Hereford Swimming Club achieved a triple success at the Herefordshire Sports Council 2003 Sports Personality awards by carrying off three of the top titles.

International swimmers Jonathan Andrews and Philippa Davies were, respectively, Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year while Hereford Swimming and Water Polo Club's coach Richard Blackshaw, who has played a part in the success of both, was named Coach of the Year.

Davies and Andrews both achieved considerable success in the Welsh Senior Championships last year with Andrews carrying off three golds - at 200m, 400m and 1500m freestyle - while Davies took the 400m and 800m freestyle. Their efforts earned them a call-up to the Wales squad heading for Florida to take on the top American squad in their pre-Olympic trials.

Blackshaw has coached 13 members of the Hereford club to national qualifying times and seen six of his charges make it through to national finals, with four others taking part in both medley and freestyle relay finals.

Just missing out on a fourth success for Hereford Swimming Club were the Speedo League team who gained promotion to the West of England Premier Division and have been nationally recognised as 'a team to be watched'.

The swimmers, however, had to be content with a highly commended in the Junior Team award which was carried off by Aylestone School Under-13 footballers who battled their way through to the final of the ESFA Coca-Cola Cup, winning the ESFA West Midlands and Midlands championships along the way.

A former Aylestone School pupil, oarswoman Rebecca Young, is Junior Sports Personality after a successful year in which she won gold medals in the single and quad sculls for England in the Home Countries Regatta.

Sculler Dan Middleton and hockey player Jenny Rogers were both highly commended in the Junior Sports Personality section.

It was another excellent year for wheelchair tennis player Matthew Faucher who won the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year award.

Faucher saw his world ranking rise from 86 to 38 and he also had the thrill of taking part in a demonstration event at the 2003 Wimbledon Champion-ships.

While no Senior Team of the Year award was made for 2003, the Club of the Year award went to Hereford and County Athletics Club who reached a milestone last year when they celebrated their golden jubilee.

The club has a membership of 150 and their 11 specialist certified coaches saw their work rewarded in 2003 when the club won four sections of the South-East Wales League where they also won the under-11 section. The club placed third in the Midlands Women's League Division 5, their best ever finish.

Two sporting stalwarts were highly commended in the Service to Sport award. Jack Roberts has given more than 30 years service to cricket in Herefordshire, while Peter West has been involved in the administration of football refereeing for 35 years, as well as being involved in cricket umpiring.

Winner of the award was Herefordshire County Indoor Bowling Associat-ion's Norman Lewis who, after an active sporting career including a stint as a Hereford United full-back, has held a large number of administrative and official roles in local and national bowling organisations, including the EBA World Cham-pionships organising committee. He is captain of Leominster and District Indoor Bowling Club.

The awards presentation was held yesterday evening (Wednesday) and the Royal National College for the Blind, Hereford.

l A further report and pictures of prize-winners will appear next week.