MONTHLY WINNERS: Meet the local sportspeople in the running for 2022 West Cork Sports Star of the Year

The 2022 Celtic Ross Hotel West Cork Sports Star will be announced on Saturday night. Here are the monthly award winners in the running for the top award.

FINTAN FENNER – The Castletownbere club man captained Scoil Phobail Bheara’s senior football team to All-Ireland PPS senior D football final glory in March 2022.

MARK COLLINS – Rising Irish hockey star Mark led Bandon Grammar School to All-Ireland schoolboys’ hockey championship glory in March 2022; it ended the school’s 17-year wait for the title.

AVERYL CONDELL – In an unforgettable season Averyl captained Skibbereen Rugby Club women’s adult team to THREE trophies. They won Munster Division 2 League, Munster Divisional Cup and Munster Division 2 Cup titles.

MIKE KEOHANE – Captain fantastic Mike captained Lyre Rovers to their first-ever West Cork League Beamish Cup title after a 1-0 win against Clonakilty Soccer Club. An unforgettable moment for the club.

HANNAH SEXTON – In her first season in the women’s senior road bowling ranks the Timoleague sports star captured the Munster title, equalled the road record in Ballincurrig en route, and contested the All-Ireland senior final.

AOIFE CASEY – The Skibbereen rower, and Rochestown's Margaret Cremen, won a brilliant bronze medal at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic in September, a breakthrough moment for Aoife.

PAUL O’DONOVAN – The best in the world rubber stamped his dominance in the Irish men’s lightweight double alongside Fintan McCarthy, as they defended their World and European titles. Paul also won gold at World Cup III in the Irish single scull.

FINTAN McCARTHY – As well as partnering Paul O’Donovan to World and European gold in the Irish men’s lightweight double, Fintan also won two titles at the Irish Rowing Championships, the lightweight men’s single and the senior single sculls – both firsts for him.

RACHEL WHELTON – Joint captain of the Castlehaven ladies team that won the 2022 Cork LGFA intermediate final in October, Rachel kicked the winning free in a sudden-death shoot-out.

SIOBHAN COURTNEY – Castlehaven’s rise through the Cork LGFA ranks (four county titles in a row) is remarkable, and Siobhan, joint captain alongside Rachel Whelton, has played a key role in their ongoing success.

The #WestCorkSportsStar awards take place at the @CelticRossHotel this Saturday night, and the 2022 West Cork Sports Star of the Year will be crowned. Here are the monthly award winners in contention for the big prize ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/XTmrRJsHXy

— Kieran McCarthy (@KieranMcC_SS) March 8, 2023

CONOR HAYES – He is captain of the St James team that was crowned Carbery Junior A football champions in 2022, and the reward is a place in the new Cork Premier Junior Football Championship this season.

JOHN MURPHY – The Kinsale golfer was lauded after he won his place on the 2023 DP World Tour, a huge breakthrough for him. He held his nerve in the final round of qualifying school in November.

SAOIRSE McCARTHY – The Courcey Rovers ace has developed into one of the top camogie players in the country, and was rewarded with her first Camogie All-Star, at wing back, following her role in Cork’s run to the All-Ireland final.

LIBBY COPPINGER – Dual star Libby put St Colum’s on the map when she became the club’s first-ever All-Star award winner in November, picking up a Camogie All-Star after shining for Cork en route to the All-Ireland final.

DARRAGH McELHINNEY – The Glengarriff man picked up the December monthly award after winning the Irish senior men’s 10,000m cross-country title for the first time. It was his THIRD senior national title in 2022, following on from indoor 3000m and outdoor 5000m successes.