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Video - ET Sports Awards 2011: Brave Ella steals the show at awards night
Peterborough United star Gaby Zakuani might have scooped the biggest prize, but it was a little five-year old girl who stole the show at the 2011 ET Sports Awards bash on Friday night.
Zakuani was holed up in a hotel in Lancashire ahead of Posh’s Championship fixture at Burnley the following day when his success in the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year accolade was announced.
The final winner of the night received widespread approval from the 200-plus guests packed into the Cresset for an event which sits proudly as the highlight of the local sporting calendar.
In pictures: photo gallery from the 2011 ET Sports Awards awards night: winners and attendees
Buy photo reprints from the awards night - peterboroughtoday.co.uk/buyaphoto
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Zakuani actually book-ended the prize-giving ceremony after opening an individual honours double with another triumph in the Footballer of the Year section – the first of the 10 gongs to be handed out in total.
Zakuani’s success continued the unbroken Posh dominance in that category since the inception of the ET awards back in 1998 and the London Road camp were also able to celebrate winning the Team of the Year prize following their promotion-winning exploits of 2011.
But it was BMX sensation Ella Foster who really captured the hearts of the audience with a triumph in the Junior Sportswoman of the Year category.
Ella arrived fresh from a stay in hospital following an operation on her hand after an accident with a garage door.
But despite being in plaster, the pedalling star was able to clutch the winner’s trophy to rapturous applause.
It was certainly an emotional success for her proud parents who were seen to shed a tear or two close to the stage.
And while Ella was by far the youngest winner of an award, at the other end of the spectrum senior citizen Terry Rawlings was rewarded for decades of tireless service to Ufford Park Cricket Club with the Unsung Hero prize.
And that just serves to highlight the beauty of the Sports Awards. Young and old, rich and poor, amateur and professional, it matters not.
This event is about highlighting talent, dedication and commitment - and Friday again proved the Peterborough area has all of those in an abundance.
Probably the loudest cheers of the night came following the announcement of the Junior Footballer of the Year and the Coach/Manager of the Year winners.
Budding seven-year old goalkeeper Dominic ‘The Dominator’ Cochrane saw off opposition from two considerably older opponents to get his safe hands on the former prize to the clear delight of plenty of guests.
And the same bunch of people were soon celebrating again when Cochrane’s goalkeeping coach Darren Gibbons took down the Coach/Manager of the Year accolade.
The man who is affectionately known as ‘Mr Bean’ has no experience of playing the beautiful game but is enjoying great success with his small coaching operation.
Another winner received a seal of approval from one of the all-time greats in his sphere.
Junior Sportsman of the Year Jack Bristowe was stopped on the way to the stage to collect his prize by a congratulatory hug from legendary Peterborough warrior and top-table guest Clifton Findley (probably the martial arts equivalent of a knighthood!)
Bristowe’s kickboxing world title-winning exploits clearly captured the imagination of ET readers and ensured he became the first person from the thriving local combat scene to collect an ET award since Findley himself walked off with the Sportsman of the Year prize 10 years earlier.
Findley was soon out of his seat again to offer more congratulations to martial arts representatives – this time to Sportswoman of the Year runner-up Gaynor Morgan and Sportsman of the Year runner-up Sean Dixon.
Those categories were won by world powerlifting queen Louise Fox and gymnastics golden boy Louis Smith respectively.
Findley was one of many targets in ET Sports Editor and event host Bob French’s gag-laden opening speech. He got off lightly compared to some though – especially boxing men Kevin Sanders and Gary Barron.
Sanders was present to see himself compared to a pig (and not the front end) in a series of mischievous lookalikes while Barron, who had been forced to pull out of attending, missed French’s offering about him.
“The trouble with old ‘Fat Snout’ Gary is he’s dyslexic,” revealed French. “He was sent out the other day to get a flat cap and came back with a cat flap on his head.”
It’s a fair bet the jokes and the ET Sports Awards will be back next year!
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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