WIGAN and Leigh’s unsung heroes of sport were duly honoured at the tenth annual Borough Sports Awards.
Coaches, teams and sports clubs gathered at the DW Stadium on Friday night for the award ceremony.
Everest expedition leader and ex British Forces mountaineering specialist Dave Bunting was the special guest of honour at the event which recognised all the hard work and dedication put in by competitors, coaches and sports clubs from all over the Wigan Borough during the past year.
A staggering 85 nominations were received with eight awards presented on the night including Highfield Cricket Club being named Club of the Year and Mike Hack from Astley and Tyldesley Cycle Speedway Cycling Club picking up his award as Coach of the Year.
For Cameron Foster the night marked a triple celebration. The 15-year-old was awarded the Wilf Brogan Unsung Hero In Sport Award for his work with disabled children as a volunteer coach with Wigan Sports Development Unit. It follows the Westleigh High pupil’s British Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Award he picked up earlier in the week when he was also named their fundraiser of the year.
When Cameron was nine-years-old he fell 40ft out of a ski lift in Italy dislocating both ankles, breaking both legs and his left arm. Since then Cameron has taken part in countless fundraisers raising £10,000 for a variety of causes including Wigan Disability Sports Forum.
Cameron, who has since made a full recovery, said:
“It’s been quite a week. It’s great to be given these awards but it’s not something I do for the recognition.
“I was in a wheelchair for six weeks after the accident and I realised that some people aren’t as lucky as me and I felt they should have an equal chance as the rest of us to take part in sport.”
The event was organised by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust’s Sports Development Unit.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Executive Director for Sport and Healthy Living, Martin Eden said:
“The stories we have heard tonight have been truly inspirational. These awards recognise the wealth of talent and commitment in community sport in Wigan and Leigh which make this borough one of Greater Manchester’s true hotspots for sport.”
Dave Bunting added:
“This was a truly wonderful evening and a fantastic way to celebrate so many unsung heroes of sport.”
The 10th Annual Wigan Borough Sports Awards was sponsored by JJB Sports, as well as individual award sponsors Wigan Borough Sports Council, Wigan Athletic Football Club, Wigan Disability Sports Forum, Wigan Sports Development, Wish FM, Ferryman Blue, Healthy Stadia and the School Sports Partnership.
Each of the winners receives a trophy and personalised t-shirt from ADM Direct as a memento of the night and will automatically be nominated for the Greater Manchester Awards in November.
Awards presented in 2010 were:-
Club of the Year 2010 – sponsored by The Wigan Borough Sports Council
Winner – Highfield Cricket Club
Runner Up – Tyldesley Swimming and Water Polo Club
Finalist – Highfield Grange Football Club
Coach of the Year 2010 – sponsored by Wigan Athletic Football Club
Winner – Mike Hack – Astley and Tyldesley Cycle Speedway Cycling Club
Runner Up – Gill Fitzpatrick – Standish All-Stars Cheerleading Club
Finalist – Joe Galvin – Leigh Harriers Athletics Club
Volunteer in Sport Award 2010 – sponsored by Ferryman Blue
Winner – Martin Gaskell – Highfield Cricket Club
Runner Up – Cameron Foster
Finalist – Nick Clarke – New Springs Lions Amateur Rugby League Football Club
Sports Achiever of the Year 2010 – sponsored by Wigan Sports Development
Winner – Laura Riches – Leigh Harriers Athletics Club
Runner Up – Daniel Greaves – City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club
Finalist – Grace Morley – Tyldesley Swimming and Water Polo Club
Disabled Sports Achiever of the Year 2010 – sponsored by the Wigan Disability Sports Forum
Winner – Isaak Dalglish – Bryn Badminton Club/Lancashire FA Disability Centre of Excellence
Runner Up – Daniel Dawoud – England Table Cricket Team
Finalist – Graham High – Whitley Badminton Club
The Wilf Brogan Unsung Hero in Sport Award 2010 – sponsored by Wish FM
Winner – Cameron Foster – The British Karate Academy/Westleigh Basketball Club and Wigan Sports Development
Runner Up – Mick Hatch – Norley Hall Cricket Club
Finalist – Lev Baddley – Atherton and Leigh Swimming Club
Team of the Year 2010 – Sponsored by Healthy Stadia
Winner – Standish All-Stars Cheerleading Team
Runner Up – Tyldesley Swimming and Water Polo Club Girls Water Polo Team
Finalist – Tyldesley Lightning U16 Netball Team
The Martin Lynn Special Contribution to Sport Award 2010 – sponsored by the Wigan School Sports Partnership
Winner – Stuart Isherwood – Aspull Church Primary School
Runner Up – Victoria Glen – Standish All-Stars Cheerleading Team
Finalist – Anne Waltho – Wigan School Sport Partnership/Westleigh Hockey Club and Astley Tennis
Congratulations to Standish High School’s cheer leading and Street cheer team who were voted Wigan’s team of the year. The team beat off strong competition to clinch their title, overall their dedication and perseverance was the key factor in them attaining their success.
“….Winners in cluster festivals, local borough competitions, borough wide winners and finally to be crowned KS4 Street cheer champions at UKCA National schools in June….. The team are passionate about their sport and constantly strive to improve their performance. They grasp every opportunity to train and to learn from other groups coaches and each other. A true team!”
Other successes for Cheerleading on the evening was a runner up position for assistant coach Victoria Glenn, in the Special Contribution to school award. Victoria beat off stiff competition from teaching staff to be placed in the top three. She truly deserves the recognition for all her hard work in training and coaching. Head Coach Gill Fitzpatrick was also voted runner up in the Coach of the Year award. “What a great honour to be recognized amongst Wigan’s sporting elite for the coaching hours she puts in. This is testament to the value that the sporting community place upon people like Gill and her cheerleading team, in developing exciting new pathways for young people to participate in sport.
