Jake Buxton Wins The Professional Sportsperson Of The Year Award At The 2014 Derbyshire Sports Awards

Rams defender lands award at Derbyshire Sports Awards.

Derby County’s Jake Buxton has been named as the Professional Sportsperson of the Year at the 2014 Derbyshire Sports Awards, sponsored by the University of Derby.

The 29-year-old picked up the winner’s trophy at the prestigious annual ceremony held at The Roundhouse, Derby and attended by 250 nominees and dignitaries from across the county.

Buxton is the club’s longest-serving player and helped lead the side to the cusp of Premier League football last season, following a series of influential defensive displays.

He deputised as captain for a spell whilst Richard Keogh was out injured and was named as the Supporters’ Club and Club Player of the Year for 2013/14, further extending his strong relationship with the Derby fans.

Buxton saw off competition from Derbyshire County Cricket Club’s Mark Footitt to claim the award. Footitt took 84 first-class wickets at 19.19 in first-class cricket this summer – more than any other player in the country – 82 of them in the County Championship.

The left-arm seamer also took 22 one-day wickets during the 2014 campaign to pass 100 wickets in all and as a result was called up to the England Performance Programme and named in Opta’s County Championship Team of the Year.

Commenting on receiving the award, Buxton said: "It is an honour to win this award and I wouldn't be in this position without my team mates, because it is a team game.

"It's great to have put Derby County on the map last year and the excitement around the Club has continued from last season."

The evening also saw Head Coach Steve McClaren attend as a special guest and he answered questions from host Colin Hazelden of BBC East Midlands Today.

McClaren also handed out the prize for the Team of the Year Award, sponsored by Derby County.

The 2014 Derbyshire Sports Awards event provides a way of recognising and, above all, celebrating the successes of local athletes and people involved in sport in this county within Derbyshire.

Awards were handed out to people from all areas of sport, from community heroes who have provided a service to sport for more than five years to top sports stars from the county.

There were 13 award categories for the event in total, which was organised by County Sports Partnership Derbyshire Sport and designed to recognise outstanding contributions of both grass roots and elite sports athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials and clubs from across the county.

Find out more about the Derbyshire Sports Awards by visiting: http://www.derbyshiresport.co.uk.