SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARDS (From Warrington Guardian)

SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARDS

AFTER a three month build up of nominations, judging and voting by the public, the Warrington Sports Personality of the Year Awards finally came to a head on Friday night.

The great and good of Warrington sport packed into the Village Hotel to hear the winners announced at a glitzy dinner and ceremony hosted by Stuart Hall.

Everyone was a winner on the night but the prizes had to go home with someone so here are the lucky few:

OVERALL WINNER:

MARK Kinch is a man who knows all about the highs in life. The international rell runner is tops in his sporting field and seemingly tops with the sporting community of Warrington too.

Because on Friday he became the first person to be crowned Warrington Sports Personality of the Year twice - and it left him gobsmacked!

Mark said: "I'm amazed. To win it in 1995 was fantastic but to win it again - I'm stunned, I just can't believe it!"

Not only that, the 35-year-old from Padgate has been a finalist in the last five Sports Personality competitions and it reflects his superb level of consistency - which obviously caught the eye of the judges and the readers of the GUARDIAN who voted for him.

And it would seem that more glory is around the corner for the athlete who has won five British titles in five years.

He said: "I would like to retain my British Championship title this year and I have got my eye on the European Championships in Austria and the World Championships in Malaysia, which are both later this year. I would like to improve on my 13th place ranking in the World Championship."

Mark also revealed that an Olympics 2000 chance may call too.

He said: "There is consideration for fell running to be a demonstration sport and I would like to think I will be involved in Britain's team of four or six if this goes ahead."

Mark's sporting career is totally amateur and he has to combine this with his work as a research scientist and his family life.

This is not easy with peak training demands of running 120 miles per week, which usually means between two and two and a half hours per day but even more at weekends. It is a big commitment.

He said: "I work for Zeneca Pharmaceuticals in Alderley Edge and they are very flexible with me which I have to be thankful for. I work flexi time and I manage to do an hour's run on the hills in my lunch break and then I run again at night."

And all this for an event which he admitted to describing as 'torture'.

Many people would not be able to walk the thousands of feet up and down hills and mountains but Mark not only runs, he races.

Mark said: "It is torture but I get a great buzz from it. It is you against the terrain, the weather, the hills and the other competitors.

"And you get to see some fantastic places too. There isn't much time for sight seeing while you are racing but we have days out to recce the routes."

Mark left Friday's presentation night with some fantastic prizes - a trophy, crystal, a medal off the Trophy Centre, a one year gold membership to the Village Hotel Leisure Club worth £600, a tracksuit and sweatshirt off Asics, a pair of New Balance trainers and T-shirt and a bottle of champagne off Bargain Booze.

TEAM AWARD:

RALLY racing team Dan and Clive Dunbabin capped their remarkable rise through the ranks by picking up the Warrington Sports Personality team award.

The non-identical twins made their debut in the gruelling Network Q Rally in October and came from nowhere to finish second in the 1300cc section with their Skoda Felica.

The 22-year-olds particularly impressed in forest terrain parts of the course in Oxford and Wales where they clocked up impressive times despite the wet, narrow track and foggy conditions.

Driver Dan and navigator Clive, from Stockton Heath, underlined the crucial importance of their six-man back up team in their success.

Dan said: "What we achieved in the Network Q came down to the weeks of preparation that came before hand. Having a good understanding of the course and driving it well are important but that only works if your car is in perfect condition before you start.

"When we are racing, there are three other people in a management car and three others in a service van and we all have to work together. If one person doesn't do their job then the whole thing can go wrong. We're lucky to have such an excellent team behind us."

The twins' support crew includes their older brother Mark, who was a rally driver himself in the past.

Dan said: "Mark did a lot of the ground work for us. I used to help prepare his car when he was racing and we all learnt a lot about the sport then."

The Dunbabins qualified for their international licence last year and are set to use their success as a springboard to enter the fray in the British Rally Championships.

They will be travelling round the country competing against 24 other top driving teams in three 'gravel' and three 'tarmac' events.

Clive said: "We will be up against an international field so it's a big step up in class. We'll be travelling to Scotland, the Isle of Man and Ireland.

"Hopefully, we can impress in the gravel events again because that seems to be our strongest event."

The team are hoping to win a top five place by the end of the season and win a slice of the £10,000 prize fund to help offset some of the cost for the year, which they expect to mount up to £15,000.

In Sports Personality the rally team won a trophy, commemorative medals off the Trophy Centre, a magnum of champagne off Bargain Booze plus leisure passes and t-shirts off Golden Gates Leisure.

YOUNG AWARD WINNER:

JENI McCarthy was the pick of an outstanding array of candidates in the Sports Personality young category.

The 16-year-old athlete from Great Sankey notched up an incredible eight gold and three silver medals during the course of an action packed season.

One of her golds came for England in the Home International Championships after she had been selected for her country for the first time. She also ran in the race only days after badly spraining her ankle.

Her successes came over a range of distances - 4x100m relay, 200m, 300m and 400m.

The announcement of Jeni's success at Friday's award ceremony was greeted with one of the biggest cheers of the night as her family and friends from Warrington Athletics Club celebrated.

Jeni's trainers of last year, Bob Endersby and Alan Horlock, were at Friday's dinner to share her joy as she collected a trophy, medal off the Trophy Centre, crystal, one year's membership to Club Lifestyle with sunbed sessions, a pair of New Balance trainers and t-shirt, a bottle of champagne off Bargain Booze, a £50 voucher off Challinor Sports, a tracksuit and sweatshirt off Asics and merchandise off Speedo.

Jeni says the most memorable moment for her was winning the 200m race at the English Schools' Championships in July.

She explained: "Everything had been coming together for me gradually in training and it felt just right in that race. I got my England call up on the back of it as well which made it all the more memorable."

Jeni is studying for A levels at Carmel College, St. Helens, but finds time to train up to four times a week.

Her winter training programme has gone well as she prepares to make the step up from under 17s to u20s.

She said: "It's going to be hard work to prove myself at this level. I'll be aiming to do as well as I can in the AAA events and at the English Schools.

"In the long term I'd love to get into the team for the European Juniors and compete at that level. I've got three years to get myself into shape for that."

CLUB AWARD WINNERS:

WINNING the Club of the Year award requires vision, commitment, high levels of achievement - but most of all a lot of hard work.

It requires everyone to be pulling together to reach one common goal. Warrington Athletics Club's commitment and effort has paid off for them with this year's award.

Chairman of the Victoria Park based set-up Dave Sutton says: "Our success last year was made up of so many different facets.

"As well as the athletes and coaches, there is a strong committee and there are strong links with Warrington Borough Council's sports development and landscape units.

"Everyone is starting to gel and pull together. The club is going from strength to strength as a result."

So what will 1999 bring?

Dave, a former Warrington Rugby League Club winger of the 1970s, said: "With the infrastructure built we'll go forward. We're much more professional in our way of working and I think we will continue to grow in stature."

However, with membership growing and talented athletes shining through it does give the club one problem area.

The club's coaching co-ordinator Bob Endersby says: "The successes we have had has attracted a large number of new members, mainly youngsters, trying the sport for the first time.

"While it may be healthy for the future of the club, it does mean that the existing team of coaches are somewhat stretched as the more specific needs of the better, elite athletes continue to dominate the time of the existing, more experienced, coaches.

"We need more coaches, helpers or even 'retired' athletes to ensure that they get the most of their experiences."

Membership has risen to 230 across all age groups, from under 9s to veterans. This year has seen an influx of 30 new members, between the ages of nine and 12, who regularly attend training nights.

The club has been successful at all age groups on the track, in the field, on the road and in cross country. The senior men's team gained promotion to the second division of the Northern Men's League. The under 20s men's team reached the national finals.

Veteran Mike Girvan won the Scottish Marathon while 18-year-old Carl McMullen was in the UK national rankings for 400m hurdles, eighth, and the long jump, ninth.

In the women's section, individual successes were achieved by Jeni McCarthy, Claire Pleavin, Kate Brennan and Claire Warrington were all ranked.

Thirteen-year-old Emma Makin was the fastest 75m hurdler for her age group in the country.

DISABLED AWARD WINNER:

BEING crowned champion of Warrington before the town's cream of sporting talent and honoured guests is enough to bring tears to the eyes!

That was what happened to 12-year-old Simonne Cunliffe when she was crowned Disabled Sports Personality of 1998 on Friday.

Afterwards the five-times world record holder said: "I was very surprised and so excited. I just wanted to cry!"

The tears ran down the side of her cheek as she walked back to her seat with her McDonald's trophy, sportsbag and merchandise, crystal, a pair of New Blanace trainers, a weekend break for two at a choice of Macdonald Hotels, with disabled facilities, and a bottle of champagne for her parents.

Simonne said: "I would like to thank the judges who voted for me. This is brilliant."

Swimmer Simonne broke her own five world records at the National Dwarf Championships in May in 25m and 50m backstroke, 25m and 50m freestyle and 25m breaststroke. She also won silver in 50m breaststroke, 25m butterfly and the junior relay.

Earlier in the year Simonne won a gold medal at 50m breaststroke and two bronze medals at the BT Junior Short Course Championships in Darlington.

The Old Hall youngster, who trains with Warrington Swim Club three times a week and with Warrington Warriors twice a week, was also honoured for her outstanding achievements with the 1998 Disabled Swimmer Award by the Amateur Swimming Association.

Simonne, who revealed 50m breaststroke is her favourite event, said: "The highlight of the year was breaking my own world records at Peterborough. This year I will be going to Peterborough and Darlington again and I will just try to do my best.

"My big aim is that I want to go to the Olympics in 2004."

Simonne certainly has the hopes and the backing of the people of Warrington to support her.

SPECIAL AWARD WINNER:

THE joy of watching youngsters tear around the football field has kept Alf Holt involved in Warrington junior soccer for 20 years.

The retired maintenance worker got involved when his own son Paul was a youngster and has never looked back since.

He has been fixtures secretary for the Warrington Solvay Interox Junior Soccer League for the last 10 years, having earlier held a number of other administrative jobs when it was still known as the Warrington Friendly League.

This season his workload has been effectively doubled when the former league secretary resigned and Alf took on his responsibilities.

He remains an active referee at the age of 59 and also regularly attends Liverpool and Lancashire County FA meetings.

Enjoying a night off as he relaxed at the Warrington Sports Personality of the Year awards, he was stunned to find his name called out for the Special Award category.

Alf said: "I was totally surprised. My job is 99 per cent administration so you don't expect awards for shuffling paper!

"That side of it needs to be done because without it the games wouldn't get played but the part that I enjoy is when I'm out on the field seeing the youngsters enjoying their football.

"They take such delight in the game and you can't help but enjoy it yourself.

"I've been saying for a long time now that 'this will be my last year' but there are always things that need sorting out and you can't just walk away."

Alf is showing little sign of giving it all up just yet as he combines his dual administrative role to oversee the merging of the Warrington Junior Seven-a-Side League with the Solvay Interox League committee.

This expanded league will leave Alf providing for more than 2,000 children around the area.

He said: "It's an exciting period at the moment with changes in the game for the younger ones, who will be playing with smaller sides on smaller pitches.

"The council are also talking about taking on a football development officer which would be good news, particularly with all the potential to bring lottery money for new projects at the moment. That's definitely the way forward."

Alf said the person he will be sharing his award with is his ever patient wife Val.

He added: "I could never have got involved without her support and help and she's been on the committee herself for the last 15 years. I think she decided 'if you can't beat them, join them!'."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.