2008 Winners
Cumbria Sports Awards Winners 2008
Sports Personality of the Year
Oliver Turvey
Oliver has recently been named as Formula 3 driver of the year by the Racing Steps Foundation. This accolade came during a debut F3 season in which he has won twice at OultonPark and Spa and also gained eight podium finishes.
He is currently jetting off all over the world working as a test driver, and his ultimate ambition is to drive in Formula 1.
Performance Award
Gary Lockerbie
Gary walked away with the Performance Award after winning the Kazakhstan Open, the most lucrative event on the European Challenge Tour.
Team of the Year Award
Barrow Football Club
Barrow FC performed a remarkable transformation during the course of their season. In November they stood third bottom of their league and looked destined for a relegation battle. Then, following the appointment of a new management team, they went on an unbeaten run of 20 games, winning 16 and keeping 13 clean sheets to reach the Blue Square North Play-off Final against Stayleybridge Celtic.
Special Award
Ken Law
Ken is over 80 years old and has been involved in the sport of Bowls for over 50 years. He plays a very active role as a competitor and as an administrator of Walney Park Bowling club in Barrow-in-Furness.
Service to Sport Award
Geoff Grainger
Geoff has been involved in football, particularly developing opportunities for youth teams, for over 50 years.
Volunteer of the Year
Frank Davidson
Our winner has been inspiring young people for many years, he is involved mainly in a coaching capacity, but is also widely regarded as a true ambassador for his club and also his sport of athletics.
Performance Award for People with a Disability
Paula Johnson
Paula has been involved in weekly training for two national squads in Sheffield, Aylesbury and Nottingham, and has been playing competitively in Wolverhampton. Following an early setback, our winner was finally selected to represent the GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team at the Paralympics in Beijing, and was instrumental in the teams 61-29 victory over Brazil.
Junior Team of the Year
First XV Rugby Union Team from Queen Elizabeth Grammar School
The Junior Team of the Year reached the Final of the Daily Mail Vase at Twickenham. This was particularly impressive since they had to play the majority of their fixtures away from home against well established rugby playing schools.
Coach of the Year
Peter Nicholson
After starting his hockey career playing at UlverstonSchool, Peter is currently employed as the Performance Manager for England Hockey, and was also the Team Manager for the GB Men’s Team at this years Olympic Games in Beijing.
Junior Sports Personality of the Year
Laura Park
Lauras list of sporting achievements is quite astonishing. During 2008 she has won the World Junior Mountain Running Championships representing England in Switzerland. She has won the UK Schools Games 3000m Championships in a Personal Best time. She has become the English AAA U17 3000m Champion, beating the Scottish and Irish Champions. She also won the English Schools Intermediate Girls 3000m Championships which were held at the Gateshead International Stadium. During the Cross Country season she became the UK Under 20 Inter Counties Champion, as well as the Under 17 English Champion.
Rising Star Awards
Sailor Sam Hall, who has been selected for the RYA Scottish National Youth Laser Squad.
Richard Houghton who this year won a National Under 16 title as the fastest in his age group in the 25 mile National Cycling Championships.
Danneika Borthwick, who at the age of 15, she has made it through to the quarter final of the Women’s British Tennis Tour Event in Wrexham.
Hannah Bethwaite has won the 2008 Under 14 English Junior Fell Running Championships, as well as winning the English Schools Junior Girls Fell Running Championships.
Jemma Bell who has represented England at the World Schools Orienteering Championships, gaining a silver medal.
