Patience certainly proved to be a virtue for a 50-year-old-plus cyclist who has won a top Southend sporting honour.

Winning line-up - Mayor Charles Latham shakes hands with coach/administrator of the year John Wade while junior and senior winners Emma Hart and Jennifer Patience look on with organiser Paul Hart Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

Southend Wheelers member Jennifer Patience has achieved three national titles in the 50-plus age group since taking up the sport competitively only four years ago.

She captured the ten miles (25 mins. 00 secs), 25 miles( one hr. 1 min. 56 secs) and 50 miles ( 2 hrs. 13 mins. 51 secs) national titles for ladies and was also 13th overall in the ladies' UK Road Time Trials Council's best all-rounder competition.

Patience was named Southend's Senior Sports Personality of the Year at a presentation held at Porter's and received her trophy from Mayor Charles Latham.

Southend Sports Council had their largest number of nominations since the award started in its present form five years ago.

Both the junior and coach/administrator categories were particularly popular and the outstanding youngster prize went to 13-year-old Southend High School for Girls pupil Emma Hart.

She has particularly distinguished herself in basketball, where she represented Southend and emerged top scorer at the Essex Youth Games.

Hart has also been a member of the Essex Schools, East of England and England Under-14 All Stars Select 12.

Away from basketball Hart has also shone in the world of athletics, being the reigning Southend Borough discus champion and having taken second place at county school level.

The coach-administrator prize went to John Wade, who has been coaching cricket for 12 years.

A total of 13 sports were represented in the nominations and the Sports Council's Paul Hart said: "We are very lucky to have so many talented sports performers and coaches in Southend."

Published Tuesday January 20, 2004

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