ONE of three Judo sisters who took up the sport three years ago has been named Darlington Young Sportswinner for June.

The award, sponsored by Orange, was presented to 13-year-old Katherine James, a pupil at Hummersknott Comprehensive School, Darlington.

With sisters Nicola and Sarah, she is a member of the town's Dolphin Judo Club.

She beat 12 other nominees to win the Young Sportswinner title.

In the past 12 months, Katherine has represented the northern region in the national championships, winning a bronze medal. She is ranked in the top four in the country for her weight group.

In March, she represented the region in the national team contest, helping her side win a bronze medal.

The following month she was selected to represent Great Britain in a contest in Brussels.

There she was narrowly beaten in the final, earning her first international medal, a silver.

Runner-up for the Young Sportswinner award was Kirsty Grainger, 16, from the Koryo Tai kwon do club. Kickboxer Craig Shaw, 17, from the Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy, came third.

As well as the Young Sportswinner award, there were three other prizewinners.

St Teresa's RC Primary School netball team won the team award, sponsored by Amec.

The school team is also celebrating success on Saturday at the Coxhoe Inter-primary School Trophy, a Durham county-wide contest, as well as winning the Darlington Hi 5 tournament.

Tom Welsh, a coach at Darlington Table Tennis Club, won the coach's award, sponsored by the Master Skills academy.

The service to sport award, sponsored by Darlington Borough Council, was presented to Brian Dobbinson, in recognition of his commitment to badminton in the region.