New populist approach risks wrong winner emerging

JANUARY'S domestic sport calendar generally means one thing – a stack of fixture postponements, more than the usual number, and the time to hand over the gongs.JANUARY'S domestic sport calendar generally means one thing – a stack of fixture postponements, more than the usual number, and the time to hand over the gongs.

It is the official awards season, moving on a step from our very own unofficial, but we hope still desirable, Guernsey Press Sporting Achievement of the Year trophy won by cyclist James McLaughlin.

First up is the Guernsey Sports Commission awards followed, a week later, by the Sportingbet CI Sports Personality night. Great evenings both and, with each passing year, providing awards of ever-more valuable commodity.

But am I alone in wondering whether both events are adopting a more populist approach in 2011?

It would certainly seem so judging by the list of candidates for the biggest prizes on offer this month – the Sports Commission Trophy for the outstanding Guernsey performer of 2010, and the CI Sports Personality Trophy itself which covers the best of both Guernsey and Jersey.

But, in both cases, is it the very best up for the prestigious titles in 2010?

The shortlist of nominations is, in both cases, very impressive, but have both sets of media adjudicators chosen/been forced into taking a new approach to the whole thing?

In adding candidates from the three main team sports – football, rugby and cricket – ahead of outstanding international level solo performers, I believe the two organising bodies are attempting to tap into the psyche of the mass following of the bigger sports and, with it, appeal more to the greater populace.

I can see why they may wish to do so, but is it right?

The new approach risks, certainly in the case of the CI awards where the main prize is determined solely by the votes of the public and not by the judging panel, that the winner may not be the truly best performer, but someone who benefits from being backed by a bigger base of support.

The inclusion of Ross Allen and Nick Trower among the five CI candidates is wonderful for themselves and the teams they represented so skilfully, but are they not representative of a fantastic team effort on the domestic scene, as opposed to a truly supreme individual performance of national or international standard?

You make up your own mind, but it is a change of strategy for sure.

In the recent past were a CI footballer or rugby player in contention for the Sportingbet award, it would be Matt Banahan flying the rugby flag and Brett Pitman, now plying his trade in the Championship with Bristol City and rated at a million on the transfer market, the obvious choices.

Both have enjoyed outstanding 2010s by CI standards, but are not included this time around, losing out to a pair of resident Channel Islanders of lesser ability.

If it is the non-residency issue which has cost them their place I would fully understand, but the presence of tennis star Heather Watson and badminton player Elizabeth Cann in the list, suggests it is not.

F1 star Jensen Button possibly spends as much time here these days than the jet-setting Watson and Cann. And that is not a lot of days.

What the new strategy does, of course, is that it freshens the process and for award nights such as the CI one to succeed and retain its fantastic popularity, it needs to be fresh. That means ensuring it is not the same old stars of CI sport dominating year in, year out, and I am all for that.

But when you do that, of course, you dumb down the choice to a certain extent.

After winning the CI Sports Personality of the Year Trophy twice Andy Priaulx sportingly bowed out of future contention which allowed CTV to prevent a closed shop scenario.

Had he not taken that step, Priaulx would still be in the shortlist in 2010, having racked up six world touring car wins last year.

Dale Garland, too, was becoming an all too familiar candidate and but for an injury-wrecked last year, would have been worthy of a place on the shortlist.

Bad news for him, but good news for the awards promoters.

By his absence on this year's shortlist it would seem that Banahan has now been added to the list of those unofficially having done their time as far as this award goes, only to return unless he does something particularly special in an England shirt.

Perhaps him being part of a World Cup winning national side later this year would make him a contender again?

Heather Watson will probably be another to be unofficially disqualified before long, especially if she retains the title later this month and then goes on to achieve really, really great things, as opposed to just extraordinary heights for a Sarnian, which she already has.

Then, of course, there is the added problem facing CTV, in ensuring that there is a healthy balance between Jersey and Guernsey for all the awards.

It does them no favours if there are four or five contenders from one island, and none or just one from the other.

This year, Guernsey has the edge on that front by a 3-2 margin, but it could easily have been a clean sweep of Sarnians with cyclist McLaughlin, table tennis starlet Alice Loveridge and cricketer Jeremy Frith joining Lee Merrien and Watson at the table.

Which, of course, provokes the wholly worthless debate – but I will do it nevertheless – who are exactly CI sport's meritocracy?

Here are my 10 suggestions regardless of whether they are of Green or Red heritage – Heather Watson, Andy Priaulx, Lee Merrien, Dale Garland, James McLaughlin, Alice Loveridge, Matt Banahan, Elizabeth Cann, Brett Pitman and Serena Guthrie.

That's six Sarnians, four Caesareans.

Near misses – Erica Bodman (Guernsey) and Becky Herbert (Jersey).

What I sincerely hope is that the new populist approach does not, at any stage, lead to unworthy winners of the big trophies, falling victim to the armchair vote who see a nice face, is sucked in by the smile, and makes their choices for altogether wrong reasons.

I would hate to see a CI equivalent of HRH Princess Anne winning the BBC Sports Personality of the

Year. But for now, I applaud the new approach.

FOR years now, football has not had a look in when it came to the big annual awards, aside of last year's inclusion of Brett Pitman for the SPOTY prize.

So the fact that Ross Allen is a contender for both big prizes this month, as is the Guernsey football team that won the National System Cup, shows the value of the efforts made by Tony Vance's men in 2010.

In wider sporting circles, it has given football long-awaited credence and is well deserved.

For years, football in both islands, has dragged its heels behind other sports in terms or vision and professionalism.

Vance's men, inspired by opportunity and the prospect of true glories, not run-of-the-mill domestic triumph, have stepped up to the plate and deserve this recognition.

I just hope it is not a one-off and that through force of ability, combined with good behaviour worthy of the recipients at top awards nights, football and footballers vie for these awards in years to come.

That in itself will be a challenge, which the advent of Guernsey FC will make more likely to happen were it not about to take off.