Local cricketers honoured at 2018 MSC Awards

One of Guyana’s premier cricket clubs, the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC), has paid homage to its players who were outstanding in 2018.
During the club’s Awards Ceremony, held on Friday night at its Thomas Lands premises, a number of top players who flocked the club were showered with awards for their perfromances in cricket during 2018. The star of the show was all-rounder Nkosie Barker, the off-spinning all-rounder and MSC’s second division captain, who made a sweep of the big awards, copping Best Batsman, Best Bowler, and Senior Cricketer of the Year awards.
Youngster Jeremiah Scott snatched the award for Junior Cricketer of the Year, while Stephon Brown was given the award for Most Improved Player.
Past president and former national player Neil Barry congratulated the executives for reviving the Awards Ceremony, which was last held in 2002 to celebrate the club’s centenary anniversary.
Barry lamented that the last MSC player selected to represent Guyana was Steven Sankar in 2003, and he expressed hope that this could be corrected soon. In 1987, half of Guyana’s 14-man U-19 squad to Jamaica had come from the MSC.
The 1980s saw the club experiencing its most successful tenure, with West Indies players like John Trim, Barrington Browne, Rex Collymore, Colin Stuart and others finding a home there.
Vice-President Shawn Holder hailed the efforts of the executive bodies as well as the players for making the year a success. Among those were President Edward Richmond and Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) President Roger Harper.
MSC President Winston Semple said the highlight of the year was the infrastructural work done. He added that work on the all-weather practice facility is in process, while informing that an office block containing seven offices is on the cards.
Past President Claude Raphael, who was instrumental in forming the club’s youth section in 1984, commended the executives for moving the club forward and bringing back the Awards Ceremony, which had not been held for 18 years.
Resurrecting the Cricket Academy was also mentioned in what was a successful year for the club, which has been in existence for 116 years.
Meanwhile, a number of Special Awards of Appreciation were given: to former Guyana player Lennox Cush, Theresa Pemberton, Roger Phillips, Morlan Fitzalbert, Yadiam Rajkumar, Alwyn Zala, Allison Butters-Grant, Sherwood Lowe, Chetram Singh, Ursula Spencer and Troy Lewis.
Also companies like the New Building Society (NBS), 4-R Bearings, Trophy Stall and Mike’s Pharmacy were awarded for their contribution to Malteenoes for the year 2018.