SPORTS AWARDS: Superbike racer James Ellison is among the nominations received by the Gazette for the Sports Personality of the Year Award to be presented at the Cumbria Sports Awards at the Low Wood Hotel, Windermere, on Friday December 3. There is still time to nominate candidates for the awards directly to Cumbria Sport, 5 Portland Square, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1PU.

RALLYING: Cumbria's ex-rally ace Malcolm Wilson 's M-Sport operation has the go-ahead to create a new Ford Focus RS car for the 2006 World Rally Championship. Ford agreed a four-year deal, saving 150 jobs at the company, which is based at Dovenby Hall, near Cockermouth.

CRICKET: Upwards of 1,000 mourners attended the funeral thanksgiving service held for the life of Cumberland and Netherfield Cricket Club cricketer David Wheatman at Kendal Parish Church, Kirkland, on Monday. The fast bowler died from cancer aged 38.

FITNESS CENTRE: South Lakeland Leisure, operators of Ulverston Leisure Centre, is to invest almost £50,000 in replacing all the fitness suite resistance and cardio-vascular equipment with state-of-the-art equipment as used by the world champion England Rugby Union team. The suite will also be re-decorated, re-carpeted and an entertainment system installed.

RUGBY: Liam Nicholls has been apoointed the new Rugby Development Officer for Cumbria. The 25-year-old ex-Aspatria centre had been number two in the job to Richard Metcalf who moves to take head the Cumbria arm of Sports Coach UK.