ALL eyes will be on Chepstow Racecourse next month when the South Wales Argus Sports Awards are held for the first time.

The awards have been

established to celebrate Gwent sport, with members of the public nominating those who they feel should be recognised.

A judging panel including Argus editor Nicole Garnon and managing director Hussain Bayoomi have whittled down the nominees, across a range of categories, to come up with the finalists.

And today we can reveal the identities of the individuals and teams who are going to contest the prizes at the awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 14.

Big names from the worlds of football, rugby and boxing will battle it out for the Professional Sports Personality of the Year accolade.

Newport County AFC manager Michael Flynn masterminded the club’s great escape from League Two relegation last season and has taken the Exiles to the brink of the play-offs this term, as well as the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Dragons captain and Wales rugby star Cory Hill has, in the words of the national team coach Warren Gatland, been one of the most improved Welsh players over the past 12 months.

While IBF world featherweight champion Lee Selby, trained by Tony Borg at St Joseph’s Boxing Club in Newport, was unbeaten in 2017 as he dealt with heartache in and out of the ring.

Valleys Gymnastics Academy has two finalists in the Young Sports Personality of the Year category in Morgan Lucas and Amy Oliver, who are joined by Valley Taekwondo Academy’s Ben Meyrick.

Swimmer Alex Rosser, who is off to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games, gymnast Bethany Paull and golfer Mike Jones have the Disability Sports Performer of the Year award in their sights.

Newport Harriers runner Remi Adebiyi and Torfaen Taekwondo Club’s Maya

Levan contest the Grassroots Sports Personality of the Year gong, while there is plenty of competition in the coaching categories.

Kay Dixon, of Islwyn Running Club, Usk Junior FC’s Rikki Knight and Newport Harriers’ Darryn McAtee are the frontrunners to be named Coach of the Year.

In contention for Junior Coach of the Year are Zoe Davies (Torfaen Academy of Gymnastics) and Caitlin Hooper (Tillery Dragons Netball Club).

Islwyn’s Dixon is also up for the Volunteer of the Year accolade, as is Pontypool United RFC’s Graham Jones and the First Steps (Pontypool) trio of Nadine Donovan, Kay Morgan and Chris Simms.

A range of sports are represented in the club and team categories, including the Senior Team of the Year award where Newport Golf Club Ladies, Pontypool United RFC and roller derby’s Riot City Ravens go toe-to-toe.

The candidates for Junior Team of the Year are Caldicot Castle JFC and Cwmbran Town AFC Under-13s, and Torfaen Academy of Gymnastics, Valleys Gymnastics Academy and First Steps (Pontypool) vie for Community Club of the Year.

Finally, Torfaen County Borough Council’s Ian Baber, Lliswerry AFC’s Reg Jewitt and rising athletics star Caitlyn Mapps are the Outstanding Services to Sport in Gwent finalists.

- You can still vote for your County or Dragons player of the year by going to our poll at: southwalesargus.co.uk/sport