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Amber Valley sporting stars share bursary pot

13 April 2010

Belper Hockey Club players Jessica Horn, Alice Sharp, Joanna Lane, Joanna Leigh, Anna Toman and Joe Sharp have each received a bursary, as have canoe polo players Thomas Baston, Gallin Montgomery and Ross Montgomery, snooker player Hannah Jones, rugby player Sam Martin and gymnast Greg Townley.

Each of the athletes is either currently competing for England or Great Britain, or has the potential to do so within 18 months, and bursaries will be used to help meet training costs such as coaching fees, travel and equipment.

The Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund is financially supported by all local authorities in Derbyshire, including Amber Valley Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council, as well as a number of other local businesses and organisations.

Cllr Peter Makin, Mayor of Amber Valley, congratulated the athletes at Belper Meadows on April 8 and presented them with free leisure passes for local leisure centres to help them with their training as they bid to reach the top in their chosen sport.

More about each of the athletes is below.

Now in its third year, the Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund has been set up thanks to contributions from a number of partners, including local authorities and businesses.

In addition to Amber Valley Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council, other contributors include High Peak Borough Council, South Derbyshire District Council, Derby City Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council Erewash Borough Council, Bolsover District Council and Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Rolls-Royce, the University of Derby, Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Lorson International, Derby College and the Electrical Contractors Association have also all shown their support financially for a third year.

The 12 athletes are:

Thomas Baston (Canoe Polo)

24-year-old Thomas, from Horsley, has been a member of a GB canoe polo squad since 2003, representing GB at both U21 and Mens level. He played for GB men at the 2007 World and 2008 European Championships, and last year won a bronze medal with the GB men at the European Championships in Essen, Germany. He hopes to compete at the World Championships in Milan, Italy, as part of the GB team later this year. He is part of the Viking Canoe Polo team.

Jessica Horn (Hockey)

Jessica, (15), is a member of Belper Hockey Club and was part of the team which won the U18 National Indoor Hockey Finals last year. She also played in the England U16 team which won the Home Nations, and is hoping for similar success this year. She has been selected to play for England at the Four Nations tournament in Holland.

Hannah Jones (Snooker)

In 2009 Hannah, (13), from Quarndon, became the youngest player to win a senior ladies snooker ranking event, and also retained her World Ladies Junior title and won the World Ladies Doubles title. She is No.1 on the England Ladies U21 ranking list and No.4 on the England Ladies senior list. Earlier this month she won a further junior title at the Women's World Snooker Championships in Cambridge.

Joanna Lane (Hockey)

17-year-old Joanna, from Duffield, is a member of Belper Hockey Club and has played for the England U16 and England U18 teams. Joanna was part of the Derbyshire U17 girls hockey squad which won the National Finals last year, and she was also part of the Belper U18 teams which won the National U18 Indoor Championships and the National U18 finals.

Joanna Leigh (Hockey)

Joanna, (16), is a member of Belper Hockey Club and a pupil at Repton School. She has competed for the England U16 team, which she has also captained, and won a silver medal at the European Championships. She was also part of the team which won the Home Nations, where she was the top goal scorer and was voted player of the tournament.

Sam Martin (Rugby)

16-year-old Sam, from Duffield, is a member of the Leicester Tigers Elite Player Development Group, and has represented the group at U15 and U16 level. His goals for this year include gaining a place in the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire Rugby Football Union U17 squad.

Ross Montgomery (Canoe Polo)

Ross, from Belper, is in the GB U21 development squad for canoe polo. The 19-year-old is one of seven men fighting for the four positions available in the team that will compete at the World Championships in Milan later this year. He is also a member of the Viking Canoe Polo Club. He is due to compete for GB at an international tournament in Belgium next month.

Gallin Montgomery (Canoe Polo)

20-year-old Gallin, from Belper, competed for the GB U21 team at the European Championships in August 2009. His goals for the next 12 months include playing for Great Britain at the World Championships later this year. He is also a member of the Viking Canoe Polo Club. He is due to compete for GB at an international tournament in Belgium next month.

Alice Sharp (Hockey)

Last year 17-year-old Alice, from Duffield, played for the England U18 team a year young and won a bronze medal at the European Championships in Belgium. She was also invited to train with England U21s and was part of the Belper U18 Ladies team which won both the U18 National Indoor and the U18 National Outdoor Cup finals. She has been selected for England U18 to play at the Four Nations tournament in Holland.

Joe Sharp (Hockey)

16-year-old Joe, from Duffield, played for the England U16 team a year young and won a gold medal at the Home Nations tournament last year. His goals for this year include selection for the England U16 squad which will compete at the Four Nations in Germany. He has played for the Belper Men’s First team and also hopes to reach the finals of the National U18 Cup with the junior team.

Anna Toman (Hockey)

Anna, from Duffield, won the National U18 Indoor Championships and the U18 National Club Cup Championships with Belper Hockey Club, and captained and won the National U16 Schools Championships with Ecclesbourne School. She also won the U17 National County Championships with Derbyshire. Anna, (16), has also competed for England U16 and played at the Four Nations, captaining the game against Holland last year. She has been selected for England U18 to play at the Four Nations tournament in Holland.

Greg Townley (Gymnastics)

Belper’s Greg Townley, (13), is a member of the National Tumbling Squad and five times British Champion, winning the Bulgarian Open Tumbling Championship in May. He represented GB at the World Tumbling Finals in November, winning a silver medal, and at the British Tumbling Championships where he won gold. He is due to compete at the European Championships later this year.

Performers from all sports recognised by Sport England are eligible for bursaries, except those already receiving individual lottery awards or TASS funding.

Keith Loring, head of sport and business consultancy Lorson International, and David Joy, Director of Derbyshire Sport, worked with partners to establish the fund, which is managed by Derbyshire Sport.