With the awards season in full swing, it’s time to look back on another action-packed year of sport in the North-East and North Yorkshire. Who will be 2014’s big winners in The Northern Echo Sport Awards?
SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
KATY McLEAN
WORLD CUP WINNER: England skipper Katy McLean lifts the World Cup
As the skipper of England Women’s rugby union team, South Shields-born McLean had already enjoyed considerable international success prior to 2014. Thanks to a glorious afternoon in Paris, however, this would be the year when she rose to the very top of the world.
Having suffered the heartbreak of a World Cup final defeat in the past, McLean helped secure one of the greatest successes in English rugby history as she led her side to the country’s first Women’s World Cup triumph in two decades.
The Darlington Mowden Park Sharks fly-half was integral to England’s progress through the tournament, with her reliable kicking proving a key factor in a number of their wins, and was every bit as influential in a hard-fought final with Canada, which eventually resulted in a 21-9 victory.
Her achievement would have been remarkable whatever the circumstances, but it was even more notable given that, at the time of the success, she was still combining her rugby career with a full-time teaching job at Bexhill Academy in Sunderland.
Since guiding England to victory, she has had to quit teaching in order to relocate to Guildford and train professionally in the hope of making the squad for the inaugural rugby sevens tournament at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Given her drive, talent and commitment, it would be no surprise to see her adding an Olympic gold medal to her list of achievements in 18 months time. For now, though, the tag of world champion will more than suffice.
RUNNER-UP: Stuart Hall
The Darlington fighter’s first world-title win might have come at the end of 2013, but he defended his crown against Martin Ward this year and while subsequent defeats to Paul Butler and Randy Caballero have taken some of the sheen off his achievements, his performance in the last fight in particular was superb.
THIRD: Richard Kilty
Having almost quit athletics in the wake of his controversial failure to make the 2012 Olympics squad, the Teessider even shocked himself when he claimed the World Indoor 60m title at the start of the year. His outdoor relay medals were also a notable achievement given Britain’s previous failings in the discipline.
2013: Ben Stokes
2012: Kat Copeland
2011: Tony Mowbray
2010: Adam Johnson
2009: Joanne Jackson
2008: Tony Jeffries
2007: Paul Collingwood
2006: Graeme Storm
OVERSEAS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
JONAS GUTIERREZ
Given the way that he disappeared from Newcastle’s first-team set-up without any kind of goodbye, there had been rumours about the state of Jonas Gutierrez’s health for a while. But that still did nothing to diminish the sense of shock when the midfielder announced he was suffering from testicular cancer.
His decision to speak openly about his illness must have taken immense courage, and the same attribute was abundantly evident as he underwent a series of chemotherapy treatments in order to beat the disease.
The announcement that he had been given the all-clear was one of the brightest sporting moments all year, and his recent return to Newcastle’s training ground was another uplifting occurrence.
RUNNER-UP: John Hastings
The Australian all-rounder proved an extremely astute addition to Durham’s squad, taking 65 wickets and scoring more than 550 runs in all forms of the game during his three-month stay. Little wonder the county are so keen to re-sign him ahead of the start of next season.
THIRD: Fabio Borini
WEMBLEY FINAL: Fabio Borini fires Sunderland in to the lead in the Capital One Cup Final against Manchester City earlier this year
The Italian only spent five months of the year on loan at Sunderland, and his obvious reluctance to return to the Stadium of Light diminished his standing in the eyes of some fans. However, his importance to last season’s ‘Great Escape’ should not be under-played.
2013: Keaton Jennings
2012: Tim Krul
2011: Dale Benkenstein
2010: Jose Enrique
2009: Michael Di Venuto
2008: Dale Benkenstein
2007: Ottis Gibson
2006: Dale Benkenstein
COACH OF THE YEAR
JON LEWIS
Stepping into Geoff Cook’s shoes was always going to be a huge task, but Jon Lewis took the role of Durham head coach in his stride and maintained his predecessor’s fine record in terms of introducing talented home-grown youngsters into the side.
His greatest success came at Lord’s in September, with Durham beating Warwickshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup final with a side that contained eight academy products and seven players born within 12 miles of Chester-le-Street.
Respected as both a tactician and man manager, Lewis served his coaching apprenticeship under Cook and has clearly taken a lot of what his mentor said on board. It is to his credit that the transition from such a respected former leader was a seamless one.
RUNNER-UP: Gus Poyet
Not content with leading his side to their first Wembley final in more than two decades, Sunderland’s head coach also oversaw a truly remarkable survival in the final month of last season. Having admitted he needed a “miracle” in the wake of an especially heavy defeat at Spurs, he somehow engineered one.
THIRD: Jason Ainsley
With Darlington out of the equation, there was a lot of pressure on the Spennymoor manager to deliver promotion from the Northern League last season. His side eventually won the league at a canter, and in the first half of the current campaign, he has successfully overseen their stabilisation in the Evo-Stick First Division North.
2013: Dean Richards
2012: James Harris
2011: Alan Pardew
2010: Steve McClaren
2009: Chris Hughton
2008: Geoff Cook
2007: Roy Keane
2006: Fabulous Flournoy
PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
RICHARD KILTY WINS THE WORLD INDOOR 60m TITLE
When Richard Kilty travelled to the World Indoor Championships in Sopot in March, he harboured hopes of potentially making the 60m final. In the end, he achieved that – and then some.
Having finished second in his semi-final, he made a blistering start to the final and eventually hung on by two hundredths of a second to edge out American Marvin Bracy in a time of 6.49secs.
It was a remarkable performance from an athlete who had been forced to train on the banks of the River Tees after his funding was axed in 2012, and said much about the strength of character that enabled him to turn both his life and career around.
RUNNER-UP: Paul Drinkhall wins mixed doubles gold at the Commonwealth Games
The Loftus table tennis star missed out on his first Commonwealth gold medal when Britain lost to Singapore in the final of the team competition. However, he returned with his wife, Joanna, to triumph in the mixed doubles and achieve the greatest victory of his career.
THIRD: Savannah Marshall wins Commonwealth Games gold
Having failed to live up to her billing at the 2012 Olympics, the Hartlepool middleweight had a point to prove as she returned to the major stage at the Commonwealth Games. Her subsequent gold medal was fully deserved, with her polished performance against Canada’s Ariane Fortin in the final providing a fitting highlight.
2013: Josef Craig breaks the world record to win at the World Championships
2012: Savannah Marshall becomes women’s world boxing champion
2011: Chris Tomlinson breaks the British long jump record
2010: Simon Vallilly’s Commonwealth Games gold medal bout
2009: Joanne Jackson’s swimming world record
2008: Stewart Downing’s man-of-the-match display for England v Germany
2007: Ottis Gibson claims all ten wickets in an innings for Durham vs Hampshire
2006: Newcastle swimmer Chris Cook wins gold at the Commonwealth Games
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
THE TOUR DE FRANCE FIELD HEADING UP THE BUTTERTUBS PASS
The Tour de France’s two-day spell in North Yorkshire provided one of the undoubted highlights of 2014, with the county turning out in force to support what turned out to be a sporting spectacular.
There were so many memorable moments, from the ceremonial start outside Harewood House to Mark Cavendish’s dramatic crash on the Stray in Harrogate, but the one that will live longest in the memory is the sight of the world’s leading cyclists threading their way through thousands of spectators on the ascent at Buttertubs Pass.
Most fans had camped overnight to get their pitch, and the drama and colour of the subsequent scene provided a wonderful view of rural Yorkshire that was beamed around the world.
RUNNER-UP: Alan Pardew's head-butt on David Meyler
In terms of jaw-dropping moments in sport, you’re going to have to go some to beat the sight of a manager head-butting an opposition player. That is exactly what happened at Hull’s KC Stadium in March though, with Alan Pardew losing the plot as he leaned his head into David Meyler. If anything, the subsequent seven-match ban was a light punishment.
THIRD: Sunderland supporters take over Covent Garden
Sunderland fans had initially planned to congregate around Trafalgar Square on the night before the Capital One Cup final, but a police closure meant the venue was switched to Covent Garden. The result was a riot of colour and noise as thousands of Sunderland supporters brought one of the capital’s most famous thoroughfares to a standstill.
2013: The first ball of the Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street
2012: Doug Embleton and Shaun Campbell save Darlington with a suitcase containing £50,000
2011: Chris Senior’s FA Trophy winning goal for Darlington
2010: Tony Mowbray’s return to Middlesbrough
2009: Sir Bobby Robson’s memorial service at Durham Cathedral
2008: Joe Kinnear’s rant at the press
2007: Mathew Tait’s run in the Rugby World Cup final
TEAM OF THE YEAR
YORKSHIRE CCC
Yorkshire’s cricket fans had waited 13 years for a County Championship to celebrate, but the title finally returned to Headingley this summer as the White Rose turned what is normally a fiercely-fought competition into something of a procession.
Despite being without England Test players Joe Root, Gary Ballance and Tim Bresnan for the majority of the summer, Yorkshire finished 17 points clear of their closest rivals and won the title with a game to spare.
Skipper Andrew Gale led from the front, with Adam Lyth and Jonny Bairstow both making major contributions with the bat, and Ryan Sidebottom and a rejuvenated Liam Plunkett proving especially influential in the field.
RUNNERS-UP: Newcastle Eagles
It has been another hugely successful year for the North-East’s leading basketball side, who finished on top of the league last season before losing to Worcester Wolves in the end-of-season play-off final. They were also runners-up in the BBL Cup, and will face Glasgow Rocks in the final of this season’s competition after winning their semi-final last weekend.
THIRD: Middlesbrough
Having been threatened with relegation prior to Aitor Karanka’s arrival towards the end of 2013, Middlesbrough successfully stabilised in the second half of last season. Some astute summer signings enhanced their squad, and they head into this weekend in second position after losing just one of their last 16 league games.
2013: Durham
2012: Newcastle Eagles
2011: Newcastle United
2010: Whitley Bay
2009: Durham
2008: Durham
2007: Durham
2006: Newcastle Eagles
YOUNG SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
JACK LAUGHER
Still just 19, Ripon diver Jack Laugher put the trauma of a disappointing 2012 Olympics firmly behind him as he claimed two gold medals and a silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Having claimed gold in the 1m springboard, he teamed up with partner Chris Mears to claim another title in the final of the 3m synchro, an event that could well see the City of Leeds diver competing for a medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
In addition to his achievements in Glasgow, Laugher also claimed a bronze medal at the Diving World Cup in Shanghai, underlining his ability to take on the very best Chinese divers, who tend to dominate at the major championships.
RUNNER-UP: Sophie Taylor
The Harrogate 18-year-old won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 100m breaststroke, and also won silver as part of Britain’s 4x100m medley relay squad. She claimed a hat-trick of breaststroke titles (50m, 100m and 200m) at the British Championships.
THIRD: Emma Peters
The 16-year-old, who is from Cleadon, claimed the British Junior title in the Winter Olympic sport of ski cross, and finished second in the Senior Championships at the same event. She is now based in Switzerland, where she attends one of the leading Swiss skiing schools.
2013: Matthew Fisher
2012: Josef Craig
2011: Jack Hermeston
2010: Jordan Henderson
2009: Savannah Marshall
2008: Jemma Lowe
2007: Kieren Emery
2006: Paul Drinkhall
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MICK MULHERN
After more than 15 years at the helm of Sunderland Ladies, head coach Mick Mulhern stepped down last month as he no longer felt he could devote sufficient time to a side that is rapidly embracing professionalism.
His final act was arguably his greatest achievement as he successfully oversaw Sunderland’s title triumph in the inaugural Women’s Super League 2 competition, a success that will see the Lady Black Cats competing at the very highest level of the women’s game next season.
Always happy to blend into the background, Mulhern was championing the women’s game when it was decidedly unfashionable, and this year’s championship win was his seventh in charge of the North-East’s most successful women’s football team.
2013: Geoff Cook
2012: Sir Bob Murray
2011: Dave Elderkin
2010: Niall Quinn
2009: Dave Parnaby
2008: Stephen Miller
2007: Sir Bobby Robson
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