WORLD champion Polly Maton was named Wiltshire’s senior female athlete of the year at the 2015 Wiltshire Athletics Awards at Devizes Sports & Social Club.

Maton, from Urchfont and of Moonrakers AC, was crowned after becoming triple world champion at the IWAS World Junior Games and a double gold medallist at the Brazilian Paralympic School Games and headed Denise Grech, of Calne Running Club, and Alex Mundell, from City of Salisbury A&RC to win the award.

Wiltshire Athletic Association president Derek Drewitt presented the awards, decided by a judging panel including chairman Darren Wrintmore, Deborah Bray, of Lavington Trust and Dominique Oughton of Wiltshire & Swindon Sport (WASP).

Hilperton’s Rory Howarth was named Young Male Athlete of the Year, being ranked number one in his age group for 1500m as well as the South West inter-counties champion over 1500m and 75m hurdles, ahead of Tom Gale, of Team Bath, and Kieran Short, of Marlborough & District Junior AC.

Salisbury’s Lucy-Jane Matthews (Southampton AC) won the Young Female award ahead of Zoe Mattacks, of Team Bath and Chloe Crippen, of Highworth Running Club, with Wiltshire & South of England 400m champion and GB athlete Jacob Ness (City of Salisbury A&RC) edging Simon Nott (Calne Running Club) and William Kennedy (Team Bath) to the senior male prize.

Veteran female athlete of the year was Fiona Price, of Avon Valley Runners, for the second year, having become Wiltshire 10K champion, British Masters Half Marathon champion, ARC National 10-mile champion and also setting a British Masters record for one hour.

Wiltshire Half Marathon champion 2014 Wiltshire Road Race League top scorer Gary Dunstone, of Chippenham Harriers, won the veteran male prize.

Coach of the year was Lee Ness (City of Salisbury A&RC), with Damion Godwin (Devizes RC) and Adrian Clover (Team Bath AC) the runners up, while the official of the year award was specialist field referee Alan Brown (Swindon Harriers), ahead of Jacqui Sykes (Marlborough & District Junior AC) and Di Viles (Team Bath).

Unsung hero of the year was John Matthews (Royal Wootton Bassett Hounds).

OTHER AWARDS Club Initiative of the Year: Athlefit (Lavington Trust); Race of the Year: Wickstead Wander (Highworth RC).

n WILL Kennedy will be among Wiltshire's medal hopes at the South West Schools’ Track & Field Championships this weekend.

The 17-year-old Matravers School student from Westbury won silver medals in the junior men’s 100m and 200m and then added a bronze in the senior 200m at the recent Ulster & NI Ireland Championships in Belfast.

Kennedy has won six golds and two silvers at the South West championships over the past four years.

Another county medal prospect will be 16-year-old Melksham Oak School student Will Stockley in the 1500m steeplechase.

In the girls’ squad senior throwers Ellie-J Webb of Matravers School and Devizes School’s Emily Hutchinson are good medal hopes.

High jumpers trained by Lavington Athletics Club coach Deborah Bray excelled at the Wiltshire County Schools Championships in Salisbury.

City of Salisbury junior boy Sam Stephenson won gold with a new personal best of 1.63m and teammate Morgan Ringwood picked up junior girl gold.

Lavington Athletics Club’s inter boy Arthur Carson also set a new best of 1.64m, while minor boy Rico Lionetti, from Appleford School, Shrewton, set several new bests and a new championship record of 1.53m, ranking him equal sixth in country.

Ringwood and Stephenson will jump at the South West Championships in Exeter.