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The Evening Telegraph 2007 Sports Awards.
DARTS legend Martin Adams has described scooping the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year accolade at last night's Evening Telegraph Sports Awards as a 'tremendous honour'.
The Market Deeping arrow man received an avalanche of votes from ET readers after a glorious year in which he won the Lakeside World Championship for the first time.
The 51 year-old Adams could not attend the glitzy awards bash at the Holiday Inn Peterborough West last night due to currently playing in the big Dutch Open tournament.
But speaking to The Evening Telegraph from the Netherlands, 'Wolfie' was quick to show his delight at beating off strong competition from gymnastics talent Louis Smith and ice hockey ace Brent Gough to win the award.
Adams said: "I am really honoured and was very proud when told I had won.
"Last year was easily the best in my darting career and this is a lovely way to cap it.
"I really value the local support I receive and the reaction to winning the World Championship around here was excellent. "I had people in the street and in Tesco's coming up to me and congratulating me on winning the title.
"And I would like to take this opportunity to let the readers of The Evening Telegraph know how grateful I am that they voted for me.
"I've been a runner-up at The Evening Telegraph awards a few times so it is lovely to finally be a winner. It is just a shame I wasn't able to be there."
As well as lining up in tournaments all over the world, Adams has never lost touch with his local roots. He still plays regularly for local side Rigby's in the Deeping Darts League as well as turning out for Cambridgeshire in the British Inter-Counties Premier Division.
The rest of the awards were dominated by the Peterborough Phantoms ice hockey club.
They scooped the Team of the Year gong and Sports Personality runner-up Gough left with a winners' trophy of his own after coming out on top in the Sportsman of the Year category.
And that's not all. Ice hockey legend Doug McEwen took the Coach of the Year prize for his efforts during a successful four-month coaching stint with Phantoms last season and tireless club worker Ian Offers was rewarded for years of loyal behind the scenes service with the Unsung Hero award.
Young ice hockey player Kim Lane took the Junior Sportswoman of the Year award.
More video and coverage: See all the 2007 award winners - peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sportsawards.The winners were: The full article contains 525 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
