THE best of Cumbria’s sporting talent will be honoured at the county’s annual sports awards.

Sportsmen and women across the region are bidding to follow Barrow martial arts master Tom Younger in being crowned Cumbria Sports Personality of the Year.

Younger was crowned in a lavish ceremony at the Low Wood Bay Hotel, Ambleside last year after 12 months in which he was crowned karate world champion and won every competition he entered, including taking gold in English, British and European Championships.

This year, he has again been at the top of his game and will be hoping he can pull off a double at the awards night on Friday, November 27.

Nominations are open until October 23 and Younger is among several Furness and South Cumbria athletes and teams in contention for a host of prizes.

“Winning the Cumbria Sports Awards was the greatest achievement in my sporting career to date, knowing my performances on the Tatami have been recognised,” said Younger.

“It was the best feeling I have ever felt, hearing my name announced as the winner of such a prestigious award.”

This year, Younger retained his World title in Riga, Latvia, added to further medals across England and in Ireland. He is sure to be among the contenders for the top prize once more.

There will be tough competition for the prize, with rugby league players Greg Richards, Brad Singleton, Will Maher and Ben Harrison all having impressed in the top-flight and Barrow CC product Liam Livingstone having helped Lancashire to Twenty20 finals day glory.

Swimmer Joe Elwood claimed gold at the British Championships in the summer and is just one of several contenders for success.

Jake Brown starred for England in the Cerebral Palsy World Football Championships and could be a contender for the best disability performance.

Among the younger sports stars, South Cumbria can lay claim to some of the top talents not just in the county, but the country.

Footballer Georgia Stanway has pushed her way into the first team at Women’s Super League side Manchester City, and scored her first goal in the competition against Bristol Academy in September. She is also a predator up front for England Under-17s, scoring five goals against Croatia at the start of this month and two more against Estonia in European Championship qualifying.

Up against her will be the likes of Ulverston golfer Natasha Slater, who played with the best juniors in the world at the Faldo Series Grand Final in Berlin.

Slater qualified after taking the Scottish title and impressed in Germany, finishing 22nd overall against a field featuring boys and girls up to five years her senior.

There are also the likes of swimmer Tom Robinson – whose open-water performances rank him among the best youngsters in the country – and basketballer Millie Knowles, who represented England in the European Championships.

Team-wise, Furness CC had another successful year in claiming the North Lancs and Cumbria League Premier Division crown and Barrow AFC won Conference North to return to the National League after a two-year absence.

These are just a few names who might be deemed worthy of nomination.

There are 13 categories recognising various levels of sporting success, in addition to the support services of volunteering, administration, and coaching.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, October 23. A full list of categories and a nomination form can be found online at activecumbria.org/cumbriasportsawards