YOUNG cricket star Archie Carter added another trophy to his collection when he won the male Under 18 prize at the Wokingham Borough Sports Council awards, writes Dave Wright.

Last month the former Forest School pupil had received Berkshire County Cricket Club’s young player award and was also voted Wokingham first team’s top player.

As well as Berkshire first and academy teams and Wokingham, the highly-talented Wellington College student also played for Middlesex 2nds in a year where he accumulated 2,000 runs, including eight centuries.

The WBSC’s senior male award went to football star Alfie Mawson, who is now playing in the Premier League for Swansea City. His family home is in Wokingham and he started his career with Finchampstead U10s. Having been part of Reading FC’s youth system, the defender was a member of the England side who earlier this year were semi-finalists in the European U21 Championships.

With Swansea playing Bournemouth the following day, Mawson wasn’t able to pick up his award in person at Bulmershe School, Woodley, last Friday when the hall was packed to see a total of 18 awards handed out.

The main guest was Binfield-based Amber Hill, the Great Britain skeet shooter who is setting her sights on competing in her second Olympics in 2020. She knows the joys of winning awards as she was the BBC’s young sports personality of the year in 2015.

The WBSC’s senior women’s award went to Pinewood Gymnastic Club’s Tilly Nash, the British U21 champion who last week finished fourth in the tumbling event at the World U21 championships in Bulgaria.

A GB gymnast also won WBSC’s U18 female award with the title going to Maiden Erlegh pupil Megan Splain, who was coached at Bulmershe but now trains with the Leatherhead and Dorking club. She competes in artistic events.

Another gymnast to be honoured was Pinewood GC’s Lucie Colebeck, who won the Excellence Award in recognition of her winning the British senior women’s tumbling competition and helping GB to secure a silver medal in the World Championships in Sofia.

Earlier this year, she had won the bronze medal in the tumbling event at the World Games held in Poland.

Colebeck had won the senior women’s trophy at the Get Berkshire Active awards and a number of last Friday’s WBSC winners will be nominated for the GBA’s next presentation night to be held at the Reading Hilton Hotel in February.

WBSC chairman Nigel King made a special presentation at Bulmershe to the man he replaced, Roland Mear, who had helped build the Wokingham event up from a small gathering in Hurst village hall into an annual gathering attended by several hundreds.

Life were the main sponsors of the event, while the Master of Ceremonies was Jack Sulman.

HONOURS BOARD

Best primary school (sponsored by 1Life): Robert Piggott Junior.

Best senior school (1Life): The Forest.

U14 girls (Richard Worth Estate Agents): Isobel Blinkhorn – synchronised swimmer.

U14 boys (Hurst Bakery): James West – diver.

U18 girls (Ivor Baker): Megan Splain – gymnast.

U18 boys (Bray Cars): Archie Carter – cricketer.

Senior woman (BT 2000): Tilly Nash – gymnast.

Senior man (Wokingham Borough Council): Alfie Mawson – footballer Female team (WBC/Global Knowledge): Maiden Erlegh U18 rugby team.

Male team (Reading Rugby Club): Reddam Gymnastics Club juniors.

Coach (Pinewood Starr Boxing Club): Symon O’Keefe – Sand Martins Golf Club.

Service to Sport, individual (Trinity Mirror Group): Brian Woolridge – Walking for Health programme.

Service to Sport, club (Wokingham News series): Woodley United FC.

Unsung hero (Chris Evans’ family): Suzanne Fenwick – Bracknell AC.

Volunteer (Wokingham Town Council): Richard Devereux – basketball at St Crispin’s School.

Service to disabled sport (BT 2000): Alan Leason – Sand Martins GC.

Excellence award (Woodley Town Council): Lucie Colebeck – gymnast.

Courage award (John Cunningham’s family): Helen Wilson – medal winner in double transplant competitions.

Spirit of sport (Earley Town Council): Sophie Guy – Holt School netball.

Chairman’s award: Roland Mear.