Development Bank’s General Manager roots for community sporting activities

Mr Lenworth Harris, General Manager of the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis (left) presents the championship trophy to Mr George Gaton of the Fig Tree Basketball Team.

Basseterre St. Kitts (June 27, 2012) — General Manager of the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr Lenworth Harris, has congratulated organisers of the 2012 Development Bank Sandy Point Basketball League telling them that it is one of the best organised community sporting activities. “I want to commend you and recognise you,” Mr Harris told members of the Sandy Point Amateur Basketball Association. “I myself have been involved in many sporting activities and community activities, and it is always a great challenge. I can only imagine the challenges, the struggles that you would have gone through to conduct a tournament such as this.”

The General Manager was speaking at the Sandy Point hard courts on Friday June 22, at an awards giving ceremony for the teams that took part in the league which had started early March and ended on Tuesday 19, with Fig Tree Basketball Team lifting the championship trophy. “I am looking at some of the most beautiful trophies that I have seen quite frankly by any community competition,” said Mr Harris who in earlier days played cricket for St. Kitts. “So again, for the vision and the inspiration of the person who would have created these and put them together, he must be commended. “Just to applaud all who participated and to say it was indeed a very great pleasure for the Development Bank to participate by way of sponsoring some of the prizes for this tournament and to assure you that we would be ready to participate in coming years.”

A well coordinated show of sportsmanship saw the Fig Tree Basketball Team register an unbeaten run in the 2012 Development Bank-sponsored Sandy Point Basketball League that was keenly contested, and held at the Sandy Point hard courts.

Hon Shawn Richards (left) presents the Best Team Player trophy to Mr Benjamin Thomas of Half Way Tree Basketball Team.

The league started early March with nine teams taking part. However, the defending champions, Chappurtin Ballers did not take part as the team had disintegrated and most of its players joined the Old School ‘Fruta’ Team, which finished in the second position, conceding only one match to the eventual winners, Fig Tree Basketball Team..Present at the prize giving ceremony was the area parliamentary representative, the Hon Shawn Richards, who presented individual awards to the players.

Mr Sylvester Smith and Mr Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Revan were recognised for their contribution to basketball in the Sandy Point community. At the end of the league, the Fig Tree team won 8 matches, while the Old School ‘Fruta’ Team won seven matches.

Others were Playz Team which won five; Running Suns, four matches; Fruta Falcons Junior, four; The Alley ‘Showtime’ won three, What Do U won three, Anything Cun Happn won one match and the Half Way Tree team also won one match. Trophies for individuals went to Taslyn Beldoda of Old School ‘Fruta’ Falcons for scoring 180 points averaging 22.5 per game; Nashown Maynard of Fig Tree for returning 130 rebounds at an average of 21.6 per game; Javal Hodge of Old School ‘Fruta’ Falcons for 54 assists; and Ansel Revan for making 30 steals.

Most Valuable Player was Nashown Maynard of Fig Tree; Rookie of the Year was Dequan Richards of Fruta Falcons Junior Team; Gregory Ward of The Alley Showtime was the Most Disciplined Player; Stephen Rawlins of Fruta Falcons Junior Team was Most Improved Player; Benjamin Thomas of Half Way Tree was the Team Player of the Year; while Reion Heyliger of Fig Tree was named the Best Player under 15.