Gymnast Annika Reeder has won the Basildon Sports Personality of the Year for the second time running.

The South Essex Gym Club member and senior British champion not only received the award but she was guest of honour when Basildon Sports Council presented its annual awards.

Basildon Golf Club's Arthur Burch was named as Administrator of the Year for his 31 years' service to the golfing community.

Not only has he built up the club's membership but he has also developed a good relationship with Basildon District Council, which owns the course.

"I'm very honoured to have won the award,"said Arthur, who has been secretary at the club for 18 years.. "It was quite an experience to be called up to collect my award."

The Sanguine Short Mat Bowls Club received the Club of the Year accolade after winning the Divisions One and Two of the South East Essex League.

The Basildon-based club, which has 24 members, also won the county triples and supplied five of the 16 Essex teams for the national championships in Kettering.

"We were surprised to have won although we knew we had been nominated," said club captain Pat Glover.

"We are very proud that short mat bowls has won this recognition," added San-guine's other captain, Don Pammant.

The Junior Sports Personality of the Year award was presented to 15-year-old Gareth Cooper, of Wickhay, Basildon, for his all-round sporting prowess.

Gareth, who is a member of Basildon Disabled Sports Club, suffers from brittle bone disease.

But that has not stopped him from picking up gold medals in javelin, discus and shot putt at the national championships in Blackpool and gold in the national swimming gala at Darlington in the 50m free, 100m backstroke and 100m free.

"I was really surprised to win the award as I did not expect it at all," said Gareth, who also competes in athletics, table tennis, archery, pistol shooting and wheelchair racing.

The Services to Sport award was received by Peter Hutchins, 62, for his work as sensei at the Akitas judo club where he has coached members for 15 years.

A fourth Dan black belt, Peter is also a county coach, a regional examiner and an international referee.

"I'm over the moon to have won," said Peter. "There are times when we at the club have thought to ourselves is it all worth it.

"Suddenly you get something like this and it's all worthwhile. Judo has done more for me than I have done for it."

Award winners - (l-r) Pat Glover, Don Pammant, Gareth Cooper, Arthur Burch and Peter Hutchins and, left, Annika Reeder

Main picture: ROBIN WOOSEY

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.