Six days after Zara Phillips was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, The Northern Echo looks back on 2006 by picking out the North-East's leading lights. Paul Fraser shorlists and names winners of The Northern Echo's North-East Sports Awards 2006.

Sports Personality of the Year

Paul Collingwood

While the whole country laments the state of English cricket following two collapses in the opening two Ashes Tests, the Durham all-rounder did at least raise spirits temporarily a fortnight ago.

To hit a century at Lord's against the Australians would have been a commendable achievement in itself, so to have reached 206 in Adelaide in the second Test of this series is worth an award on its own.

With Kevin Pietersen, he shared a record 310 stand that surpassed Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe's 288 Ashes best at Edgbaston in 1997. Their efforts, which appeared to give Andrew Flintoff's side hope, all proved in vain but nothing should detract from the pair's achievements.

With the English game appearing to be in such a dreadful state, it would seem difficult to argue that a cricketer should be awarded the top gong.

However, in Collingwood, Durham and England have someone to be proud of in 2006. After his late role in the 2005 Ashes series, Shotley Bridge's finest always looked destined to be a fill-in player.

But in last winter's tour of India and Sri Lanka, Collingwood stuck 96 and 80 before hitting a brilliant maiden century at Nagpur in March against India - a game he only played in because of an injury crisis.

Had Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick been fit the likelihood is that Collingwood would not have figured. Now, after his 206 in Adelaide and his 186 against Pakistan at Lord's in July, he is hard to omit.

Runner-up: Michael Hunter - Hartlepool's boxing sensation missed out on becoming the IBF super-bantamweight champion of the world last month but held the British, Commonwealth and European belts before that.

Third: Stewart Downing - the first Middlesbrough player to play in a World Cup since Alan Peacock in 1962.

Coach of the Year

Fabulous Flournoy

The fantastically-named Newcastle Eagles coach was awarded the British Basketball League Coach of the Season.

The American led his team to near perfection in the British Basketball League by guiding them to an incredible triple. Not only did they win the BBL Cup, they also succeeded in taking the BBL Trophy and the BBL Championship back to Tyneside.

It was the first time the Eagles had got their hands on the BBL Championship by defeating London Towers in April, something Flournoy's name will forever be associated with.

Runner-up: Steve McClaren - from Middlesbrough boss to England manager in five years.

Third: Glenn Roeder - this season may have been a little inconsistent but he saved Newcastle from relegation in his first few months as caretaker boss.

Overseas Personality

Dale Benkenstein

The South African one-day international was made Durham captain for the 2006 season and delivered a captain's innings to safeguard their Division One status.

He was already on course to finish as Durham's leading run-scorer in the Liverpool Victoria County Championship and NatWest Pro 40 competitions.

But he saved his best until last. Durham had to avoid defeat against Yorkshire on the final day of the season and his 151 at Headingley helped his side secure the draw that was required to finish above the relegation zone by a mere half point. Benkenstein shared a seven-wicket stand worth 315 with Ottis Gibson and that, in the end, sufficed.

Runner-up: Massimo Maccarone - not once, but twice. The Italian's late goals clinched Boro's place in the UEFA cup final.

Third: Shay Given - The Irishman was by far Newcastle United's best player in 2006, again.

Young Personality

Paul Drinkhall

The 16-year-old from Loftus, East Cleveland, began the year as Britain's No 1 ranked under-18 table tennis player. He will end it as this country's leading senior.

In doing so he has become Britain's youngest No 1 in more than 20 years and, given he has age on his side, there is well-founded belief Drinkhall can claim Olympic gold at either of the 2008 or 2012 Games.

In March he represented England in the Commonwealth Games and took top seed Zi Yang to six gruelling sets. He also took Olympic champion Ryu Seung Min to seven games and three match points - something no player was able to do in the Athens Olympics.

Drinkhall was runner-up in the BBC's Young Sports Personality of the Year award last weekend, while he also won The Northern Echo's Under-18 Award for Sporting Excellence at the 2006 Local Heroes awards at Hardwick Hall last month.

Runner-up: Bradley Saunders - the Durham boxer claimed the ABA senior light welterweight title by defeating Nathan Brough two weeks ago.

Third: Lee Cattermole - since making his Premiership debut at the age of 17 in January, the Stockton-born midfielder has become an integral part of Middlesbrough's plans.

Performance of the Year

Chris Cook

The City of Newcastle swimmer is now regarded as a medal hope for the next Olympic Games after claiming two gold medals at the Commonwealths this year.

Cook, brought up on South Tyneside, were he honed his talent in the pool, has taken inspiration from Adrian Moorhouse and Duncan Goodhew and was unstoppable in Australia in March.

Not content with securing the 100m breaststroke in Melbourne, he followed that up with glory in the 50m - an achievement he hopes to repeat at the Olympics in Beijing.

He has previously held four national titles and is a former British and Commonwealth record-holder, who became the first Brit to dip under 59 seconds for the 100m breaststroke.

Runner-up: Matthew Tait - the Newcastle Falcons centre was named player of the tournament in helping Great Britain to the silver medal in the sevens at the Commonwealth Games.

Third: Durham - the way in which Durham, requiring 528 to avoid the follow-on against Yorkshire and certain defeat that would have condemned them to relegation, fought back to earn the draw on the final day that kept them in Division One.

Team of the Year

Middlesbrough

Two years after winning the first trophy in the club's history in the shape of the Carling Cup, Middlesbrough broke new ground by reaching a major European final.

The historic appearance in the UEFA Cup final did not go to plan, losing 4-0 to Sevilla in Eindhoven, but just to have reached the last two was an incredible achievement for the self-proclaimed small town in Europe.

And the way Boro reached that stage has gone down in Teesside folklore, with two memorable comebacks from three goals down against Basle and Steaua Bucharest in the quarter and semi-finals respectively.

Runner-up: Newcastle Eagles - the all-conquering basketball team won all three pieces of sliverware on offer in the British game.

Third: Hetton Lyons - winners of the FA Sunday Cup and becoming the first team to hit five goals in the final for 40 years.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Alan Shearer

A decade after arriving from Blackburn Rovers in a record-breaking £15m deal, Shearer finally brought the curtain down on an illustrious career.

The goal king abdicated having racked up 206 goals for his beloved home-town club, a tally that has ensured he has gone down in the history books as a St James' Park legend.

Breaking the 200-goal barrier would have sufficed, but overtaking Jackie Milburn's achievements, that had stood for almost 50 years, ensured Shearer's playing days ended with him at his rightful place - the very top.

Over 50,000 black and white scarves waved furiously in the middle of May as Newcastle United's greatest No 9 departed 18 years after appearing for the first time at Southampton as a raw teenager.

While a glittering list of major honours never came his way, had the The Northern Echo had its way Shearer would have been honoured with a knighthood.