CARNEGIE Swimming Club's Ellie Turner claimed the top prize during a glittering evening to celebrate the best of local sport last night (Thursday).

The 16-year-old, who earlier this month claimed the 'top girl' accolade in her age group at the East District Age Group Championships for a fourth successive year, was named Sports Personality of the Year at Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council's annual awards.

The ceremony, which was held at the Carnegie Conference Centre, was held for the 41st time to recognise the achievements of those who have excelled individually, within a team or in a coaching and volunteering capacity during 2018.

Awards were presented in 10 categories and the top prize on offer was the Sports Personality of the Year, which is presented to "an outstanding sports person, resident and training in Dunfermline and West Fife, who is a current member of a local club and has achieved consistently high performance".

Turner and Pitreavie AAC Ben Potrykus were in the rinning for the accolade but it was the former who was chosen by the judging panel.

The Woodmill High School pupil enjoyed an excellent year in the pool, which included representing the Scotland Youth Squad at the Geneva International Challenge; winning a silver medal in her first British junior final at the Edinburgh International Swim Meet; five gold medals at the Scottish National Age Group Championships; and silver and bronze medals at the British Summer Championships.

She follows in the footsteps of the likes of 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Eilidh Doyle, former Scottish rugby international Craig Joiner and Commonwealth Games swimmer Mark Szaranek in winning the top prize, having previously been nominated for the Young Sports Personality of the Year, which this year had six nominations.

Sponsored by the Press, gymnast Molly McHale, Pitreavie AAC athletes Caleb McLeod, Erin MacFarlane and Sam Turnbull, Dunfermline Tennis Club player Maeve Lawes and badminton star Brooke Stalker were all in the frame, and it was Brooke who was awarded the prize.

The 12-year-old, who is a pupil at Queen Anne High School, was chosen after a stunning 12 months on the court that included winning the singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Badminton Scotland's National Junior Championships at both under-13 and under-15 level; becoming the first Scottish girls singles winner at the Victor Olve Jot Tournament in Belgium; winning bronze - despite being unseeded - at the Swedish Youth Games in the under-13 singles; and winning singles and doubles gold, and mixed doubles silver, at the Under-13 Forza Finnish Youth International, which attracted some of the most talented youngsters from around the world.

The Benny Hutton Team of the Year saw Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club's men's first indoor team edge out Fife Cycle Speedway after winning promotion to the National Indoor League Division One for the first time, while Dunfermline Tennis Club's under-14 boys - after winning their league with a 100 per cent record, which included winning 60 sets and dropping just one throughout - were winners of the Active Schools Fife Junior Team of the Year.

The East Kilbride Sports Council Award for athletes with a disability saw Michael Mellon, who claimed two silver medals and a bronze at the Invictus Games, win ahead of wheelchair racer Callum Sloan, bowlers Billy Allan and Glen Livingston, karate competitor Connor Brown, and athlete Owen Miller.

Beath High School pupil Alice Fox, from Crossgates, was named as the Active Schools Ambassador of the Year for her efforts in promoting a variety of sports, while the winners of the small and large Sports Festival schools were North Queensferry and Canmore respectively.

Cara Smyth made it an awards double for Carnegie Swimming Club when she was named as the School Sports Coach of the Year, while Dunfermline Rugby Club's Mark Dobson was named Club Coach of the Year.

Pitreavie AAC officials Frank Coyle and Norma Bruce were recognised for their long service to the club in the Services to Sport category, while Jimmy Dunbar - area leisure manager of Fife Sports and Leisure Trust - accepted an accolade on behalf of the organisation.

We will have a full round-up, including interviews with the winners, in next week's Press Sport.