Meath sports personality of the month - February - Paul Carberry

FORMER champion national hunt jockey Paul Carberry has been nominated for the Meath Chronicle / Cusack Hotels Sports personality-of-the-month for February and joins the January winner, Fr Murphy AC athlete Kieran Kelly, on the podium for the overall accolade which will be presented next January. Paul Carberry partnered four winners at Punchestown last month as trainer Noel Meade ended a 50-day drought with a double. Carberry landed the opening race for Meade with Clarnazar and the second with Jered ran out an impressive winner of the novice hurdle. Carberry also won a novice hurdle with Moore's Law for Michael Grassick and completed his four-timer for local trainer Tony Martin on board Mourne Ramblers in a maiden hurdle at the Kildare track. Carberry completed a good week when he won the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse with a Afistfullofdollars which will not go for the Cheltenham Gold Cup this Friday. The 2008 Meath Sports Personality of the Year will be announced next January at a gala banquet which will take place at Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim. The overall winner will be selected from 12 monthly winners and any outstanding achievement recipients. There will also be a number of additional awards including a 'young sports personality-of-the-year' and a Hall of Fame accolade. Monthly winners will receive a specially commissioned award by a local Meath artist and there will also be a one-off trophy for the overall winner. Next January's invitation-only second annual banquet will be a black tie affair at Knightsbrook where the monthly winners and guests will join representatives of some of the major sporting organisations in Meath, local dignitaries and sponsors for what will be a major sporting celebration. The inaugural awards were launched in 2007 and the overall winner was Aintree Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott. 2008 nominees: January - Kieran Kelly (athletics); February - Paul Carberry (horseracing).