Community sports volunteers and clubs from Comet country scooped numerous county awards at the 2008 Herts Sports Partnership Service to Sport Awards. Fairlands Valley Spartans Running Club did particularly well at this year s event last Wednesday, picking

Community sports volunteers and clubs from Comet country scooped numerous county awards at the 2008 Herts Sports Partnership Service to Sport Awards.

Fairlands Valley Spartans Running Club did particularly well at this year's event last Wednesday, picking up an incredible five awards.

Winner of the female community coach of the year was Katrina Doyle from the club.

She said: "I really wasn't expecting this; I am really pleased and honoured. I'd like to thank our chairman Mark Glading who nominated me and all the other coaches and members of Fairlands Valley Spartans."

Second, in the same category, was head coach of the Spartans, Tessa Stephenson.

And second places were also awarded to Chris Leigh (male community coach of the year), Paul Holgate (service to sport) and to the club overall in the community club of the year category.

Val Murdoch from Letchworth Garden City was the first place winner of the esteemed service to sport award for her work in North Herts table tennis. She was unable to attend the awards evening as she was in St Petersburg at the European Table Tennis Championships.

The third local winner was Steve Cook from Knebworth Youth Football Club in the category volunteer of the year (over-21).

These overall winners of categories - Doyle, Murdoch and Cook - will now get put forward for the 2008 BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award.

Veteran boxing coach from Hitchin, Harry Goodwin, received one of the lifetime achievement awards handed out.

Stevenage Storm Netball Club were second in the best newcomer club award, while Katie Alcock from Letchworth Rugby Club was runner-up in the community volunteer category (under-21). Natalie Threlfall, a 16 year old from the rugby club, was highly commended by the judges in this category.

Another runner-up was Bal Singh from the Khalsa Football Academy in Letchworth GC (male community coach of the year).

Knebworth Youth Football Club were highly commended in the category community club of the year, while Letchworth Rugby Club chairman Dave Sharp was awarded a commendation.

Others highly commended were Joan Pinkstone from the North Herts Riding School for the Disabled (the Paul Pearce award for contribution to disability sport), Marriotts in the sports school of the year, and Philip Smith, who volunteers at Bedwell Table Tennis Club, in the service to sport.

The awards evening took place in the Weston Auditorium at the University of Hertfordshire, paying tribute to the accomplishments of sports volunteers and clubs.

Award winners were aged from 12-92 and from a variety of sports.

The evening was compered by BBC Three Counties Radio presenter Luke Ashmead, and featured an opening address by former Olympic coach and technical director to the Oscar winning movie Chariots of Fire, Tom McNab.

This year, the prestigious event sponsored by the University of Hertfordshire and Excel Sport attracted a record number with around 400 people from across the county.

If you know a sports volunteer in our part of Hertfordshire who you think deserves to be recognised, then visit www.sportinherts.org.uk for some more information.