Liverpool celebrates young sporting stars

The cream of Liverpool’s young sporting talent was celebrated at the city’s 16th Sporting Honours Award ceremony.

A star-studded audience at the Liverpool Town hall applauded as the city toasted some great performances in sport during the past year.

World champion gymnastic Beth Tweddle also received a surprise award, to mark her victory in London last October.

Tweddle, a member of the City of Liverpool gymnastics team, said: “I really wasn’t expecting the award, but it’s certainly a great honour to receive it.

“My winning floor routine was actually one of the easiest I’ve ever completed in my entire life. The crowd were absolutely fantastic. Hopefully there’s a good few future world champions here tonight!”

Over 70 individual awards were handed out to Liverpool’s young sporting talent on the night, but there were five categories marked out for special recognition.

Trampolinist Bradley Hampson, an Olympic 2012 hopeful, won the prestigious Young Sports Personality of the Year. In November 2009 he represented England at the World Age Group Trampolining Championships in Russia, helping them to third place overall.

Courtney Owen, a 75 year-old, who has dedicated over fifty years of his life to local Liverpool football, won the lifetime achievement award. He described the prize as “an absolute honour.”

Other winners included Liverpool Cricket Club for ‘Club of the Year,’ boxing instructor Phil Jolley for ‘Coach of the Year’ and Jean Dean for ‘Volunteer of the Year.’

Guests at the awards included Saint Helen’s acting captain, Paul Wellers, ex-Liverpool full-back Alan Kennedy and Lord Mayor Mike Story.

Council leader Warren Bradley also attended the event and was full of praise for the talent on offer at Liverpool’s Town Hall.

He said: “The athletes in this room have every right to be very proud of themselves. But their success does not happen just by chance.

"There is a lot of hard work and training on both their parts, and their trainers and parents. Their success and achievements are a result of the city’s continued support to the sporting community.”

There were also suggestions of future regeneration within Liverpool’s sporting community, with Bradley hinting at a new boxing academy and a dedicated ‘Year of Sport’ sometime in the near future.