THE IRISH TIMES SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR:OCCASIONALLY, SINCE these awards were born back in 2004, the judges have had a tricky enough task choosing a winner at the end of quiet months when our sportswomen were either in hibernation, in training or just out of form.
March was no less tricky, but for quite the opposite reason. Indeed, there was a spell early in the month when we wondered if we should just split the award four ways. Or, as the month wore on, five, six or seven ways.
It all began with Fionnuala Britton's outstanding run at the Interclubs Cross Country Championships in Belfast, when she retained her title by 55 seconds. "One of the greatest individual runs in the long history of the race," as our athletics man Ian O'Riordan described it.
Days later Jessica Kürten was in excellent form at the four-star show in Braunschweig, Germany, where she finished runner-up on Castle Forbes Cadeau Z by fractions of a second.
Then there was Katie Taylor's latest success, this time the Bray fighter taking gold at the women's international tournament in Stipuno. The 2007 Irish Times Sportswoman of the Year also took boxer of the tournament.
Were we done? We'd hardly begun. Ciara Peelo qualified for the Olympic Games in sailing, securing her slot at the Women's Laser Radial World Championships in New Zealand.
And then the 13-year-old golfing twins from Cavan, Lisa and Leona Maguire, joint winners of our May award last year, excelled in Paris where Leona won the French under-18 International Amateur Championship and Lisa reached the semi-finals of the under-21 matchplay section of the tournament, losing out by one hole to England's Curtis Cup reserve Rachel Jennings.
Meanwhile, Claire McMahon, the former Ireland hockey international, got the goals - and the player-of-the-match award - in the Irish Senior Cup final that gave Pegasus a 2-1 win over Ballymoney, their third trophy of the season . . . so far.
By now we had visions of Des Cahill, our MC at the overall awards' ceremony, announcing to the assembled audience next January: "And the winner of the March award for 2008 is, eh, Fionnuala Britton, Jessica Kürten, Katie Taylor, Ciara Peelo, Lisa Maguire, Leona Maguire and Claire McMahon."
Frankly, the stage wouldn't be big enough, so we needed someone to rescue us. And along she came, romping past the winning post at Cheltenham - and twice at Fairyhouse later in the month. Nina Carberry, that is, the Irish Times Sportswoman of the Month for March.
Back in 2005 Carberry took her first monthly award when she became the first woman rider in almost 20 years to win a professional race at the Cheltenham Festival.
Twelve months later she was, eh, back in our winner's enclosure when she was crowned champion amateur jockey for the first time, was one of only nine finishers in the English Grand National and won her first Grade One race at Punchestown.
A year on came award number three when she triumphed again at Cheltenham, winning the Sporting Index Handicap Chase on the Enda Bolger-trained Heads Onthe Ground.
She now collects her fourth Sportswoman of the Month award after winning the Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham for the second successive year on another Bolger-trained horse, Garde Champetre. "I'm gobsmacked by how easy he has won, but Nina is world class and the horse runs and jumps for her," said Bolger.
Monthly award winners so far
January -Kelly Proper (Athletics): The 19-year-old from Waterford, who was named Athletic Ireland's Junior Athlete of the Year for 2007, broke the Irish indoor record for the long jump over three successive meetings in Nenagh, Belfast and Cardiff.
February -Chloe Magee (Badminton): The year has started well for the Donegal 20-year-old who reached the semi-finals of the Swedish Open with her partner Huang Bing and won a hat-trick of titles at the National Championships in Dublin.
• Each sportswoman is eligible for just one monthly award in 2008 but her achievements through the year will be taken into account by the judges when the decision on the overall winner is made.
