A nine-time winner will defend his title as Britain’s top regional sports journalist.

Defending champion Jon Colman, of Newsquest Cumbria, will go for his tenth regional sports journalist of the year accolade at next month’s British Sports Journalism Awards.

Jon has been shortlisted alongside seven others in the category.

Among them are last year’s runner-up and two-time winner Neil Allen, of the Portsmouth News, and Ciaran Kelly, of Newcastle’s Chronicle and Journal, who was placed third at the ceremony last March.

Jon Colman, left, receives his 9th winners’ award. Picture: Sports Journalists Association

Neil’s News colleague Jordan Cross is also named on the shortlist, along with the Liverpool Echo’s Joe Thomas.

Dafydd Pritchard, of BBC Sport Wales, Heather Dewar, a freelance who works for the Scottish Daily Mail, and the Evening Standard’s Simon Collings complete the shortlist.

The awards, run by the Sports Journalists’ Association, will be presented in a ceremony at at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, in London, on Monday 24 March.