Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year awards recognise top achievers of 2015

The awards will be held at Cessnock Leagues Club.

The overall winner will come from the senior category, in which 17 finalists have been named.

In the junior section, 21 athletes are in the running for the trophy.

The winner of the prestigious East Cessnock Bowling Club scholarship, which is judged independently, will also be chosen from the junior ranks.

Trophies will also be presented for team of the year and administrator/official of the year.

Former Newcastle Knights player and Cessnock Rugby League Team of the Century inductee Bill Peden will be a special guest on the night.

Peden will talk about his upcoming Kokoda trek for the Mark Hughes Foundation.

Peden said he is looking forward to getting back to Cessnock to catch up with family and some lifelong friends.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be asked to come back to your home town to be a part of the sportsperson of the year awards so I’m extremely grateful for the invite.

“It is also a great chance to raise awareness for the Mark Hughes foundation and the great work they are doing with regard to research and everyday help for people who are in the fight of their lives trying to defeat brain cancer.”

Peden played alongside Hughes in the Knights’ 1997 and 2001 premiership-winning sides.

Hughes – a Kurri Bulldogs junior – was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2013 and established the foundation the following year.

An auction and raffle will be held on the night to raise funds for the foundation, which aids brain cancer research, awareness and patient support initiatives.

A crowd of more than 100 people are expected to attend the awards.

First held in the 1980s, the Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year Awards were re-born in 2005 when Kurri supercross star Chad Reed was announced as the winner.

Two-time winner Daniel Repacholi (2010 and 2014), 2005/06 winner Justin Beckett and 2012 winner Claudia Russell are among this year’s senior finalists.

The judges once again had a tough task choosing the winners, with so many outstanding achievements at local, state, national and international level across 19 sports.

Doors will open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Tickets are available at the Leagues Club’s front counter and website until 6pm Thursday.

JANUARY

The judges have decided to include one senior finalist and two juniors for the month of January.

Clay target shooter Taylah Turner is the senior finalist, recognised for winning the Women’s National ISSF and Women’s Commonwealth ISSF double trap and high gun at the national titles.

Taylah went on to perform well at the NSW State Universal Trench competition in March, taking out the C-grade division.

Cessnock girl Sophie O’Brien has been nominated in the junior category for her outstanding achievement in the sport of futsal.

Sophie was named the All-Star team (top five) after the national futsal championships, and will play with Australian girls’ youth team in Taiwan in December.

It’s Sophie’s second year in a row with the Australian youth side, having captained them to a tournament win in Brazil in November last year.

Weston teenager Jesse Herbert has also been nominated in the junior category for his achievement in flawlessly surpassing the competition in the Junior South Pacific Bowls Championship.

The 17-year-old went through the six-day tournament undefeated on the way to clinching the singles crown.

FEBRUARY

February saw some solid performances from a range of categories with three seniors, three juniors and a team making the cut.

Nulkaba motorcycle ace Matt Walters is a senior finalist after he received a call-up to participate in World Superbike Championship round at Phillip Island.

The 22-year-old was handed a lifeline from Lucio Pedercini, owner of Team Pedercini Racing – a Kawasaki Satellite Team within the World Superbike Championship.

Cessnock archers Matt McDougall and Ella Hugo, both aged 19, have both been named as senior finalists, having been selected to perform in the 2015 World Archery Youth Championships in Yankton, USA in June.

This will be Ella’s third entry into the tournament, taking home bronze in 2011; while it will be Matt’s first time at the international competition for under-21s.

Junior athletes Kirstie Power-Walford (Cessnock) and Brooke Kennedy (Kurri) were recognised for their achievements in futsal.

Following their impressive performances at the national championships (where Brooke was named in the All Star side), both girls made the Australian 12-13-years girls team that will travel to Barcelona in November.

Kurri teenager Rachel Williams is also a junior finalist for being selected for the NSW Country under-18s women’s basketball side.

The Cessnock representative cricket side are the first team finalists for the year, having taken victory in the John Bull Shield with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Singleton in the final.

MARCH

Nulkaba netballer Claudia Russell, who was the 2012 Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year, is once again a senior finalist after she was selected for the NSW 21-and-under side to compete in the national championships.

This was Claudia’s sixth qualification for the National Netball Championships.

The junior finalist for the month of March is Hayden Spinks, who won the under 16s 125/250cc class at the NSW long track titles in Gunnedah. He also tasted success at the Kings and Queens of Canberra and the Nepean Raceway.

APRIL

April has introduced a wealth of contenders, with two seniors, one junior, one team and the first administrator/official selection for the year.

Senior cyclist Peter Selkrig earned a nod after placing fourth in his division at the ABSA Cape Epic in South Africa; a great feat considering that he suffered from a torn tyre and several other punctures.

Furthermore, when due to return to Perth to qualify for the UCI World Road Championships, he discovered that his flight had been cancelled, arriving back in Australia at 1.30am, still placing seventh with only minimal sleep – and qualifying for the world championships in September.

However, a recent accident in which he broke his pelvis may put him out of the competition.

Up for her second nomination in 2015 is archer Ella Hugo, who was selected for the Australian senior team to compete in the World Archery Championships in July.

At 19, Ella is the youngest Australian to ever compete in the tournament, which this year will be held Copenhagen, Denmark.

Cessnock swimmer Harry Whitfield has been selected as a junior finalist on account of his participation at the Georgina Hope National Age Swimming Championships in Homebush.

Harry competed in the 13-years 50-metres freestyle ranked 42nd (last) but managed to finish in 31st place in a time of 26.94 seconds, knocking 0.3 seconds off his personal best.

The second team selection for the year is the Mulbring Public School relay team, who took bronze at the NSW PSSA swimming championships.

The team – comprising Year 5 students Keegan Harris, Jack Sellars and Andrea Pinchen along with Riley Saxby of Year 6 – placed third in the mixed open 200-metre freestyle Peter Dobson Relay (for schools of 25 to 54 students).

The first administrator/official finalist for the year is Branxton Croquet Club president Jacky McDonald, who was appointed National Director of Schools Croquet by Croquet Australia.

Jacky and her husband Geof established the Branxton club 12 years ago; and she has since also been appointed president of Croquet NSW and State Director of Schools Croquet.

MAY

Two juniors and one team were named finalists for the month of May.

Cessnock footballer Sophie O’Brien received a nod after she was selected in the NSW Combined High Schools second team.

The Mount View High School Year 12 student was part of the Hunter team that won the state championship.

Anika Rendoth, of Millfield, is also a junior finalist for May, after she won the under-11 women’s trampolining title at the Australian Gymnastics Championships.

Anika, 10, had only taken up trampolining at Cessnock PCYC in December 2014. She also received a bronze medal in tumbling at the national championships.

Greta Workers Club No. 4 Pennant side is the team finalist for May, after they won the Zone Six pennant title and qualified for the state finals.

JUNE

Ten pin bowler Mary Marks is the senior finalist for June after she won a gold medal at the National Disabilities Tenpin Bowling Championships in Queensland.

Mary scored 114, 132 and 194 to finish with a total of 440 and take out the C-grade female division – more than 20 points ahead of second place.

June was a good month for junior sportspeople, with five finalists named.

Emerging Jets teammates Caleb Trowbridge and Will Ingram were both selected to travel to Japan with the Northern NSW under-12s football team for the Saitama International Tournament.

The Nulkaba students were also chosen for the Hunter Primary Schools football team to compete at the NSW PSSA championships, and Will also made the equivalent basketball team.

Newcastle Knights SG Ball player Brodie Jones, of Quorrobolong, was chosen in the NSW Blues under-18s side that played Queensland in the curtain-raiser to State of Origin II.

A student at St. Mary’s, Brodie was also selected in the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges rugby league team to contest the Australian Schoolboys Championships.

Cessnock rugby league player Hayden Yates also competed at the Australian Schoolboys Championships with the NSW Combined Independent Schools team.

The fifth junior finalist is Kurri basketballer Rachel Williams, who was a member of the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges team that won the NSW All Schools competition.

JULY

Mary Marks earned another nomination as a senior finalist for July, following her performance at the NSW Tenpin Bowling Association State Disability Championships.

Mary brought home an individual bronze medal and another in the teams event.

Motorcycle ace Hayden Spinks is the junior finalist for July, after he claimed the production 250/300cc class at the NSW Road Race Championship.

The 15-year-old won all four races on the weekend of July 11 and 12 and achieved the maximum 100 points.

AUGUST

August was another big month, with two seniors, six juniors and one team finalist recognised.

Two-time Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year Daniel Repacholi is a senior finalist once again, after he represented Australia at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in Azerbaijan.

Another former winner, Justin Beckett, is the second senior finalist for August. Justin qualified for the Australian final of the inaugural Stihl Timbersports series, after finishing second in the NSW finals.

Cessnock motorcyclist Isaac Hawes is the first junior finalist for August.

Isaac, 13, won the 100-150cc 13-16-years division at the NSW Junior Track Championships, and was runner-up in the combined 100-150/200-250cc division of the same age group.

Also on the track, Aberdare’s Keegan Pickering created history after winning the national women’s long track title at Taree.

Aged 16, Keegan became Australia’s youngest female senior national motorcycling titleholder.

Weston’s Tyson O’Neil is the third junior finalist for August.

Tyson, who is legally blind, was chosen to represent NSW in goalball, a sport for visually-impaired athletes.

Tyson will compete at the Australian Goalball Championships in October, and the Pacific School Games in Adelaide in November.

Cessnock PCYC athletes round out the junior finalists for August.

Natalie Saywell ((Years 1,2,3 Elementary Singles) and Kaitlin Morgan (Years 4,5,6 Elementary Singles)  won individual gold medals at the Federation International Sport Aerobic and Federation (FISAF) national championships, while Isla Barr won a gold medal for trampolining (Level 5) at the NSW State Gymnastics Championships.

The Cessnock PCYC aerobics squad was also named as a team finalist for August, after their impressive medal haul at the FISAF national championships.

Along with Natalie and Kaitlin’s gold medals in singles, Cessnock PCYC won another five gold and four silver medals across the pairs, trios and teams divisions.

SEPTEMBER

Three swimmers were named as senior finalists for the month of September, after their achievements at the Masters Swimming NSW Long Distance Champion­ships.

Pat McCarthy won gold in the 70-74-years womens’ 400-metre backstroke and bronze in the 800-metre freestyle; Dennis Moore gained silver in both the 65-69-years mens’ 400-metre backstroke and 1500-metre breaststroke and Erin Cole swam to gold in the 30-to-34-years womens’ 800-metre freestyle.

Two junior finalists were named for September – motorcycle rider Corey Briffa and footballer Blake Archbold.

Briffa, of Cessnock was selected to trial for the Asia Talent Cup in Malaysia.

The 15-year-old was one of 126 road riders from around the world, including just 12 from Australia, selected for the trials from over 500 applications.

Archbold, of Bellbird, was selected for the Northern NSW Metro under-14s side to contest the Football Federation Australia National Youth Championship for Boys.

Some strong team performances were recognised in September.

The Cessnock Hornets Women’s A-grade team is a finalist after winning their third consecutive grand final.

The Hornets Women scored a 2-1 extra-time victory over undefeated minor premiers University.

The Kurri Bulldogs open age team also earned a finalists’ nod after they defeated South Newcastle 16-6 in the Newcastle Rugby League open age grand final.

Mulbring Public School received a nomination for its efforts in football and athletics at state level.

The school’s mixed football team won the grand final of division two (small schools section) of the State Knockout competition, while the athletics relay team also made the state finals, after breaking the zone record and winning the regional PP5 title (for schools with 25 to 54 students).

OCTOBER

One junior and one team finalist were announced for October – both from the sport of lawn bowls.

Weston teenager Jesse Herbert received a nod after he was part of the NSW triples side that won the Australian Under-18s Bowls Championships.

The 17-year-old, who bowls with East Maitland, also came home from the competition with silver in the fours event.

East Cessnock Bowling Club’s women’s grade two pennant team is the other finalist for October.

The team won the Hunter River District No. 2 pennant and finished second at state level.

NOVEMBER

The sole finalist for November comes from the senior ranks. Speedway driver Kiona Sunerton, of Sawyers Gully, became the first woman to win the NSW Street Stocker Championship.

Sunerton was the only woman in a field of 25 contesting the title at Valvoline Raceway in Sydney.

DECEMBER

Senior performances were hard to split in December, with five finalists named.

Shooting stars Daniel Repacholi, Blake Blackburn and Tom Turner also received nominations after winning medals at the Oceania Continental Champion­ships.

Repacholi won gold (and an Olympic quota place) in the 50-metre air pistol, and silver in the 10-metre pistol behind Blackburn, while clay target shooter Turner secured bronze in the double trap.

Cessnock cricketer Nathan Stapleford was recognised for achieving the impressive milestone of 100 representative games for Cessnock.

Stapleford, 29, played his first rep game for the Cessnock under-12s in 1996. He captained the winning U/14’s side in 1999/00; led the Cessnock Colts side to the major silverware in 2006/07, and was part of the senior team’s John Bull Shield-winning sides of 2011 and 2015.

Pelaw Main speedway rider Rohan Tungate rounds out the senior finalists for December, after he became the 2015 South Australian Speedway Solo champion with victory at Gillman Speedway.

It was a hectic 2015 for Tungate as he rode for British Speedway Premier League team Ipswich Witches (finishing the season as the club’s number two rider) and also rode in the 2015 Polish Speedway League.

Two junior finalists were named for December – Tyson O’Neil, of Weston, and Janszen Cook, of Cessnock.

O’Neil was recognised for his success in two sports – goalball (a sport for blind athletes) and athletics. He was part of the NSW side which finished runner-up at the Australian Goalball Championships, and the NSW team that brought home the bronze medal from the Pacific School Games.

O’Neil also broke two records at the School Sport Australia athletics competition – the T13 under-12s 100-metres and 200-metres – and was part of the bronze medal-winning 4x100m relay team.

Cook won several titles during 2015, including the junior boys’ title at the Pacific Region Field Archery Championships and the Australian Field Archery Championships, and second place in the intermediate class at the Australian National Youth Archery Championships.

Two finalists have been named in the administrator/official category in December.

The first is Cessnock Motorcycle Club, which was named Club of the Year at the Motorcycling NSW Night of Champions.

The award is decided by board members, based on work done by clubs throughout the year within their communities.

The Cessnock club is the main body behind the Australian Postie Bike Grand Prix, which has been a great success in its first two years.

The other administrator/official finalist is Cessnock Amateur Swimming Club volunteer Merv Walters, who has been volunteering with the swimming club for more than 50 years.

Walters became involved in the club through his children in 1962 and has been a race starter ever since.

He has been president of the board, was named a life member in 1977 and has coached A-grade swimming and water polo teams.

JANUARY

Senior

Taylah Turner (clay target shooting)

Junior

Sophie O’Brien (futsal)

Jesse Herbert (lawn bowls)

FEBRUARY

Senior

Matt Walters (motorcycle racing) 

Matt McDougall (archery)

Ella Hugo (archery)

Junior

Kirstie Power-Walford (futsal)

Brooke Kennedy (futsal)

Rachel Williams (basketball)

Team

Cessnock District Cricket Association senior representative team

MARCH

Senior

Claudia Russell (netball)

Junior

Hayden Spinks (motorcycle racing)

APRIL

Senior

Peter Selkrig (cycling)

Ella Hugo (archery)

Junior

Harry Whitfield (swimming)

Team

Mulbring Public School relay team (swimming)

Administrator/official 

Jacky McDonald (Branxton Croquet Club)

MAY

Junior

Sophie O’Brien (football)

Anika Rendoth (trampolining)

Team

Greta Workers Club No. 4 Pennant team (lawn bowls)

JUNE

Senior

Mary Marks (ten pin bowls)

Junior

Caleb Trowbridge (football)

Will Ingram (football/basketball)

Brodie Jones (rugby league)

Rachel Williams (basketball)

Hayden Yates (rugby league)

JULY

Senior

Mary Marks (ten pin bowls)

Junior

Hayden Spinks (motorcycle racing)

AUGUST

Senior

Daniel Repacholi (pistol shooting)

Justin Beckett (timbersports)

Junior

Isaac Hawes (motorcycle racing)

Keegan Pickering (motorcycle racing)

Tyson O’Neil (goalball)

Isla Barr (trampolining)

Natalie Saywell (aerobics)

Kaitlin Morgan (aerobics)

Team

Cessnock PCYC aerobics squad

SEPTEMBER

Senior

Pat McCarthy (swimming)

Dennis Moore (swimming)

Erin Cole (swimming)

Junior

Corey Briffa (motorcycle racing)

Blake Archbold (football)

Team

Cessnock Hornets Women (football)

Kurri Bulldogs Open Age (rugby league)

Mulbring Public School (football/athletics)

OCTOBER

Junior

Jesse Herbert (lawn bowls)

Team 

East Cessnock Bowling Club Women’s Grade 2 Pennant team (lawn bowls) 

NOVEMBER

Senior

Kiona Sunerton (speedway driving)

DECEMBER

Senior

Daniel Repacholi (pistol shooting)

Blake Blackburn (pistol shooting)

Tom Turner (clay target shooting)

Nathan Stapleford (cricket)

Rohan Tungate (speedway)

Junior

Tyson O’Neil (goalball/athletics)

Janszen Cook (archery)

Administrator/Official

Cessnock Motorcycle Club

Merv Walters (Cessnock Amateur Swimming Club)