Coach Donna recognised in awards treble

HANDBALL coach Donna Hankinson has made it a hat-trick of awards in 2012.

The North East Manchester Hawks head coach won the sports coach of the year title at the inaugural Pride of Rochdale Borough awards at the Middleton Arena.

The Hawks, based both at Siddal Moor Sports College, Heywood and Royton and Crompton School, had a fantastic season under Donna, winning six trophies in under-18s league and cup and development league (north) at both male and female.

Donna has already been voted coach of the year by the England Handball Association and won the national BT coach of the year award.

She now goes forward to the Greater Manchester awards at Lancashire County Cricket Club on November 9 where she will be up against, among others, Pamela Hazelton of Oldham Netball Club, who won the coach award at the One Future Oldham Sports Awards earlier in the year.

The Hawks club also made the shortlist for the Rochdale club of the year. They were runners-up alongside Heywood Cricket Club with the Rochdale Company of Archers taking the honour for their superb work in encouraging over 1,000 local schoolchildren to try the sport.




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