Aimee Ponte, Guernsey’s 13-year-old golfing sensation, shows off the trophy for the outstanding domestic performance of the year. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0895591)

IT WAS the fairytale ending that so many had come to see.

Aimee Ponte had stunned even herself with her remarkable week’s work during the Island Women’s Championship – and that was before she claimed the title at the ripe old age of 13 in the most dramatic style.

On one particularly rough evening at L’Ancresse early in the tournament, the St Sampson’s High student produced an astonishing display to defeat Island Games player Julie Creed in just 10 holes to set up a semi-final with defending champion Jan Chamberlain.

Chamberlain was favourite to retain her crown going into the championship and was three up on the 13-year-old through 11 holes.

With nothing to lose, Ponte’s response was simply outstanding and by the time they reached the 17th tee, the pair were all square.

The teenager won that hole – her third on the trot – to go dormy and a par at the last was enough to earn a historic place in the final.

As if she had not provided enough entertainment, the best was yet to come in the 36-hole showpiece against multiple winner Kay Mapley, who led one up at the halfway stage.

By the 12th tee of the afternoon round, the gap had increased to three holes, but a remarkable run, including a chip-in birdie on 13, saw Ponte level with four to play.

Two halved holes followed before Mapley birdied 17 to go ahead once more, but the magic was yet to come.

Needing to hole a 30ft birdie putt on the last to keep the match alive, Ponte, no doubt assisted by the read of her caddy Bobby Eggo, hit the crucial shot at the crucial time to find the centre of the cup to take the match down an extra hole.

With a large crowd now following the match, it was Ponte who kept her nerve for a well-crafted par four down the first and Mapley’s 10-footer to halve did not drop.

‘It’s amazing. I’m so shocked to win anything at all,’ Ponte said walking back down the first fairway back towards the clubhouse to be awarded the coveted trophy.

‘I’m just so surprised and shocked about everything. I did not expect it.

‘The pressure was starting to get to me and I was shaking on the 18th.’

From one champion to another and it will come as no surprise that Heather Watson takes top spot in our international achievement category.

The Sarnian starlet had enjoyed a decent year in the grand slams even before she arrived at Flushing Meadows in September, having reached the French Open girls’ doubles final with Timea Babos and the quarter-finals of the Australian Open girls’ singles.

She had also won her first senior title at the Aegon Pro-Series event in Frinton.

But it was at the US Open that she stepped into the limelight as she became the first Briton to win the girls’ singles.

The 17-year-old Guernsey star defeated Russian Yana Buchina 6-4, 6-1 in the final in New York.

‘This is great. Andy Murray won it about five years ago and I’m so happy to be the first British girl to win it,’ she said.

‘I played better and better as the tournament went on. I’m just so happy as I really worked hard for this.

‘I fought for every point. I knew I could do it, but it was just a question of if I would do it.’

In keeping with the theme of girl champions, Kristina Neves gets the nod at the top of our junior category in 2009.

The Guernsey Swimming Club starlet finished the National Championships in Sheffield with seven gold medals and the title of Britain’s finest all-rounder at her age having topped the Bagcats points aggregate.

In winning seven titles at Pond’s Forge – the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1,500m freestyle as well as the 100 and 200m butterfly – Neves set a string of personal bests and produced south-east area records.

But Neves – a pupil at the Ladies’ College – admitted her Sheffield heroics hadn’t come without a fight.

‘I was delighted with how I swam in Sheffield and it was brilliant to come away with seven gold medals,’ said Neves.

‘I was swimming over five days and it was very tough competition.

‘So by the end of the week I was absolutely shattered, but I was really pleased to have got all the gold medals.’

Staying with national champions, our team of year accolade goes to the Guernsey men’s hockey team thanks to their fantastic HA Trophy success.

Until the 2008-09 season, the Greens had never progressed further than the quarter-finals of the national competition for clubs outside the top-flight Premier League.

Wins over Eastbourne, UCL Academicals, Cirencester, Sonning, Worthing and Bristol UWE set Guernsey up for the biggest match in the island’s hockey history against Henley at Old Loughtonians in Essex in April.

They came away with a brilliant 4-3 win thanks to goals from man-of-the-match Damian Wallen, Adam Kitching and two from player-coach Ben Allberry.

More than 50 Guernsey supporters travelled to watch the match.

‘It’s such an incredible feeling for the guys and for the crowd,’ said Allberry afterwards.

‘It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had as a player and as a coach. It was a great team effort and well deserved.’

Finally, we come to event of the year and nothing quite brought an international flavour to Guernsey sport as much as the week-long Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Seven tournament in May.

Previous European tournaments have shown that the island and, in particular, the Guernsey Cricket Board can host such events skilfully and efficiently.

Yet there was something special about seeing Guernsey take on the likes of Japan, Nigeria, Suriname and Gibraltar on home turf with the added bonus of legendary umpire Steve Bucknor as one of the standing officials.

The outstanding Bahrain team took the honours, but the hosts won promotion with them and gave them a good battle in a fitting final.Sporting Highlights of 2009: Ponte becomes island champion in the week of her 13th birthday