Emotional finale to successful Olympics

FITTING tribute. . . Andrew Curwell’s parents Stephen and Janet with winners of the Andrew Curwell Award.

AN EMOTIONAL awards ceremony brought this year’s Saddleworth Olympics to a close yesterday (sep26) as organisers paid tribute a local sporting hero.

Active youngsters lined up at the poignant gathering to receive their ‘Spirit of the Games’ trophies, this year named the ‘Andrew Curwell Awards’.

The 18-year-old rugby player from Delph fell to his death in June last year while on a trip to Newquay.

Playing for Saddleworth Rangers and joining the Leeds Rhinos Academy in 2007, his promising future was tragically cut short when he fell from a 100ft cliff while looking for his wallet during a pub crawl.

His parents Steve and Janet Curwell were on hand to give out the awards and pay a loving tribute to their son.

Andrew’s death was a blow to Olympics organisers, who had seen the rugby star compete over the years as a youngster and grow in ability.

Delph organiser Allison Holroyd, who has been involved with the games for 24 years, was there to see the awards handed out.

She said: “It was such a poignant day, it made me cry.

“I saw Andrew grow up from being seven, he was one of the children that the village games are all about, he showed real sportsmanship and great team spirit.

“Andrew was really talented but he had the right attitude.”

It was a fitting end to the 25th anniversary event with 15 children being handed the trophies and a special games pin badge to mark the event.

Organisers were thrilled with the success of this year’s fixtures, despite once again battling with a waterlogged Churchill playing fields.

A torrential downpour on the opening weekend threatened the games, but organisers battled to pump water from the field, preventing cancellations.

Going out on a high, six of the 14-strong committee are stepping down this year including the chair Ben Hilton.

He said: “There were many people with lumps in their throat and tears in their eyes.

“Andrew’s dad said that without the games his son wouldn’t have got to sporting level he did, which was really touching — with him gone it feels like a part of us is missing.

“I’ll be extremely sad to finish at the games but I no longer have children involved and it’s time to let someone else take over. “This year’s Olympics have been brilliant.”

Over 1,000 local school children took part in the games, with the Frank Sykes Fair Play award, named after one of the original organisers, jointly won by Uppermill and Dobcross.