COMMONWEALTH Youth Games gold medallist Morag MacLarty has become one of the youngest Perth and Kinross Sports Council sports personalities of the year.

The 19-year-old Auch-terarder athlete was one of nine Scots to win their events in the November games in Australia, when she took the 1500 metre title.

After receiving her award at a ceremony in the Quality Hotel at the Station in Perth, the second year medical student revealed her next ambition is to return Down Under in 2006 for the main Commonwealth Games. She said, “After that I’m hoping to represent Great Britain in major championships.”

Dan Travers, who won three world senior badminton golds and one European senior title, was voted runner-up.

The Highland Spring young sportsperson award went to 12-year-old golfing prodigy Carly Booth.

Carly became the youn-gest player since Jane Connachan to play for the Scotland girls’ team last August at Strathaven Golf Club. The pupil of Morrison’s Academy in Crieff played for Scotland against England in schools international matches.

Her year was rounded off with an invitation from Nick Faldo to join the 2005 line-up of Team Faldo, and she recently returned from receiving one-to-one tuition in the United States.

Carly paid tribute to the support given to her by her father Wallace, who has travelled all over the country with her, and brother Wallace, himself a highly successful golfer, currently playing on the United States University circuit.

As for her aims, she said, “I’m playing off a handicap of two at the moment and I would like to be playing off scratch by the end of the year. It will also be good to keep learning with Team Faldo.”

Last year’s junior title winner, Kinross athlete Eilidh Child, was second.

Radio Tay team of the year were Perthshire Rugby Club, who completed back-to-back league title wins. Their 2004 season also included a Murrayfield cup final victory.

The senior section of the Perth Indoor Bowling Club were second.

Morag McLarty and Dan Travers swapped places in the Perth Trophy Shop merit award, with the young athlete runner-up and the badminton internationalist the winner.

Gymnastics coach Isabel Walton was coach of the year, the Tayside Special Olympic equestrian team from Glenfarg won the disability achievement award, while Jane Todd from the bowling community won the Perth and Kinross Council George Mortimer memorial trophy for service to local sports.

Guest speaker was Jon Doig, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland.