FOOTBALL, boxing and swimming shone brightly as more than 120 students attended South Essex College’s Annual Sports Awards evening.

Eighteen awards were presented on the night.

And Alan Pease, Academy Manager for Sport, Enterprise and Lifestyle Services at the college was delighted to see so many youngsters engaged in sport this year.

“More than 50 per cent of sports students have represented the college in competitive sports this year, a rise of 20 per cent,” said Pease.

“This year the basketball, netball and three football teams won their respective leagues, which has meant an extraordinary year for sport and sporting success.

“It also means we’ve helped nurture students who have got exciting sporting related futures ahead of them. It really has been an outstanding year for participation and achievement alike.”

The pinnacle awards of sportsman and sportswoman of the year were voted for by the sport staff, with both sporting achievement and academic results taken into account.

This year, both went to the captains of their respective football teams, with Randy Kaza, 19, from Canning Town, also winning the sportsperson of the year.

He is the current captain of the mens first team and has represented England Colleges this season.

Leanne Baldwin, 18, from Westcliff-on-Sea, who has been the captain of the all-conquering ladies football team for the last two years, was this year’s sportswoman of the year.

She also plays for West Ham United Ladies and next year, on completion of her BTEC National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science, will take up a place at the University of Chichester to study Sports Therapy.

All sports students have done an exemplarily job in representing both themselves and the college this year and other notable special award winners included Yohan Fonseca, Sophie Drake, Tom Thorpe and Daisie Ladlow.

Fonseca and Drake won the Outstanding Achievement Awards, with Fonseca, a member of Vange and Pitsea Boxing Club, representing Essex in bouts in New York.

Drake has represented Great Britain in swimming, and has medalled in the last two years at the BCS National Championships as well as winning the Olympic Hopeful Award at this year’s Southend Sports Awards.

She has managed to obtain a full swimming scholarship in America, starting next year.

Ladlow and Thorpe were winners of the outstanding contribution to college sports awards while coach of the year went to David Oliver.

Other winners: Athletics Bianca Ashbrook, Rugby Jacob Bowen, Basketball Jez Bryan, Netball Daisie Ladlow, Ladies Football Amy Leach ECFA Third XI Sth Billy Mansell, ECFA Third XI Nth Kunle Adeyemi, BCS Performance Alfie Lindfield, Football Academy First Year Sean Ashman, Football Academy Second Year Ash Webb Football Academy Trainer Luke Winter.