OLD Town secretary Neil Thwaites has received the Foster's Halifax League's sportsmanship award, which is voted for by the league's umpires.

The 65-year-old has not only been playing since he was a junior in the early 1960s but also provides a big breakfast every morning at his club, along with sidekick Chris Hagues (who is three months older), to raise funds for the club.

This is a shot in the arm for the struggling outfit, which lies between Oxenhope and Hebden Bridge.

Last season they finished bottom of the Terry Wynne Second Division for both first and second teams, as well as losing in the first round of both the Parish Cup and Crossley Shield.