Profiles

:: December 2007

Sheffield-born motorcycle racer James Toseland won the 2007 award, receiving the most public telephone votes for the second time.

The 27-year-old took time out from testing for his first Moto GP season after winning the World Superbike championship for the second time.

Richard Caborn with Toseland

Toseland was delighted to receive the accolade:

"To win it twice is quite amazing really. I'm very fortunate to do something I love doing, but to think that people also appreciate that is amazing, and to pick the phone up and vote for me and appreciate what I've done is amazing.

"Seven great years in Superbikes, and to win that twice was amazing, but to see my name in the top 10 of the UK's national sports personality awards is great but to win the Yorkshire one is just as special as that really.

"I am a Yorkshire lad, and to think Yorkshire people voted for me is amazing."

Junior Witter

Boxer Junior Witter was rewarded for a great year and picked up the 2007 Outstanding Performance award after defeating the highly rated US-based Guyanese Vivian Harris in Doncaster in September, 2007.

Witter [right] and Johnny Nelson

Witter retained his WBC light welterweight title after knocking-out Harris in the seventh round. Witter who is based in Doncaster and trains in Sheffield at the Ingle gym was delighted to be recognised:

"It's a bit unreal, I believe I deserved it, especially in the boxing field, mine was definitely an outstanding performance for me.

"I had the best opponent, he was big, four inches taller than me, four inches more arm reach and four years younger. The Americans thought he was gonna win, he came over to win, and it allowed me to box to the best of my ability.

"I came out and it all just clicked... everything was spot on, realistically it couldn't have gone any better that night."

Jessica Ennis

Sheffield heptathlete Jessica was honoured with the 2007 Sport England Senior Female award.

Jessica with Peter Elliot

The 21-year-old is the number one female British heptathlete and in the last year equalled the 25-year-old British high-jump record, set a new under-23 record for the British heptathlon, and as a result reached the qualifying standard for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jessica is ranked seventh in the world and is one of Europe's brightest track and field stars:

"It's been a brilliant season and it's so nice to come to these award ceremonies, especially a regional one and pick up an award.

"When I come back from championships people come up to me and say 'we've been cheering you on' and it's just amazing, it just makes it all worthwhile.

"Since I came back from the Commonwealth Games I started to develop a bit of a profile and this year it's just grown which has been great."

Sheffield Hatters

The most successful women's basketball team picked up the 2007 Senior Team award, marking their treble winning success last season.

The Hatters have dominated women's basketball in the country since the '90s and coach Betty Codona was thrilled for her amateur team to be recognised:

"To be honest with you I was hoping we might win but I didn't really believe we would. We're used to the men's teams and the professional teams winning... so it was really a surprise.

Coach Codona [left] with members of the Hatters

"We've won a lot before. I think it shows how things have moved on and they're quite happy now to accept a women's team as a senior team of the year.

"We've got a superb club, with lots and lots of good people in it. What does keep me going are the people, and the players work so hard, and put so much in it's untrue.

"I don't honestly think sometimes that people realise just what is put in by people in a voluntary club. We've worked hard to build up the club and the ethos in the club and we don't get fed up of winning."

:: The 2007 BBC Yorkshire Sports Awards took place at the Brooklands Hotel, Barnsley on Sunday, 2 December. Listen to our interviews via the link below.

Other winners

Junior Boy 2007: Abdirisak Ahmed [Sheffield athlete]
Junior Girl 2007: Jessica Ren [Sheffield tennis player]
Senior Male 2007: Paul Goodison [Rotherham sailor]
Hall of Fame trophy: Geoffrey Boycott
Coach of the Year 2007: Tony Smith (Leeds Rhinos/Great Britain)
Team of the Year 2007: Leeds Rhinos
Senior Athlete with Disabilities 2007: Danielle Brown
Junior Athlete with Disabilities 2007: Esther Stanger
Junior Team 2007: St John Fisher RC School