THE SHORTLIST for the fifth annual Bradford Sports Awards has been revealed following a record number of nominations.
Cricket World Cup winner Adil Rashid, Isle of Man Senior TT motorcycle champion Dean Harrison and Great Britain triathlete Andrew Dovernor are up for the sportsman of the year title.
Bradford Bulls captain and England international Amy Hardcastle, national Taekwondo champion Ellie Bowden and England Street Child Cricket World Cup player Jasmin Akter are the finalists for the sportswoman of the year.
There are 19 awards in total across four categories up for grabs when the wealth of Bradford's sporting talent will be celebrated at a ceremony at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground on Thursday, March 12.
Chairperson of the awards’ organisers Active Bradford Wayne Jacobs, a former Bantams player is looking forward to honouring the city's sports achievers.
He said: “We have a lot of amazing people in our district. We have people who have achieved success, both personal to them and in the sporting world.
"We also have people who give their emotions and energy to others for them to be able to achieve their successes. It’s fantastic to hear more about these people and to be able to celebrate their achievements with them.
"I believe the judging panel had a very difficult afternoon choosing finalists for each award. Everyone should be proud of what they’ve achieved over the last year, and beyond.”
The full list of finalists are:
Young male sportsperson: Jayden Simpson-Kidd, Alex Thompson, Dominic Coy
Young female sportsperson: Gina Bene-Hamill, Hermione Roe, Maisey Bellwood
Young disability sportsperson: Barnaby Street, Dylan Lightowler, Emily Hebden
Young club/team: Alpha United Juniors Football Club, Great Horton Church Cricket Club, Keighley and Craven AC Juniors
Sportsman: Adil Rashid, Dean Harrison, Andrew Dovernor
Sportswoman: Amy Hardcastle, Ellie Bowden, Jasmin Akter
Disability sportsperson: Farah Yasin, Steven Birkin, Mark Rhodes
Club/team – amateur: Keighley Albion Ladies, Bradford, Keighley and Skipton Disability Athletics, West Bowling NCL 1st Team
Club/team – professional: Bradford Park Avenue, Keighley Cougars, Bradford Bulls
Active Lifestyle: Hassan Hayatt, Mohammed Suleman, Julie Burrows
Active Workplace: Baildon Church of England Primary School, Step 2 Young People’s Health,
Active Schools: Baildon Church of England Primary School, Girlington Primary School, Ryecroft Primary Academy
Student club/team: Baildon CofE Primary School Cross Country Team, Girlington Primary School Additional Resource Centre for Hearing Impaired Children Boccia Team, Woodhouse Grove Junior Girls Cross Country
Coach: Farooq Khan, Janet Alison-Arkwright, Natalie Simpson-Kidd
Volunteer: Joanne Dean, Lucy Oldroyd, Mohammed Waheed
Teacher: Ian Frost, Kate Bainbridge, Niall O’Brien
Sporting Highlight: Bradford Bulls (beating Leeds Rhinos in the Challenge Cup), Bradford Dragon Boat Youth Festival, Women’s Elite Cycle Road Race – UCI World Championships
Special Recognition: Raymond Tate, Pam Hoyle, Shiv Krishan
The winners will be revealed at the ceremony on March 12. To purchase tickets for the event, visit activebradford.com/BSA
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here