There was great excitement on Thursday night, when Youth Team Scotland scooped the Team of the Year Award at the 2011 Sunday Mail and sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards. Also nominated in the same category were Glasgow City Ladies Football Club and the Glasgow Tigers Speedway Team.

The awards celebrate excellence in Scotland’s sportsmen, women and teams for their outstanding achievements across the sporting spectrum over the last year.

Youth Team Scotland competed in the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man in September and Scottish athletes picked up an impressive 22 medals, which came from a total of nineteen individual medallists. Scotland finished sixth on the medal table; with five gold, six silver and 11 bronze medals.

There on the night to collect the Award were gold medallists Tom Holligan from athletics (Edinburgh) and gymnast Douglas Ross (Johnstone), silver medallist in boxing Kieran Smith (Greenriggs, West Lothian), badminton player Caitlin Pringle and cyclist Stuart McCluskey, accompanied by General Team Manager Vicky Strange and Deputy General Team Manager Elinor Middlemiss.

Commenting on the Award, Commonwealth Games Chief Executive Jon Dog said: “We are absolutely delighted to be recognised as Team of the Year for the second time in succession.

“Our Youth Games athletes and staff did a fantastic job in the Isle of Man and had a great introduction to Commonwealth Games that will be of benefit to them and Team Scotland in the future. Many of them will now have their sights firmly set on Glasgow 2014.”