Boxing sensation Ward retains sports star of the year award

And still the Westmeath Independent Sports Star of the Year ... With those words, invoking a boxing champion retaining his crown, compere and host Robbie Irwin appropriately enough unveiled Moate boxing sensation Joe Ward as the 2010 Westmeath Independent Sports Star of the Year. Ward was chosen as the overall winner at the gala banquet in the Hodson Bay Hotel on Friday night last for his fabulous achievement in winning the middleweight division in the AIBA World Youth (Under-19) Championships in Azerbaijan.

It was a remarkable achievement and came a year after the young Moate boxer had taken the World Junior Championship light middleweight gold at the age of 15, a feat which earned him the 2009 overall award at the Blue Riband sports’ awards event in the region. As part of his prize, Joe received a year’s free subscription to the renowned Hodson Bay Hotel Health & Leisure Centre. Meanwhile, Ireland Under-17 soccer starlet Jennifer Byrne was chosen as the Readers Choice Sports Star of the Year via a public vote on the Westmeath Independent website and through coupons in the paper.

Byrne had been the recipient of the April monthly award for helping kick-start Ireland’s bid to reach the World Cup, as her team became the first Irish ladies side to qualify for the UEFA European Championships. In a public vote of almost 2,000 entries, Byrne came out on top in the public vote - and the announcement was met with popular acclaim. Host Robbie Irwin revealed that former Ireland Under-17 manager Noel King had described Byrne as pivotal to the team’s achievements during 2010. Byrne, a Leaving Cert student at Our Lady’s Bower, will now focus on making the Ireland Under-19 panel under new manager Dave Connell, and admitted that she would consider pursuing her chosen sport as a professional career.

And David Costello, of Athlone Tennis Club, was an ebullient Hall of Fame winner, recognising his sterling contribution to Athlone Tennis Club since joining its ranks in 1993. A former principal of St Colmcille’s NS, Ballinahown, Costello paid tribute to Mark Rohan and Jennifer Byrne, two former past pupils, who were among the monthly winners. Earlier there was a heartfelt tribute to RTÉ broadcaster and Moate native Colm Murray, who had hosted the previous four years of the awards, and who recently spoke publicly of his battle with motor neurone disease. His close friend and colleague, compere Robbie Irwin recalled how the first signs of Colm’s illness came to light.

Frank Mulrennan, Director of Operations with Celtic Media Group (Westmeath Independent’s parent company) opened proceedings and thanked the Hodson Bay Hotel for their continued sponsorship of the awards. And he vowed the Westmeath Independent would continue to invest in its sport coverage, despite the difficult economic times. Michelle Peake, sales and marketing manager of the Hodson Bay Hotel group, spoke of the important role of sport in the hotel, through the hotel’s leisure centre. Westmeath Independent sports editor Kieran Galvin noted the awards had now recognised excellence in nineteen different sports over its five-year existence, which he said was a reflection of the diversity of sporting talent in the region.

He remarked, too, on how 2010 was memorable for the hosting of the European Triathlon Championships in Athlone and the Community Games National Finals in Athlone IT. The twelve monthly recipients were formally presented with their awards (all of the trophies were crafted by local company Athlone Crystal) during the ceremony. Daniel Qualter was chosen as the January award winner after receiving international recognition with the Ireland under-18 schools team. He was recently announced as a member of the Irish Under 20 panel for the Six Nations championships. He told the gathering he would look forward to pulling on the green jersey in Athlone, where Ireland’s home matches will be played. Maryland’s Kieran Martin was chosen for the February award for the starring role he played in Westmeath reaching their first Leinster U-21 final in ten years. He said the Westmeath under-21s would hope to go one better this year as many of last year’s squad remained underage.

Gary Molloy, who was honoured for becoming national senior flyweight champion at the National Stadium in Dublin in March, explained that the necessary first step to possible qualification for the Olympic Games was success at the Irish National Championships this year. May winner Joe Ward spoke of the likely prospect of meeting Olympic silver-medallist and ten times champion Kenny Egan during this year’s national senior boxing championships. Athlone golfing star Colm Moriarty was chosen for the June award by virtue of his outstanding achievement in qualifying for the prestigious British Open, and his subsequent performance in the competition at the famed St Andrews course. Speaking to Robbie Irwin, he recalled playing with the eventual champion Louis Oosthuizen during the opening two rounds. Donie Shine received the July award for his inspirational performance in Roscommon’s sensational 2010 Connacht SFC final victory over Sligo.

Looking forward to this year, he admitted Roscommon would still have to convince the doubters that their Connacht championship success was not a flash in the pan. World paracycling gold medallist Mark Rohan was chosen as the sports award winner for August after he secured Ireland’s first ever Paracycling World Championship gold medal when winning the H1 Handcycling Road Race in Canada. Mark was unavailable due to a prior training camp in South Africa. Accepting the award on his behalf, Mark’s father Denis Rohan said how proud he and his wife Carmel were of their son’s achievement - and expressed his admiration for the commitment of Mark to his chosen sport, evidenced by what Denis said was a gruelling training regime. Sarah Dolan was chosen as the sports star of the month for September, by virtue of her key contribution to the Garrycastle ladies team securing a third Westmeath senior title in a row.

Dolan said the goal for the season had been to win a third-title-in-a-row and she admitted that the squad were seriously motivated by their desire to have another crack at a Leinster intermediate final after a narrow defeat in the 2009 final. The October sports star of the month award went to Doran Harte who captained Garrycastle to their fifth Westmeath senior football title. On stage, he reflected on Garrycastle’s tremendous record of five titles in the last ten years and admitted that they too retained a burning ambition at Leinster level. Asked if he had any advice for the St Brigid’s panel which is due to contest the All-Ireland club semi-final in a few weeks, Harte remarked that he could only say it would have been great to have both Garrycastle and Brigid’s involved in the latter stages of the All-Ireland series.

Kiltoom man Karol Mannion played a key role in St Brigid’s Connacht Club SFC final win over Galway champions Killererin – which has set up an All-Ireland Club semi-final meeting against newly crowned Munster champions Nemo Rangers in February. Mannion said Roscommon’s Connacht title victory was particularly sweet as it came after a difficult decade for the Rossies. And December award winner, Niall Daly was part of the Padraig Pearses team which defeated a fancied Roscommon Gaels side in the Roscommon Under-21 football decider to give his club a much-needed boost. He admitted it was a great feeling to win a final with Pearses, a club that often labours under a bridesmaid status, particularly as St Brigid’s had been gunning for a remarkable nine in a row at U-21 level.