Riana Soobadoo, the 17-year-old Barnet Ladies midfielder, won the prestigious Young Female Sports Personality Award of the Year at the British Asian Sports Awards evening at Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane yesterday evening.

Riana and her fellow short-listed contestants were judged by a panel of sports personalities ... but it was the public that voted to chose the winner.

Riana was on a table with a previous winner, boxer Amir Khan, which demonstrates the status of the award.

Now in its 10th year, the British Asian Sports Awards is the only programme of its kind to acknowledge and celebrate the current British Asian sports talent - Barnet Ladies were certainly celebrating Riana's triumph last night.

Ian Hendon will be at the Thurrock FC ground at lunchtime today giving the Barnet Ladies team a pep talk - as he did before the last round - when they meet West Ham United in the 5th Round of The FA Women's Cup. The winners meet Nottingham Forest at home in the quarter finals.

Dennis Signy