President’s award for Hawks coach

HANDBALL: COACH Donna Hankinson has become the first recipient of the president’s award at the North-East Manchester Hawks Handball Club’s inaugural presentation evening.

The newly-formed club took both its boys and girls under-18s teams to the National Cup finals at Crystal Palace last season, with the girls going one better than the boys by claiming the silverware.

However, due to players in both squads having commitments with England in Denmark and Sweden over the summer months, the club had to delay their presentation until the start of the new season.

Coach Hankinson received her trophy from the club’s newly-installed first president, Royton and Crompton School head teacher Des Herlihy, who was instrumental in running a pilot project in handball in 2009 which ignited interest in the sport and from which Hawks was formed last autumn.

“The Hawks have come such a long way in a short space of time and to have had several junior internationals is testament to how hard the players work together to improve,” said Donna.