Search under way for Oldham’s finest

OUR HEROES . . . Steve Dronsfield and Dorothy Shirley-Emerson unveil the sporting honours board at Oldham Sports Centre.

July 27, 2011 marks the one year countdown to the London Olympics 2012.

And as part of Oldham’s Olympic legacy, Oldham Community Leisure Ltd and the Oldham Evening Chronicle are searching for sporting champions who were born, lived or trained in Oldham and have then gone on to compete in an international sporting forum.



The search began in 2010 when more than 80 sporting champions from many sporting backgrounds were nominated and are now recognised as sporting greats on the honours board located in Oldham Sports Centre.

Dorothy Shirley-Emerson, who won high jump silver in the 1960 Rome Olympics, was joined by Commonwealth Games swimming silver medalist Steven Dronsfield at the ceremony last year to unveil the honours boards for the first time.

Sporting champions are identified as a sporting honours candidate if they were born, lived or trained (for a minimum of five years) in Oldham and then competed at an international forum for their given sport.

The search 2011 nominations starts today. To nominate a sporting achiever email sport@oldham-chronicle.co.uk  or visit www.activeoldham.co.uk  and make your nomination there.

Information on the person, the sport they participated in, the year(s) of their highest level of competition and any medal will be collated and added to the honours board.

The closing date for nominations will be June 24, 2011, with the 2011 nominations being unveiled on July 27, 2011 on the one year countdown to London 2012.




2010 honours board



Athletics: Ian Grime, Ernie Guild, Andrew Ravenscroft, Dorothy Shirley-Emmerson, David Ireland.

Basketball: Jamie Edwards

Boxing: William Hague, Harold Henthorn.

Cricket: Keith Andrew, Michael Atherton, Malcolm Jameson Hilton

Cycling: Peter Buckley, Chris Newton.

Football: Ian Greaves, David Platt, Paul Scholes.

Hockey: Nicole Jackson.

Rugby League: Ray Ashton, Ambrose Baker, Charles Bott, David Bradbury, Chris Bridge, Edgar Brooks, Albert Brough, Joseph Corsi, Richard Cracknell, Alan Davies, David Davies, Lee Doran, Kyle Eastmond, Phil Farrell, Joseph Ferguson, Mike Ford, Des Foy, Bernard Ganley, Alex Givvons, Bryn Goldswain, Andy Goodway, Iestyn Harris, Reginald Hathway, George Hesketh, Alfred Higgs, Robert Irving, Ken Jackson, Ernest Knapman, Sidney Little, Thomas Llewellyn, Rod Marlor, Barrie McDermott, Leonard McIntyre, Martin Murphy, John Oster, Gareth Owen, David Parker, Frank Pitchford, Norman Pugh, Tommy Rees, Lewis Rees, Neil Roden, Thomas Rostron, Paul Sculthorpe, Kevin Sinfield, Mick Swift, Kevin Taylor, Edward Thomas, Trevor Thomas, Jordan Turner, Thomas White, Thomas Williams, Charles Winslade, Michael Worrall.

Swimming: Steven Dronsfield, Henry Taylor, Jean Wrigley

Table tennis: Philip Aspinall.

Weightlifting: Alfred Baxter.

Wheelchair Basketball: Dan Johnson, Simon Munn, Garry Peel, Malcolm Tarkenter.

Wrestling: Herbert Hall

Arm wrestling/body building: Mark Robins.