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Erewash athletes receive bursaries from Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund

29 June 2010

A total of 13 athletes from the borough, all of whom compete for England or Great Britain, or have the potential to do so within 18 months, have received cash help – sharing a total of £3,840.

Gymnasts Hannah Dulston and Catherine McNicol, ice hockey players Will Weldon, Callum Bowley and Thomas Soar, and horseball competitors Megan Chiarella and Christie Morgan have each received a bursary to help meet training and competition costs.

Golfer Nick Newbold, rugby union player Jack Partington and table tennis player Emma Vickers have also received a bursary, along with jet-skier Anya Colley, bowls player Simon Skelton and fencer Samuel Ward.

Among the Fund’s financial backers are Erewash Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council.

Cllr Mike Wallis from Erewash Borough Council and Cllr Carol Hart from Derbyshire County Council met the athletes to congratulate them at West Park Leisure Centre in Long Eaton.

West Park Leisure Centre has recently opened its refurbished changing rooms, which include under floor warming, individual changing and shower cubicals and improved disabled facilities and access.

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 Erewash Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council, other contributors include High Peak Borough Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, Derby City Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, Amber Valley Borough Council, Bolsover District Council, South Derbyshire 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 13 athletes are:

Callum Bowley (Ice Hockey)

16-year-old Callum, from Sandiacre, competed with the England U16 team in Tilburg, Holland, last year. He was also selected to travel to Canada for an intense seven-week hockey camp with the Nottingham Panthers coach, and was part of the Midlands U17 ice hockey team and the Nottingham Leopards U18s.

Megan Chiarella (Horseball)

Megan, (16), was part of the Great Britain team which was placed fifth at the European Pony Championships in France, competing against Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Belgium. Megan, from Ockbrook, also plays for Derby Horseball Club and gained first place at the Regionals and at the Open Championships.

Anya Colley (Jet Ski)

18-year-old Anya, from Long Eaton, has represented GB in the UIM European and World Championships and the IJSBA World Championships. She was runner-up in the British Limited Ski and took third place in the European Championship. This year she hopes to represent GB at the World Finals in Arizona.

Hannah Dulston (Gymnastics)

Hannah, from Erewash Valley Gymnastics Club, re-gained her East Midlands Senior title at the end of May. The 17-year-old is currently training for the British Championships in July, after which she will start training with the GBR Rhythmic Gymnastics Group with the ultimate aim of competing at the Olympic Games in 2012.

Catherine McNicol (Gymnastics)

14-year-old Catherine, from Long Eaton, competed in an international competition in Romania ahead of the 2010 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships.

Christie Morgan (Horseball)

Christie, from Morley, was part of the Great Britain team which competed at the European Pony Championships in France, competing against Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Belgium. Christie, (16), scored two goals in the team’s first match, against France. She also scored the winning goal in the final match, for fifth place, after two periods of extra time.

Nick Newbold (Golf)

Nick, from Sandiacre, represented England in the Dutch Junior Masters and in the international matches against Scotland and Ireland. The 17-year-old was placed third in the English Boys' U16 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the McGregor Trophy after a five man play off and also competed in the Faldo Series.

Jack Partington (Rugby Union)

16-year-old Jack, from Risley, has been retained by Leicester Tigers as an U17 as part of the Elite Player Development Group and has previously competed at U15 and U16 level. He has been selected for the NLD (Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire) U19 squad for next season and played in a national seven-a-side competition for NLD U19 at Broadstreet RFC in May.

Simon Skelton (Bowls)

38-year-old Simon, from Long Eaton, is a current Bowls England International player. He won the Bowls England National Singles Title in August 2009 and won the Bowls England Bowler of the Year Award for 2009 in February.

Thomas Soar (Ice Hockey)

Ilkeston’s Thomas Soar, (17), competed for England U16 at a tournament in Tilburg in April. He has also played for the Nottingham Cougars U16s, who were league champions and National Finals winners, and was the top points scorer for the Nottingham Leopards U18. He was part of the Nottingham Lions team which won the English National league play off, and won a silver medal with the Midlands Conference U18 team.

Emma Vickers (Table Tennis)

19-year-old Emma, from Borrowash, played for England juniors at the European Championships in July and was selected to represent England in the English Senior Open pro tour in October. She is ranked No.6 at England Senior level and No.4 at England U21 level.

Samuel Ward (Fencing)

Samuel, (16), has been part of the Great Britain Cadet (Under 17) Team since the beginning of the 2009/2010 season in September. The teenager from Breaston competed for GB at the Halle Cadet International in Germany and the Cabries International in France in November. He has represented the East Midlands in the U17 age group since he was 12 and now competes for the senior team.

Will Weldon (Ice Hockey)

17-year-old Will, from Long Eaton, was part of the England U16 team which travelled to Tilburg, Holland, to play in the Audax Chris Verwijst tournament. He has also competed for the Midlands Conference U17 team, and played for Nottingham U16 at the National Finals, where he scored the winning goal. He was selected to attend a seven-week summer training camp with the Nottingham Panthers in Canada.

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