A brief but significant ceremony was held at the conference room of the Ministry of Finance, on Friday 17th June. On that day, the Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, officially named the Primary School Cricket league on Nevis, in honour of the late Nevisian Cricketing hero, Runako Morton.
In her remarks Minister Brandy –Williams, who is the Junior Minister of Sports in the Nevis Island Administration, indicated that from hereon, the league will be officially referred to as the RUNAKO MORTON/TDC PRIAMRY SCHOOL CRICKET LEAGUE.
She gave due recognition to the well-established firm of TDC which has been a consistent sponsor of the league for the last 13 years.
Minister Brandy- Williams implored the young cricketers who will be participating in the league, to emulate the positive qualities that were demonstrated by the late cricketing hero:
The will to excel; not settling for mediocrity; giving his all, on and off the cricket field; the will power to constantly bounce back-defying all odds.
She noted that from a very early age Runako had firmly stated goals, such as a set time by which he would make it into the Nevis senior team; the Leewards team and the West Indies team. He achieved all of those goals.
She thanked Runako’s family-his mom, Annette and sister Midge for granting permission for the league to be named in his honour and wished the league well.
Also giving brief remarks, was PEO, Mrs. Palsy Wilkin who lauded the initiative to rename the league in honour of Morton and noted that he would have excelled at the sport from since his days at Primary school. She also noted that the Education Department and the Ministry of Sports have always maintained a positive linkage for the benefit of the youths on the island.
Headmistress of the Jocelyn Liburd Primary School, Miss Barbara Hendrickson, also gave a brief response, during which she pointed out that Runako had excelled at virtually every sporting activity in representing the then Gingerland Primary school, now JLPS. He excelled at Athletics, Cricket and Football. Even after he had made it to the top of his game, he never forgot his alma mater. He donated a full sized photograph of himself and 1,100 exercise books, personally autographed, for the use of the children at the school.
She opined that he was deserving of the honour, even though posthumously given.
The program was ably chaired by Cricket Coordinator the Ministry of Sports, Mr. Carl Tuckett.
The 2016 edition of the primary school Cricket league, is set to bowl off on Thursday 23rd June at the Villa grounds in Charlestown.