Newark and Sherwood Sports Awards 2017 : Recognition for district’s sporting stars
Top sportspeople in the Newark and Sherwood District have been recognised with awards.
Roll Of Honour
Long-serving Newark Athletic Club running coach Stuart Colledge, 72, of Bottesford, received the award for his long service to developing youngsters’ talents.
He joined the club in 2000, and took early retirement five years later so he could dedicate more time to coaching.
Colledge delivers training three times a week and attends numerous events over weekends.
“I was really suprised but pleased. It shows that people think you have done a good job and it’s quite an honour,” he said.
“To coach properly you have to dedicate time towards it. Even though we haven’t had the facilities we might have liked, we have still seen a lot success.
“I have been lucky enough to help a lot of dedicated youngsters who have achieved some great things.”
There was also a posthumous award for Trevor Frecknall for outstanding achievement.
He was instrumental in helping to transform athletics in Newark and was one of the main reasons the number of people competing soared.
Trevor enrolled a Newark Athletic Club ladies team in the Midland League, and boosted the numbers attending in a number of seasons.
He helped to develop the Summer Road Race League, Mini League Cross Country and the National Sports Hall League.
In addition to his work with Newark Athletic Club, Trevor helped create an under-12s and under-14s football team at Muskham.
Trevor died from cancer in November, and the award was presented to his widow, Gill.
Coach Of The Year
The coach of Newark Hockey Club, Paul Halfpenny, was stunned to receive his award
He was in charge of Newark Men’s 1sts and Newark Ladies’ 3rds teams that both won promotion in their respective divisions last season.
In addition, Halfpenny occasionally refereed matches and played for the men’s 3rds and over-40s team.
“I was completely taken by surprise. I couldn’t believe it when my name was called but it is fantastic to receive that recognition,” he said.
“I believe it is more of an accumulation of all the squads I have been involved with rather than any achievement in particular.
“The club has had some fantastic achievements in recent times. Our ladies’ section in particular has gone from strength to strength.”
Halfpenny previously coached the ladies’ first team and the under-14 girls.
He was also nominated for his support and commitment to helping other coaches at the club.
Senior Team Of The Year
A promotion-winning season earned Newark Hockey Men’s 1sts the Senior Team Of The Year accolade.
The team achieved their ambition of being promoted from the East Midlands Division One, securing the league title.
They won 15 of their 18 league matches, and kept a 100% record at home, scoring 69 goals and conceding only 19.
Newark had been on the verge of promotion for some years, and had previously been denied their rightful place at a higher level following a league re-structure.
Exceptional individual performances saw two members of the squad selected for Nottinghamshire under-17s, and two seniors selected for the county squad.
Junior Sportsperson Of The Year
International junior sprinter Amy Hunt became the first to win the Junior Sportsperson Of The Year award for a second time.
The 15-year-old, of Newark, had an electric year on the track, and is at the top of her UK age rankings at both 60m and 100m.
She was the fourth fastest female in her age group in the world for 60m and third fastest in Europe for 100m.
Amy became England Athletics under-17 60m champion with a winning time of 7.43secs — the second fastest recorded time in the world for a 14-year-old.
She also won the English Schools 100m for her age group for a third year running, resulting in selection for the Schools International competition in Dublin.
International honours arrived when she represented England under-18s at the Welsh Indoor International Cardiff, finishing first in 60m and winning the relay.
The year was rounded off with a victory at the Great North City Games at 150m in the under-19 category.
Junior Disabled Sportsperson Of The Year
There was a second successive victory in the category for 14-year-old Jacob Hage, who competes for the 4A’s canoe club, based at Newark Rowing Club. He received his award from Matt Snee, of Active4Today.
Jacob has completed nine marathons and represented the 4A’s club in the Midlands Hasler series, achieving points in every competition.
He competes against able- bodied and adult paddlers in marathon racing, and improved his time over the four-mile distance by ten minutes over a five-month period.
This season Jacob achieved two promotions from Division Seven to Division Five in the Marathon Series, in which he now competes over eight miles.
He was also nominated for inspiring younger members of the club to try marathon racing, with younger members looking up to him as a role model.
Jacob has Charcot Marie Tooth Disease, a progressive hereditary muscle weakening disease that mainly affects his upper and lower body strength and balance.
Club Of The Year
A year of transformation has boosted the numbers visiting Newark Canoe Club.
The club, based at Thurlby, had been in decline with just 12 new membership applications in 2016.
A programme of diverse canoeing activity and participation in external events has seen the club offer more than 300 taster sessions and 90 people become members.
They introduced their first female coach and under-18 members increased by more than 100%.
Chairman Gordon Smith said: “We are a non-competitive club, so to be recognised among a lot of successful and competitive sides within the town is brilliant.
“We were at a crossroads. Some big changes had to be made and I am proud that the club has delivered.
“There has been a lot of progress made in the past year. We just need to continue that momentum and keep growing.”
The club has contacted Newark Academy with the aim of getting more young people involved.
Sam White Junior Volunteer Of The Year
Newark Rugby Club junior Maddie Crofts was rewarded for her commitment as a young rugby ambassador.
She has clocked up more than 100 hours volunteering in the role through coaching and refereeing.
Maddie is the only active young female referee in the NLD Referees Society and is aiming to raise the profile of young females in the sport.
She has completed her level two refereeing rugby course and has refereed more than 60 hours over the 12 months.
She was also awarded the Young Rugby Ambassador 2017 award for her dedication at an event at Twickenham.
The award is named after Sam White, an inspiring teenager who lost his battle with cancer in 2013. The award was presented by his parents, Pam and Michael.
Junior Team Of The Year
A good attitude on the court was pivotal for Chuter Ede Primary School netball team, who were named Junior Team Of The Year.
The school team showed excellent spirit in 2017, representing Nottinghamshire in the regional netball final for a third successive year.
They made a second appearance in the Notts School Games for seven-a-side netball, finishing second, and a fifth county finals spot was achieved.
Coach Amy Fell said attitude was the reason they received their award.
“Their attitude was spot on throughout the year when things got difficult,” she said.
“They were consistent and, even when things got tough, they never gave up and kept going.
“People sometimes focus too heavily on the winning, but for us the right values were on display throughout the entire year.”
This year’s team has also started brightly, with Chuter Ede winning the District Primary Schools Sports Association autumn netball tournament, scoring 18 goals in the competition without conceding.
Senior Sportsperson Of The Year
Runner Becky Gallop, of Newark Athletic Club, said 2017 had easily been her most successful year to-date.
The 32-year-old, of Newark, gave great displays in the Nottinghamshire AAA County Championships, Inter Counties Cross Country Championships and National Cross Country Championships.
She broke the three-hour mark for the first time at her fourth London Marathon but her best performance of the year came at the Frankfurt Marathon, where she improved on her personal best with a time of 2hrs 53mins 10secs to finish as the fastest British female.
Gallop said: “It was definitely my best year. I think I broke my personal best at nearly every distance at some point.
“The Frankfurt Marathon was a great experience. The event was very different from the UK races — very well organised and well done.”
