It is less than a fortnight before the winners of the 2011 Leicester Mercury Sports Awards are announced at Welford Road.

Dominic Gomersall, managing director of city-based jewellers Lumbers, will be more interested than most in the winners – and specifically who takes home the Sportswoman of the Year trophy.

Lumbers is one of a number of companies and organisations to have backed the 2011 Sports Awards.

It is sponsoring the sportswoman category, which in 2010 was won by Leicester Ladies and Great Britain hockey star Crista Cullen.

The jewellers has well-established links with sport in Leicestershire. In the past, it has sponsored the player of the month awards at Leicester Tigers, and they back similar schemes at both Leicester City and Leicestershire CCC.

Mr Gomersall said: "We've been involved with awards at the Tigers, City and County but this was an opportunity to get involved with the female side of sport and a prestigious award."

Mr Gomersall, a former rugby union second-row forward, is a committed sports fan. He said: "The great advantage of any of these sponsorships for directors and owners of private businesses is you get involved because you enjoy it.

"We are a company giving something back to the community."

So who would he like to see pick up the sportswoman's trophy on Thursday week?

Somebody who could possibly feature at the Olympic Games later this year is one possibility, but Mr Gomersall added: "You have to shout from the roof-tops about our hockey team (Leicester Ladies).

"They go from success to success and seem to be the highest profile women's team in the locality.

"They do fantastically well."

Asked what he would like to see taking centre stage on the sporting front through 2012, he said: "I would like to see the Tigers go on to win the Heineken Cup again. From a commercial point of view there couldn't be anything better than having local footballers on Premier League wages!"

The shortlist for all the categories in the 2011 Sports Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 17. The winners will be named two days later at the Tigers' stadium.