Who will be the 2018 overall winner of Fethard Sports Achievement Awards?

The final of the 2018 Butler's Fethard Sports Achievement Awards takes place this Friday, January 20, when winners in three categories will be announced.

The categories in question are Young Sportsperson of the Year, Team of the Year and Overall Winner for 2018.

This competition is now in its sixth year and continues to grow and capture the public’s imagination.

The main aim of the competition is to acknowledge and reward local sporting achievements at all levels, be it at coaching/ mentoring, participation or administration. It is confined to Fethard parish, but allows for Fethard sportspeople working or living elsewhere as well as people from elsewhere who have made their home in the parish.

The competition is administered by a steering group comprising of representatives from all of the main sporting organisations, all having a love for sport as the common denominator. 

“A feature of the monthly award nights is where we honour some of the many volunteers who give of their time and experience free of charge to further their sport. One person per month is chosen as our Mentor of the Month, which has proven to be very popular,” a spokesperson said. 

“We have unearthed some new sports this year, which we would not have known about were it not for the awards scheme. Typical of these sports would be slalom canoeing and the motor sport known as drifting, which came to our attention for the first time during the year.

The awards presentation starts at 9.30pm. All are welcome and a special guest or two is certain to make an appearance.

The full list of months winners throughout 2018 is as follows

Butler’s Bar Fethard Sports Achievement

Monthly Winners 2018

January Paul Moloney – Played hurling with Maynooth to win the Electric Ireland Ryan Cup

February (joint winners) Edel McMahon - Irish ladies Six Nations Rugby Championship team member

Eoin Tynan - victorious in over 40 singles racquetball

March Charlie Manton - goalkeeper on the UCD team that defeated NUIG to win the Sigerson Cup

April Fethard Ladies U15 Rugby Team – won the Munster League, Munster Cup and Ladies Rugby 7s Tournament.

May Gavin Ahearne - Gold medal winner and county Tipperary javelin champion; silver medal in the Shot Putt.

June Colm O'Donoghue - jockey won Coronation Stakes at Ascot on ‘Alpha Centauri’ for trainer Jessica Harrington.

July Fethard U14 Ladies Gaelic Football Team – Munster Community Games Champions

August Fethard U12 Hurling Team - Winners of the South Tipperary A title for the first time in their history beating Carrick Swan in the final.

September (joint winners) Ben Coen - Apprentice jockey Ben was a prolific winner in September steering home nine winners.

Fethard Ladies Intermediate Football Team - First time county intermediate title winners

October Paul McCarthy - European Drifting Championships

November (joint winners) Freya Byrne - Twelve-year-old Freya won the Irish Canoe Slalom Junior Ladies C1 Flat Water Series 2018

Matt Coen & Jack Quinlan - These two young hurlers played a pivotal role in helping the South Tipperary U13 team regain the Peadar Cummins Cup for the first time in eight years.

December Bernard Feery – won gold, silver and bronze at the County Tipperary Indoor Championships Over-55 held in Nenagh, and a silver Over-55 medal from the County Masters Cross Country