A JUDO player and an athlete collected the two main individual accolades at the Hereford Times sponsored Herefordshire Sports Council Awards last night.

World Masters judo gold medallist Andrew Morris was Sportsman of the Year and cross-country gold medallist Sandy Urro was the Sportswoman of the Year.

Morris, a British Judo Association fourth Dan black belt, took gold in the 90kg category at the World Master in Mississauga, Ontario, last summer with a win over United States fighter Wayne Dickinson, the 1999 world silver and 2001 world bronze medallist.

The Hereford man had defeated fighters from Hungary, Canada and Finland to reach the semi-finals but then received a bye into the final as his scheduled Russian opponent had to withdraw through injury.

Morris, who runs his own judo club at St Martin's Church Hall in Hereford, followed this up by claiming a silver medal at the 2005 British Masters Judo Championship.

Another Hereford Judo player, Stan Cantrill, was highly commended in this category.

Cantrill took a silver medal in the World Masters as well as a gold and a bronze in the European masters event.

Sandy Urro was a member of the England over-55 team, alongside Sue Carris (Bingley Harriers), Ros Tabor (Dulwich Runners) and Carol Wolstenholme (Hallamshire Harriers), which picked up the gold medal at the British and Irish Open Masters Cross Country International in Dublin in November.

The St James School teacher was the first-placed veteran in the Prague half-marathon and also in the Cardiff and Swansea 10km races.

Urro, who represented Wye Valley Runners in the National, Midlands Counties and Herefordshire Championships, is currently ranked in the top 10 nationally in her age group.