EILIDH Child capped an amazing 12 months after being crowned West Fife's sports personality of the year for a record FOURTH time in a row tonight (Wednesday).

The 23-year-old Pitreavie athlete was in tremendous form in 2010 and took the silver medal in the 400 metres hurdles in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.

At a glittering celebration of West Fife's sporting talent, she was up against swimmer Lucy Ellis, badminton player Gordon Hoggan and model aero club flyer David Hutchison for the main award.

Child has now won the accolade, awarded by the Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council at their annual awards in the Glen Pavilion, every year since 2008. The current Scottishathletics athlete of the year, she set new Scottish records in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay, was in the GB team that finished second in the European Team Championships and reached the final of the European Championships in Barcelona.

A further seven awards were handed out by the sports council, with talented youngsters Chloe Dickson, a fencer, and footballer Caroline Weir sharing the Asda St Leonards Trophy, for sporting stars under the age of 16.

Dickson (15), of Dunfermline Fencing Club, is the current under-16 Scottish schools champion at foil, epee, sabre and master at arms and also holds the Scottish ladies' under-17 titles in foil and sabre.

She has fenced for Scotland at A level, was selected for the GB squad and is part of British Fencing's national academy training programme.

Weir, of Perdieus Mount in Dunfermline, captained the Dunfermline High under-16 sevens team that won the Scottish Schools competition and skippered the Scottish Schools under-15 side in matches against Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

She was also the youngest player in Scotland's under-17 side in the European Championships in Austria, where she played in all three matches and scored three goals.

Also nominated for this award were athletes Ewan Dyer and Kirsten Galbraith, sailor Aaron Murray and Jamie Sinclair, for karate.

The East Kilbride Sports Council Award, for athletes with a disability, went to middle-distance runner Owen Miller, of Macbeth Road in Dunfermline.

Scotland's leading cross-country runner with a learning disability, he has been selected for the GB Special Olympics team that will compete at the World Games in Athens this summer. It's hoped the Carnegie College student, who beat bowlers Billy Allan, Daryl Stewart and Barbara McMillan, as well as swimmer Craig Rodgie, to the title, will go on to compete in the Paralympics in the near future.

The Carnegie Dunfermline Trust Centenary Masters award went to Pitreavie endurance athlete Jeff Farquhar (52), of Rowan Grove in Dunfermline.

Recognised as the number one runner in the M50 (over-50s) group in Scotland over several distances, he's ranked number one in the UK at M50 for 5000m (track) and 10K (track and road).

He achieved new club records, two new Scottish records at 5000m and 10K, and was first M50 at more than 30 races last year.

Also nominated were air rifle champ David Penman and cyclist Sandy Wallace.

The Sport Tayside and Fife sports coach of the year award went to Pitreavie AAC's Dave Fox (53), of Copperbeech Wynd in Cairneyhill.

He coaches 34 athletes and helped the club bring home 55 championship medals in 2010, from Fife and Scottish schools races, district and cross country championships to national events.

Suzanne Fraser, the founder of the Acrobay Gymnastics Club, was also nominated.

The Services to Sport award had four worthy nominees but Jan Hay, who has devoted more than 50 years of her life to Dunfermline Tennis Club, just pipped Pitreavie AAC's Vonny Burke, Dunfermline Cricket Club's Nancy Gibson and Ken Rose, of West Fife Fencing Club.

Hay, of Main Road, North Queensferry, joined the club in 1956 and has served as secretary, match secretary and president, as well as winning the club championship 15 times, coaching youngsters and organising tournaments, social and fund-raising events.

The Benny Hutton team award (for over-16s) was won by Dunfermline Water Polo Club, with the youth boys' team winning the Scottish National League and Scottish Cup at under-18 level and supplying the bulk of the players for the winning Scotland side in a tri-nations international tournament.

Also nominated were the Spartan gymnastic display team and Dunfermline Knights Cricket Club.

The Rotary Club of Dunfermline award, for teams under the age of 16, went to Aberdour Shinty Club after they won the Central Scotland and South of Scotland under-14 leagues, reached the semi-finals of the under-14 Scottish Cup and finished runners-up in the South of Scotland sixes. They were chosen ahead of Pitreavie's under-15 girls' 4x100m relay team.

Tonight's event also provided the sports council with an opportunity to recognise the long service of 21 members who have dedicated more than 10 years to the sports council.