Tim Kneale and Charlotte Atkinson were named as the sportsman and sportswoman of 2018 at last evening’s IoM Sports Awards ceremony.

The annual awards, sponsored for the second year by Microgaming Play It Forward, took place in front of a packed audience at the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall.

Guest of honour was former 400m Olympic Champion Sally Gunnell OBE, who stepped in at the 11th hour for fellow athlete Greg Rutherford MBE, who was forced to pull out 24 hours before because of a family emergency.

Sally arrived in the island early Thursday and was shown round the extensive facilities at the National Sports Centre in Douglas.

Commonwealth Games silver medal-winning double trap shooter Kneale picked up the Sportsman of the Year award for the second time in four years.

He saw off 2017 winner Jamie McCanney, the latter’s brother Daniel, TT aces Conor Cummins and Lee Cain, leading cyclist Mark Christian and professional boxer Danny Roberts.

It was the third year in succession that Charlotte Atkinson lifted the women’s title, having also been a triple winner of the under-21 award in her younger days.

The highlights to her 2018 season were finishing fourth and fifth in the 200m and 100m butterfly finals respectively at the Commonwealth Games precisely 12 months ago in Australia.

Fellow Gold Coast Games team members - race walker Erika Kelly and cyclists Lizzie Holden and Anna Christian - were also shortlisted, along with four-time consecutive Winter Olympic snowboarding competitor Zoe Gillings-Brier and equestrian athletes Yasmin Ingham and Libby Priest.

The under-21 awards went to Sale Sharks Rugby Union prop Bevan Rodd and British Junior Women’s Road Cycling Champion Amelia Sharpe respectively.

Netball had its best year to date, with the senior women’s side picking up the team award and Claire Battye named coach of the year.

Disabled Sportsperson of the Year is Manchester City and England Amputee footballer Sean Jackson; Administrator of the Year Richie Stevenson of Manx Fell Runners and Veteran Sportsperson of the Year ultra-distance race walker Karen Chiarello.

Sports Ambassador of the Year is Peel’s Sam Brand who rides for the all-diabetic Novo Nordisk professional cycling team.

The most poignant award was Lifetime Achievement, which posthumously went to Leonie Cooil.

The former island swimmer successfully carried out the responsibilities as chef de mission for the 2018 Commonwealth Games team in Australia only six months before losing a brave battle with cancer.

Her brother, Marcus Cooil, stepped up to receive the award on Leonie’s behalf.

The event also included the presentation of the 2018 Sure Sports Leader of the Year Award and the Sports Aid scholarship packages to athletes supported by Isle of Man Sport Aid in 2019/2020.

l Full reports from the Awards ceremony will appear in next week’s editions of the Manx Independent and Isle of Man Examiner.