Panthers are puttingin a latechallenge

Panthers team boss Carl Johnson, pictured here holding the SGB Championship KO Cup, is getting plenty of votes in Personality of the Year.

The club are mounting a strong challenge in four categories going into the last lap.

With only seven days to go in the voting they have a seriously strong contender for the big Sports Personality of the Year prize and they have also entered the race to be crowned Team of the Year.

Team boss Carl Johnson, who guided the team to KO Cup and Fours glory in 2017, is the man battling it out with champion boxer Cello Renda at the head of the Personality of the Year leaderboard.

Cassie Steward is doing well in Footballer of the Year.

And in the Team of the Year, Panthers are chasing City of Peterborough Ladies Hockey and Yaxley FC Under 12s.

Rob Taylor and Leon Gold, two of our world kick-boxing champions, are going well in Sportsman of the Year along with triathlete/cyclist Paul Lunn but coming up on the outside with a late spurt is Panthers’ skipper Ulrich Ostergaard.

Unsung Hero is the fourth category in which Panthers fans have been busy voting.

Their 67 Crew, a voluntary group of pensioners who carry out all sorts of odd jobs at the Showground track and who were all 67 years-old when they started a couple of years back, have been getting plenty of votes as well.

They are now breathing down the necks of Posh fan Adi Mowles, the man responsible for raising funds for the Chris Turner statue at the ABAX Stadium, and Tor Harris, a busy behind-the-scenes worker with the Peterborough BCKA kick-boxing club.

In Sportswoman of the Year, it’s still European Tang Soo Do champion Sarah Chapman at the head of affairs and in hot pursuit come two world champions - kick-boxer Jaden Harris and triathlete Georgina Jennings.

Martial artists are also well to the fore in Junior Sportsman of the Year and Junior Sportswoman of the Year.

Eddie Paddock, a world champion from Peterborough BCKA, has won Junior Sportsman of the Year twice before and is again attracting plenty of votes. Strong swimmer Myles Robinson-Young from COPS and star athlete Donovan Capes are his biggest rivals at the moment.

In Junior Sportswoman of the Year, Elise Ward and Lorena Ismail are the two martial artists in with a shout but Amelia Monaghan, a British champion swimmer from COPS, and Jorja Matchwick, an outstanding young rugby player from Borough, are also polling well.

There’s been little change over Christmas in the Footballer of the Year category with Cassie Steward (Peterborough Northern Star Ladies), Dan Cotton (Yaxley) and Avelino Vieira (Peterborough Sports) continuing to pick up votes. Peterborough United Ladies pair Tash Applegate and Jessica Driscoll are not far behind.

There is, however, a new challenger in Junior Footballer of the Year in the shape of Lewis Arber from Yaxley Under 12s, son of former Posh star Mark Arber, and in Disabled Achiever of the Year world para rowing champion James Fox is winning votes.

For a list of contenders and details of how to vote by text visit: https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/sports-awards-time-to-honour-your-sporting-heroes-1-8290694