Meath Sports Awards - MARCH (two of four) GAVIN CROMWELL
The countdown is on for the Meath Chronicle Sportsperson of the Year awards with the 13th annual ceremony scheduled for its traditional home at Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim next Friday evening.
TICKETS
You can still buy tickets as there is limited availability - If you wish to attend contact Linda Cahill in the Meath Chronicle by Wednesday - linda.cahill@meathchronicle.ie or the Ticketline at (046) 9079654 - 10am - 2pm - Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
The overall 2019 Sportsperson of the Year will be selected from the monthly winners who will each be honoured on the night in recognition of their specific achievements during 2019.
The 2019 Sportsperson of the Year awards will be hosted by RTE’s Evanne Ni Chuilinn.
The list of contenders is listed at the end of this article and in this piece the focus is on one of the four March winners, racehorse trainer Gavin Cromwell.
GAVIN CROMWELL
The Gavin Cromwell-trained Espoir D’Allen was a the 16/1 winner of the £450,000 Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
A field of 10 runners went to post for the two-mile showpiece and much of the pre-race chat focused on dual winner Buveur D'Air, which fell, being taken on by Irish mares Apple's Jade and Laurina.
Jockey Mark Walsh was biding his time with Espoir D'Allen, which had won each of his three previous starts for Gavin Cromwell, and he shot clear from the home turn to seal a hugely impressive victory by 15 lenghts.
“I’m just lost for words, It’s brilliant, unbelievable,” commented the trainer who is based at Danestown outside Navan.
“When Buveur D’Air fell, we nearly got brought down. It’s unbelievable, I’m completely lost for words,” he added.
However, there was heartbreak for Gavin Cromwell and his team in August when Espoir D'Allen was injured in an accident on the gallops and despite the best efforts of Fethard Equine Hospital the vets were forced to put him down.
MONTHLY WINNERS
January - Gavin Kennedy (Ashbourne RFC); February - Shane Aston (Trim AC); March - Ger Lyons (horseracing), Andy McEntee (GAA); Keith Donoghue (horseracing), Gavin Cromwell (horseracing), April - Ray Moloney (Navan RFC), Gordon Elliott (horseracing); May - Eamonn Murray (GAA); June - Nick Fitzgerald (GAA); July - Donal Keogan (GAA); August - Colin Keane (horseracing); September - Brian Carroll & Gary McConnell (handball); October - Cian Carey (motorsport); November - Mary Watters (athletics); December - Alan Murphy (Trim Celtic).
OTHER AWARDS
Other awards that will be presented include
Team of the Year - Na Fianna Camogie (voted by Meath Chronicle readers)
Outstanding Achievement Male - Jack Regan (voted by Meath Chronicle readers)
Outstanding Achievement Female - Natalya Coyle (voted by Meath Chronicle readers)
Young Sportsperson of the Year - TBA on the night (selected by Meath Chronicle)
There will be some Facebook live from the Knightsbrook next Friday night.