THE newly-crowned Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council Sports Personality of the Year has hailed the "amazing" achievements of her fellow nominees.
Dunfermline Water Polo Club star, Niamh Moloney, was presented with the prize - sponsored by the Press - for 2023 at last Wednesday evening's annual prizegiving ceremony.
Held at Queen Anne High School, accolades in eight categories were presented as the achievements and successes of individuals, teams, coaches and volunteers from the last 12 months were celebrated.
The Sports Personality of the Year category, previously won by the likes of Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist, Eilidh Doyle, Paralympic T20 1500 metres champion, Owen Miller, and the 2022 recipient, European champion boxer, Niamh Mitchell, and six talented individuals were shortlisted.
Pitreavie AAC's Caleb McLeod and Dunfermline Track and Field's Darcie Black and Callum Newton were shortlisted from athletics, as were badminton starlet, Brooke Stalker, rising snooker star, Jack Borwick, and Niamh.
Those who had the tough job of selecting a winner chose Niamh, 21, for an outstanding year in the pool for both her club and country.
As well as helping Dunfermline's senior women claim Scottish Cup and Scottish league glory, she was part of the Great Britain senior women's squad that qualified for the European Championships for the first time in a decade.
A seventh-placed finish at that tournament then qualified them for the water polo tournament at the World Aquatics Championships, which were held earlier this month, and also saw Niamh compete.
"I'm very happy. Hearing everyone else and what they've done, I was a bit like 'wow'," she said.
"I'm quite happy to be the winner of this award but everyone else, their achievements were amazing as well. It's quite amazing for West Fife.
"It's been a whirlwind, kind of. It's been non-stop, especially since December, with the Europeans and the worlds. It's been a lot but I've really enjoyed it.
"At the start of 2023, our only ambition with GB was to qualify for the Europeans. To do that was amazing, so to then get seventh at the Europeans, and qualify for the worlds, was out of our minds at that point, but we managed to do it, which was amazing.
"Then, Dunfermline as well, being unbeaten and winning the Scottish Cup and the Scottish league has been really good. Hopefully we can do that again this year."
The Young Sports Personality of the Year trophy was won by Pitreavie AAC discus and shot put star, Murray Robb.
The 12-year-old, whose elder brother, Bruce, also competes in those disciplines, won Scottish under-13 outdoor titles in both, and an indoor gold in shot put, is top of the rankings in Scotland for his age group, and holds indoor and outdoor national shot put records.
He was nominated alongside Acrobay gymnast Ella Gracie, water polo player, Lucy McNair, taekwondo competitor, Lily Finch, and Dunfermline Track and Field athletes Sophie Thomas and Amy Jenkinson.
"It's great. I never expected I'd win this one," he said.
"I never thought I'd win that big trophy. I'm a wee bit overwhelmed - I thought it was just get nominated, but instead I get a massive trophy!"
The Benny Hutton Team of the Year prize was awarded to Acrobay's 12-18 years partnership of Scarlett Haldane, Ella Gracie and Emma Nelson.
Their achievements in 2023 included winning gold, representing Great Britain, at the Gutenberg Cup in Mainz, Germany; winning gold for Scotland at the International Acro Cup; becoming 11-16 years British champions; and being named Junior Gymnasts of the Year at the Scottish Gymnastics Awards.
"It was nice to be nominated for it as well. Thanks to all our coaches, they've trained us to get us to where we are," Emma said.
"We just went to comps, not expecting anything, just trying our best, and the medals are a bonus."
When asked about their hopes for the coming year, the trio are set to head for a GB camp soon and Scarlett, who picked out their Germany trip as her stand-out moment from the last year, adding: "There's supposed to be a World Championships this year but I don't know if it's happening.
"Hopefully if we trial for that, something will happen for that."
The junior team of the year was jointly presented to the Dunfermline Kings Youth under-12 American Football flag team, and Dunfermline Athletic Girls Whites Under-14s.
The Kings youngsters were winners at the Scottish Flag Football Winter League Andy Meudell, chairman and coach, said: "It's a hard one to put into words because we're in February, and the club has achieved so much.
"To be crowned Scottish champions, and now team of the year, is amazing. It's really hard to put words on it.
"We're like Superman with the wind at our backs just now. Everything that can go right, is going right. It's amazing. To have the support of these wee guys, the support of the parents out there - we couldn't do what we do without them."
The Pars youngsters, who are now playing at under-16 level, won the SWF (Scottish Women's Football) East Region League Cup, the East Region Caroline Weir League, and reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Power Youth Challenge Cup.
Their head coach, Chris Wilmshurst, said: "I'm delighted. It's been amazing year for the team, for the girls, and it's just another accolade for the team and well deserved for them.
"Winning the League Cup, winning the league, going to the SWF awards at Hampden, now this - it's brilliant."
The Club Coach of the Year prize was awarded to Fife AC athletics coach, Steve Doig, who leads a training group at Pitreavie that includes Paralympic champion, Owen Miller, and Ben Sandilands, both of whom ran in the T20 1500 metres final at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, in which Ben stormed to a stunning victory.
Steve, who was unable to attend the awards ceremony, was shortlisted alongside Meudell and another athletics coach, Keith Black.
The East Kilbride Sports Council award is presented to an individual with a disability and, from a shortlist that included the likes of tennis player Anna McBride, Owen Miller, athletics duo Niamh Currie and Finlay Davidson, and badminton player, Owen Carmichael, multi-sport star, Molly Dawes, took home the prize.
The nine-year-old, a member of both Carnegie Swimming Club and Disability Sport Fife, represented Team GB at the World Dwarf Games, winning a host of medals.
"As soon as she saw that Finlay was up - we know him through the Dwarf Sports Association - she thought he's going to win it, so she was surprised," mum Caroline said.
"She was competing in the World Dwarf Games in the summer, representing Team GB, and she won loads of medals - swimming, world champion in frisbee throw, running, the relay. She won medals for everything she competed in apart from the boccia.
"She also competed in the National Dwarf Games in Birmingham last year and won frisbee in that as well, a gold medal for that, and medals in running and swimming.
"She trains with Carnegie Swimming Club three times a week and takes part in mainstream competitions as well as disability swimming competitions. She won gold in the National Disability Swimming competition last year.
"She trains with Disability Sport Fife on a Thursday, so she had a really decent year."
The Active Schools Services to Sport award was won by Dunfermline High School pupils Sally Hill and Louise McKay.
The 14-year-olds dedicate time during to play games with youngsters in the school's Department of Additional Support (DAS), and run lunch time and after school sessions, including in boccia.
"It's absolutely insane, I can't believe we won. It's crazy," Louise said.
"I did not expect to win this. To even get on the shortlist, and win this, is absolutely insane. I can't believe it - I'm still in shock.
"I love doing it and it's just a thing that I most enjoy. It's definitely something I want to do more of in the future."
Sally agreed, adding: "We also come into school for courses and all sorts of different things on in-service days and holidays, so that we get more educated on what we're actually teaching."
The Services to Sport award was won by Ruth Gillanders and Sheila Page for their efforts to grow the junior and ladies sections at Aberdour Golf Club.
The self-titled "children's grannies" have sought to bring fun to the junior section, and Ruth said: "We had to think of the future of the club because there wasn't enough (juniors and ladies).
"We started with the juniors and, luckily, we had a really good professional. He thought like us - it had to be fun. If you make it fun, they will come. We're just fun people!"
Sheila commented: "I must admit I found it quite difficult doing it that way because I've been a member for nearly 70 years, with my parents, my sister, all involved in the golf, so you can imagine what a change from being taught, when I was about five, to what it is like now. It was quite an adjustment.
"I wanted to put back what I got out of being a junior member myself. It worked out well, and we get on well."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here