- Basketball and football star picks up Island Games award following outstanding display at Jersey 2015.
- Botterill held off the challenge of 12 other nominees to take top prize at Team Jersey’s vin d’honneur.
NATWEST Island Games all-rounder Jodie Botterill was named the 12th winner of the JEP Bill Custard Memorial Award at Team Jersey’s vin d’honneur last night.
The 30-year-old police officer beat 12 other nominees to the accolade after a remarkable display at Jersey 2015, which included influential, and unwavering, performances for both the women’s football and basketball squads.
Recognised for her sportsmanship, and sheer determination to give her all throughout – attributes held dear by the senior sports reporter whom the award is named after – Botterill, who doubled up on Day One of the Games (playing at Springfield just four hours after appearing on the basketball court at Fort Regent), fought off the effects of fatigue towards the end of the week-long event to steer Jersey’s women to football gold for the very first time.
Individual efforts may well have been one of the main focuses of the ceremony – which also provided recognition for young table tennis star Jordan Wykes, swimmer Ian Black (Tony Richomme Award), cycling team manager Andy Hamon (Bob Blake Award), football official Bob Richardson (Gill Phillips Shield) and the Mitchell family for their help behind the scenes at triathlon and archery (Chairman’s Award) – but a ‘surprised’ Botterill was keen to stress the role her team-mates played during her golden campaign.
‘It feels strange winning something on my own because I’m part of a big team,’ she said.
‘I didn’t do anything different to what my team-mates did, we did everything together so this is just a continuation from that. It’s another award for the team.’
On her willingness to harry and chase her opponents from start to finish – a key factor that led to her nomination, Botterill added: ‘That is what I’m good at; running is my thing.
‘I’m quick so I just stick to something I do well. But everyone ran their legs off for the whole week.
‘I’m shocked – I was up against people who got six gold medals, so I didn’t expect it at all.’
Steve Jacobs, chairman of the Island Games Association of Jersey, said of the event: ‘We had all the team together for a team bonding night before the Games, but it was so intense over the week that not a lot of people saw each other.
‘So this gives everyone the chance to get together and have a chat during the post-Games “depression”, and it’s nice that the States of Jersey acknowledge the events people have been doing.
‘For me it’s a very proud moment … it’s absolutely fantastic.’
