SPORTING celebrities from across the region descended on Southampton's De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel last night for the BBC South Sports Awards.

More than 200 guests, including the likes of Matt Le Tissier, Lawrie McMenemy, Rupert Lowe, Harry Redknapp and James Beattie, were on hand for a glitzy evening which celebrated remarkable sporting achievement.

Hosted by BBC South Today duo Sally Taylor and Roger Johnson, with running commentary from Tristan Pascoe, it was the seventh annual presentation of the awards.

Southampton sporting stars figured highly in many of the categories, most notably the prestigious Sportsman of the Year prize, which was won by European water-skiing champion Jason Seels.

The Locks Heath 27-year-old is also an eight-time British champion in this most extreme and dangerous of sports.

He beat off competition from Southampton's five-times world powerboating champion Steve Curtis and WBU world light heavyweight boxing champion Matthew Barney for the coveted title.

Seels, who does most of his summer training at Thorpe Park and winter training in Australia and America, said: "Winning the European Championship in Greece was the highlight of the year.

"It's been a big high for most of the year, especially when we finished third in the team event of the world championships, which was the first British medal for something like 16 years."

Water-skiing is split into the jump, tricks, slalom and combined categories.

This year, Seels, who went to Fareham College, broke the British jump record with an incredible distance of 70 metres, or 230 feet. It was just five feet short of the world record and the eighth biggest leap of all time.

The Sportswoman of the Year prize last night went to Portsmouth swimmer Katy Sexton.

She became the first woman ever from this country to win world championship swimming gold when she was victorious in the 200m backstroke on the way to setting new British and Commonwealth records.

The top award of the evening was the BBC South Sports Personality of the Year, voted on by viewers of BBC South Today and listeners of BBC Radios Solent, Berkshire, Oxford and Southern Counties Radio.

It was won by Surrey 3-day eventer Pippa Funnell, who achieved the unique feat of a grand-slam in 2003.

She enters Olympic year as another of the region's main gold-medal hopefuls in Athens.

Third in the vote for Sports Personality of the Year was Sexton, while runner up was Harry Redknapp.

The Pompey boss went one better, however, in the race for Manager of the Year, in recognition of his achievement of lifting Portsmouth into the Premiership. "It has been an amazing turnaround," he reflected. "I have had a good chairman who has supported me, fantastic coaching staff and a great set of players."

Despite leading Saints to the FA Cup final and eighth in the Premiership, Gordon Strachan missed out on being among the nominees for manager of the year.

The turnaround at Aldershot FC won the Non-League Team of the Year award from Winchester City and Farnborough Town.

The feats of the south's disabled sportsmen and women were recognised, with international swimmer Danielle Watts and world number one wheelchair tennis player Peter Norfolk picking up the respective awards.

Elsewhere, a special 'Unsung Hero' prize went to Jim Williams for his work in establishing the thriving South Reading FC, while speedway's Poole Pirates and Reading Hockey Club had their outstanding achievements recognised.

Poole won the domestic speedway treble this year, while Reading were crowned European champions after a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

In other awards, Basingstoke's under-25 world bowls champion Claire Spreadbury was named BBC South Young Sportswoman of the Year, while the Newcomer of the Year was world under-13 trampolining champion Katy Ianson from Bournemouth.

ROLL OF HONOUR:

BBC Southern Counties Radio MALE TEAM OF THE YEAR: Sussex CCC.

Runners up: Portsmouth FC, Reading Hockey, Poole Pirates.

The BBC Radio Oxford FEMALE TEAM OF THE YEAR: Sussex Women's Cricket Team. Runners up: Wessex Volleyball, Andover Gym Club.

The La Vista Restaurant NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Katy Ianson (trampolining, Poole).

Runners up: Chris Baird (Saints), Hannah Lewis (trampolining, Poole).

Tenon YACHTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: Ben Ainslie (Lymington).

Runners up: Emma Richards (Hamble), Sam Davies (Isle of Wight).

Churchill Retirement Living DISABLED SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR: Danielle Watts (swimming, Oxford).

Runners up: Cecilia Turk (international boccia, Portsmouth), Alex and Beth Simmons (tennis, Oxford).

Seward Motor Group DISABLED SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR: Peter Norfolk (tennis, Fleet).

Runner up: Keith Hughes (marksman, Hartley Wintney), Ross Morrison (rugby, Fareham).

Tenon CRICKETER OF THE YEAR: Mushtaq Ahmed.

Runners up: Simon Katich, Murray Goodwin.

Jewson Ltd NON-LEAGUE TEAM OF THE YEAR: Aldershot Town.

Runners up: Farnborough Town, Winchester City.

Friends Provident FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR: James Beattie (Saints).

Runners up: Linvoy Primus (Pompey), Carl Fletcher (Cherries).

De Vere Grand Harbour YOUNG SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR: Seb Clover (yachtsman, Isle of Wight). Runners up: Chris Baird (Saints), Nick Ball (walker, Steyning).

hjs Chartered Accountants YOUNG SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR: Claire Spreadbury (bowls, Basingstoke).

Runners up: Gemma Spofforth (swimming, Potsmouth), Katy Ianson (trampolining, Poole).

BBC Radio Solent MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Harry Redknapp (Pompey).

Runners up: Mike Webb (Reading hockey), Neil Middleditch (Poole speedway).

La Lupa Restaurant SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR: Katy Sexton (swimming, Portsmouth).

Runners up: Pippa Funnell (3-day eventing, Surrey), Emma Richards (sailing, Hamble).

Jasper & Vincent SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR: Jason Seels (water-skiing, Locks Heath).

Runners up: Matthew Barney (boxing, Southampton), Steve Curtis (powerboating, Southampton).

UNSUNG HERO: Jim Williams (South Reading FC).

SPECIAL AWARD: Poole Pirates and Reading Hockey Club.

SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR: Pippa Funnell (3-day eventing).