Young Sports Person of the Year
14 year old Matthew, a pupil at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School received recognition for his sporting achievement at an awards ceremony in Redhill this week. Matthew was named ‘Young Sports Person of the Year’ at the event which was organised by Reigate and Banstead District Sports Council. Winning this award follows a year of judo successes for Matthew. In October 2011 he won a Bronze medal for at the British Judo Championships in Sheffield. This was despite being put in a higher weight category as there were too few entrants in his own category. Matthew was subsequently offered a place in the England Development Squad. He has also enjoyed success at the British Schools Judo Competition.
Matthew has Judo training at his club Westcroft Judo Club (Nork) and attended Judo lessons at his school when he was younger. He is now looking forward to representing his school, club and his country in the coming year. The next big competition is the National Championship in Sheffield and after that he will represent England at the International event in Flanders.
Mathew says “I knew I had been nominated for the award of Sports Person of the Year but I had no idea I would win it. It was a complete surprise.”
Headmaster Paul Spencer Ellis adds “Matthew has been winning medals for Judo for a number of years and it is fitting that this should be recognised by awarding him the honour of Young Sports Person of the Year.”
