A good turnout of 71 people attended the TADEA Middlesbrough Lions Awards dinner on Sunday night to enjoy a special evening of awards, prizes, disco and a three course meal at Tavistock.
The evening was presented by Chairman James Thomson with Gazette sports writer; Martin Neal on hand to present some awards. Some excellent images were captured by club photographer; Steve Brown who exceeded himself with some very atmospheric shots which really captured the moment.
The venue was the ambient setting of the Tavistock Italia on Marton Rd Middlesbrough. The plush surroundings were accompanied by a well suited guest list as players, fans, friends and family dressed to impress. The seating arrangements were originally set for 60 guests and another two tables had to be rushed in as the numbers swellled to 71.
James Thomson paid tribute to the evening and thanked the Tavistock staff “Everyone has enjoyed a wonderful evening and it could not have gone any better. We had 11 more than anticipated and this is a most welcome problem. It shows people want to be involved with Lions. The staff were excellent and the food was yet again superb.”
The evening, which was sponsored by Heaven Scent Yankee Candles in Middlesbrough, also welcomed Emma Farrington and her partner who won two tickets through a competition organised by Heaven Scent. Emma said “I was so pleased to win, I couldnt believe it, I never win anything! We had a lovely time and the food was really nice.”
In addition to the awards, a new signing was introduced to the guests in Jon Shaw. Jon is 26 and originally from Barnsley. The three point specialist is a product of the famed East Durham Basketball Academy which has produced some of the best players in the country over the last 10 years. Jon also played for Sheffield Sharks as a junior under the tutorage of current Great Britain Head Coach; Chris Finch.
The main awards of the evening were the Senior MVP and Coach’s Player of the Season which were awarded to Tom Robinson and Ben Thompson respectively. The pair were also named captain and vice captain for next season.
The Full list of Awards is:
Under 12 Most Improved Player – Matthew Beavis
Taylor McFayden, Matthew Beavis, Jake Boddy, Jacob Watts
Under 12 Most Valuable Player – Jake Simpson
Nominated: Taylor McFayden, Matthew Beavis, Jake Simpson
U16 Most Improved Player – Anthony Reed
Nominated: Liam Burns, Anthony Reed, Alex Hopper
U16 Most Valuable Player – Joshua Watts
Nominated: Joshua Watts, Aiden Woodward, Anthony Reed
Sharp Shooter – Daniel Burns
Nominated: Jake Simpson, Joshua Thomson, Daniel Burns, Taylor McFayden
Hustling Award – Simon Beavis
Nominated: Simon Beavis, Taylor McFayden, Matthew Beavis,
Coach’s special team of hard workers, committed players, a team of 5 worthy of a special mention
Brendan Brown
Joshua Thomson
Adam Brown
Matthew Brown
Taylor McFayden
Female Most Improved Player – Caitlin Harvey
Nominated: Anna Jieman, Rebecca Simpson, Caitlin Harvey
Most Injured Player – Matt Taylor
Nominated: John Ford, James Thomson, Matt Taylor
Most Improved Player – John Ford
Nominated: Ben Thompson, John Ford, Anthony Humes
Most Valuable Player – Tom Robinson
Nominated: DaWaun Wells, John Ford, Tom Robinson
Coach’s Player of Season – Ben Thompson
Nominated: John Ford, Ben Thompson, Rob Wright
What a fantastic evening, well organised, well presented & very well attended.
Great to see the team again and some new faces although I hardly recognised Jon Shaw as the last time we saw him he was in a cheerleaders dress with a wig on !!!
Thanks to everyone who willingly let me take photos all night, some came out quite well and there are still a few more to come.
Lets look forward to the next getogether
Steve
Well said Steve,
A great evening by a great club with great people