of players, coaches, officials and cricket fans alike.

Jared and his team say they aren't strangers to switching into match-day mode either, with more than 15 international short-form matches being hosted on the grounds last season.

These include two Under 19 Cricket World Cup warm-up matches, which preceded the Black Caps verses West Indies in early January, six round-robin Under 19 CWC games and the U19 CWC Final attracted worldwide attention, before the Black Caps squared off with Pakistan and England.

The international encounters were also rounded out by two White Ferns matches with their West Indies counterparts.

'It's been a massive team effort, not only on the ground, but from Kelvin and his team to get the lights and other venue up-grades completed, which has allowed us to have all of these high level matches allocated to the region.”

NZ Cricket grounds and facilities general manager Ian McKendry says the award is a great reflection of the Bay Oval team.

'The awards recognized the outstanding contributions that turf management teams responsible for the preparation of cricket surfaces across all New Zealand venues.

'The quality of cricket surfaces is an important part of the development and enjoyment of our players at all levels – from the community game to the high performance pathways of domestic and international cricket women's and men's competitions.”

NZ Cricket 2017-18 Turf Management Awards

International Short-Form Cricket Pitch – Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

International Long-Form Cricket Pitch – Hagley Park, Christchurch

Domestic Long-Form Cricket Pitch – Eden Park No2, Auckland

Domestic Short-Form Cricket Pitch – Basin Reserve, Wellington

Club/School Cricket Pitch – St Pauls Collegiate, Hamilton