Derbyshire Sport website search

Enter keyword - eg. athletics

Derbyshire Sports Awards shortlist is revealed

24 October 2008

After an exciting summer of sport for the region at the Beijing Olympics, Derbyshire will have cause to celebrate at the glittering awards ceremony, which will be held on 14 November at Pride Park Stadium, Derby.

Winners and runners up will be recognised for their achievements across a series of 14 categories, with the evening culminating as the Sportsperson of the Year is announced by the event’s headline sponsor; University of Derby.

Last year’s Sportsperson of the Year, Donna Kellogg from Spondon, has been given the opportunity to retain her crown. Despite losing out in the badminton mixed doubles in Beijing, Donna has recently been awarded her 74th cap for England and is still the number one mixed and ladies doubles player in the country.

2006 winner Ross Davenport, from Belper, has also been nominated for the Sportsperson of the Year award. In the pool at the Olympics Ross and his fellow teammates broke the British record twice in 24 hours and finished sixth in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final. Ross also won gold at the British Championships this year (200m freestyle) and silver at the World Championships (4x200m freestyle relay).

The Disabled Sportsperson of the Year award, also sponsored by the University of Derby, will be decided between wheelchair basketball player Jon Hall from Chesterfield and swimmer David Ellis from Heanor. Both have made fantastic contributions to disability sport in Derbyshire this year. Jon won a bronze medal as part of the GB team at the Paralympics and David came sixth in the 200m individual medly (SM13) final and also qualified for the men’s 100m breaststroke final.

The Junior Sportswoman of the Year award, also sponsored by the University of Derby, will be decided from a host of outstanding young athletes including hockey player Alice Sharp (16) from Duffield who plays for Belper Ladies and the England U16 team. Other nominees are Ellie Koyander (Mogul Skiing) and swimmer Emma Smithurst.

Contenders in the University of Derby Junior Sportsman of the Year category are triathlete Tom Bishop and table tennis player Liam Pitchford.

As well as elite sport, awards will be given to people from all areas of the industry, from community heroes who have provided a service to sport for more than five years, to those who have contributed to school sport at grassroots level.

District awards ceremonies have been held across the county to determine the finalists that have gone through to the Derbyshire Sports Awards.

As well as the University of Derby, other sponsors of the awards evening include the Derby Evening Telegraph, Derby County Football Club, Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Origination, Derbyshire Sport, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, Derbyshire 2012, Connexions Derbyshire Limited and Derbyshire County Council.

The launch of this year’s awards took place on the new £700,000 all weather sports pitch at the University of Derby’s Kedleston Road site, in the city.

The work being carried out by contractor G Thorton (Contracts) of Lancashire, is scheduled for completion by the end of November.

University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne, said: “The University is a partner in the Derby Big Screen with Derby City Council and the BBC, which broadcast the Beijing Olympic Games extensively and like the rest of the nation, we were gripped by the Games. That wave of optimism in the power of sport continues as we look towards London 2012.

“The University is committed to nurturing talent and we look forward to having the chance to celebrate the achievements of our Derbyshire-based Olympic stars, as well as other top sports stars and young sports talent from the county at the Derbyshire Sports Awards this year.

“We are also investing £700,000 in our own sports facilities with the opening of a new all-weather pitch at Kedleston Road which we are excited about – facilities that will benefit many people in a wide variety of sports including football, hockey and rugby.”

Event organisers Derbyshire Sport, a County Sports Partnership funded by Sport England, resurrected the awards in 2006 in recognition of the importance of paying tribute to the wealth of sporting talent in the county.

Clive Moesby, Chair of Derbyshire Sport, said: “Last year’s event was a great success, and we hope that the 2008 Sports Awards will be even bigger and better.

“We have a great number of talented sports people in the county, from community coaches to elite athletes, and we feel it is important to recognise the dedication these people show.”

Winners of the Derbyshire Sports Awards could go through to the East Midlands Sports Awards and even to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

To see the full shortlist for the 2008 Derbyshire Sports Awards click here. 

Pictured above is Professor John Coyne, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Derby; David Joy, Director of Derbyshire Sport; Hari Punchihewa, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Finance Director at the University of Derby; hockey player Alice Sharp and swimmer Ross Davenport.