Men’s Coach of the Year – Derek Forysth
Derek guided Kelburne men’s 1st team to a third consecutive League title, with an impressive undefeated record. Kelburne then went on to win the Scottish Cup. Derek is assistant coach to the Scotland senior and junior men’s squads and was coach to Caledonian Cougar’s Men’s squad during the GB Super 6’s tournament in 2007.
Women’s Coach of the Year – Ben Gibson
Ben coaches Dundee Wanderers Ladies team and has taken them from National Division 2 to National Division 1 for the first time after a perfect record this season. DWL reached the quarterfinals within the cup competition; this is the best achievement in the history of the club. Ben is also the head coach for the club’s youth section and Midland District U18/U14 squads as well as National U18 Manager.
Coach of the Year for Grassroots – Martin Gent
Martin works with Inverness Juniors Hockey Club as head coach for 8-14 year olds, and InveRoss Hockey Club assistant youth academy coach for 11-18 year olds. Martin runs Inverness Juniors HC single handed, and finds time to provide further opportunities for children by encouraging attendance at leadership courses and Talent Days. Martin is enthusiastic and committed to providing regular hockey activities at grassroots level.
Scottish Hockey Honorary Awards
Thistle Awards are presented for long and valued service with Scottish Hockey. This year’s recipients were:
- Walter MacDougal
- Rona MacVicar
- Balfour Allan
- Anne Barratt
Order of Merit Awards recognise outstanding performance either by high level of service in committees or playing or squad management. This year’s winners were:
- David Glen
- Anne MacRae
- Ged Curran
Honorary Member Awards are presented for outstanding achievement such as service at the highest level or lifetime service at any level. The following individuals received an Honorary Member Award this year:
- Eugene Connolly
- Alison Ramsay
- Martin Campbell
Gilmour Sports Men’s player of the Year – Niall Stott
Niall Stott, a member of the Great Britain team at the Athens Olympics, is one of the most exciting players ever produced by Scotland, and has an unorthodox trademark style. On his day, he has been a match winner; his pace, stick skills and low centre of gravity make it very difficult for opponents to steal the ball. There is a buzz of anticipation when this Olympian is on the ball and panic sets in immediately in the minds of the opposition. For these reasons and more Niall Stott is Player 2007’s Gilmour Sports Outdoor Player of the Year.
Gilmour Sports Women’s player of the Year – Abi Walker
Abi Walker did her bit between the posts to drive the revival of her club, Milne Craig Western. She had a brilliant double stop at the top of the circle in an ultimate game against Tayside that turned the match, helping to cruise her team to a 4-0 victory at the end. Her stinginess in her own circle was again evident in Western’s very successful cup run, again no goals conceded in any of the rounds, culminating in a 1-0 victory over Giffnock in the final last season. Manager Elaine Macara said: “Abi Walker gives the entire team a sense of self confidence and that is why she deserves to win Gilmour Sports Outdoor Player of the Year.”
Kukri Boys’ Youth Player of the Year – Gordon McIntyre
Gordon McIntyre is the latest U18 Captain and represented GB U20 at the Sydney Youth Olympics. He also plays in European A Division with Kelburne. He’s described by Euan Green as “a very motivated, focused young player who has taken every opportunity presented to him and made the best of it. Has a great approach to on and off pitch work and a training ethic that should be followed by all youth players” and for these reasons and more, Gordon is Kukri’s 2007 Boys’ Youth Player of the Year.
Kukri Girls' Youth Player of the Year – Stephanie McInally
Stephanie McInally, although relatively inexperienced and 'raw', in her first year has shown real technical improvement.
According to her coachesshe’s always keen to try new techniques and has an excellent attitude on and off the pitch. Her teammates say she never gives up anything and will chase anyone down. A couple of her squad players have said they’d ‘hate to play against her'.
Kukri is proud to have Stephanie McInally, better known as Stevie, as
the 2007 Kukri Girls’ Youth Player of the Year.
Team of the Year Award
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Kelburne Division 1 Men
Kelburne achieved a feat not many or indeed any of our past Division 1 men’s teams have achieved. They went through the domestic outdoor season not dropping a single point. In a very competitive competition, with the number of representative players the team had, this was an outstanding achievement. Team of the Year for 2007 is Kelburne Division 1 Men.