West Fife nominees miss out
TWO West Fife nominees for accolades at a prestigious football awards ceremony have just missed out on picking up prizes.
On Saturday, Dunfermline Athletic Ladies and Girls FC’s Under-14 Whites, as well as cityborn Real Madrid and Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir, were amongst those shortlisted at the ScottishPower Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) Annual Awards.
Hampden Park hosted the event at the weekend, with prizes handed out in 16 award categories.
The team of Pars youngsters were shortlisted in the ‘Youth Team of the Year’ category, after a successful 2023 that saw them win the SWF East Region League Cup and the SWF East Region 14’s Caroline Weir League, and reach the semi-finals of the ScottishPower Youth Challenge Cup, losing out to 2-1 to eventual winners Musselburgh Windsor.
While Heart of Midlothian’s treble-winning 16s team. picked up the award, Pars head coach, Chris Wilmshurst, described the team’s nomination as a “real honour” and “another fantastic achievement”.
Caroline Weir, sadly out for the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture playing for Scotland against Belgium in September, was up for International Player of the Year, alongside Scotland teammates Rachel Corsie, Martha Thomas and and eventual winner, Glasgow City goalkeeper Lee Gibson.
Former Pittencrieff Primary and Dunfermline High school pupil Caroline, 28, , who moved to Spanish giants Real in the summer of 2022, won her 100th international cap in July.
Earlier this year, she was named as the Scottish Football Writers’ Association’s International Women’s Player of the Year, and was recently voted by her fellow professional players as the Liga F Player of the Season for 2022/23, presented by the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE).
WEST FIFE boxing star
Niamh Mitchell has enjoyed another fine success in the ring during an international with Team Scotland in South America.
The talented teenager, from Rosyth, travelled to Argentina with a squad of Boxing Scotland competitors for a Dual International match and came away with an impressive victory.
Dunfermline High School pupil Niamh, who earlier this year was named Sporting Champion of the Year at the Dunfermline Press Community Champion Awards, stepped into the ring for the second dual international on Saturday.
She took on Nahiara Lobos in a 54kg weight category bout and Niamh came out on top.
The Bowhill Miners Boxing
Club youngster began the opening round by using her height and reach advantage to great use, looking to take control, but her aggressive opponent forced her to take a standing count in round two after landing some shots of her own.
However, Niamh recovered from that setback to continue her good footwork in the third round, and claimed the win via a points decision.
Her fight in Buenos Aires, which came on the back of a two-week camp, was one of two successful bouts for Scotland during the second Dual International, with Aberdeen’s Ben Bonner also tasting victory.
Over the course of the two days, both countries ended with five victories each.
Boxing Scotland performance director, and joint national coach, Craig McEvoy, commented: “What an excellent camp it has been.
“Our eight youth boxers had on average around 43-44 very, very challenging rounds of sparring, and with the heat in the gym it has also been very uncomfortable conditions.
“It was a typical South American style and the opponents have been in their face, setting a fast pace and always looking to finish the exchanges.
“But, for our boxers, it has been an absolutely fantastic experience.”
Niamh’s club revealed on social media that a hospital visit with jaw damage in the days leading up to her bout saw her only given the green light to step into the ring the night before.