PARALYMPIAN Paul Pearce will be honoured at this year s Comet Sports Awards. The North Herts Road Runner died tragically while out training in February. And now the Disability Award at this year s event will be named in honour of the partially sighted run

PARALYMPIAN Paul Pearce will be honoured at this year's Comet Sports Awards.

The North Herts Road Runner died tragically while out training in February.

And now the Disability Award at this year's event will be named in honour of the partially sighted runner (pictured left).

The annual sports awards in association with North Hertfordshire College are being launched this week.

Now in their fourth year, they will feature a dozen categories.

This year both boys and girls will have separate categories in Youth Achievement.

And the separate male and female sportspeople of the year is being replaced by one award - the Sports Personality of the Year.

As well as main sponsors North Hertfordshire College, other sponsors already on board are the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, MBDA, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage Borough Council, Stevenage Leisure Limited, ESP, the Stevenage School Sports Co-ordinator Partnership plus Marshall Trophies and Signs.

Following the success of the three previous years, The Comet is once more asking readers to nominate the sporting stars and worthy winners in Comet country.

All ages, all standards and both sexes are sure to be honoured at this year's awards ceremony.

The categories requiring entries are listed below:

* Sports Personality of the Year;

* Team of the Year,

* Service to Sport;

* Coach of the Year;

* Club of the Year;

* Youth Achievement, Boys (under-18);

* Youth Achievement, Girls (under-18);

* Veteran Achievement (over-50);

* The Paul Pearce Disability Award;

* Against All Odds;

* Schools' Award (under-11);

* Schools' Award (11 and over).

Nomination forms are available from The Comet by email on: marcus.crawley@thecomet.net or by calling 01438 866204.

All entries MUST be on official Comet forms and should include a recent photograph of the nominated team or individual. They will not be accepted otherwise.

The three finalists for each of the dozen categories will be highlighted in The Comet before Christmas.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday, January 26, 2007, at the Stevenage site of main awards sponsors North Hertfordshire College.

Prize winners at last year's awards included Hitchin Girls' School, Sport Stevenage chairman Grahame Bowles, Letchworth Tennis Club and Great Britain Deaf football team manager Phillip Gardner.

The night was hosted by David Croft from Radio Five Live.