Sunday, March 14th, saw an array of spectacular colour as hundreds of sports enthusiasts turned out at Ashley’s parking lot in The Valley to experience the excitement of the Ashley Brooks 27th Road Relay Races for school children.
The light cloud-cover of the afternoon had been hiding the face of the sun for some period, and by start time at 2:00, it had afforded a cool, pleasant atmosphere with a refreshing breeze, all to the advantage of the many racers. The voices of commentators, John Millington and Frankie Claxton, pervaded the air to announce the beginning of the races. Later, Comprehensive School teacher, Anita Martin-Ruan, joined in the frenzy of exciting commentating.
The events got underway with the inter-Primary Schools girls’ cycle races. All six public primary schools competed. After several laps around the block, amid the noisy screams of the spectators who lined the route, the girls’ bicycle races ended with: Vivien Vanterpool Primary in 1st place; Morris Vanterpool Primary in 2nd; and The Valley Primary School in 3rd position. The primary schools’ boys then followed with their cycle relay contest, and after several laps their races resulted as follows: Orealia Kelly Primary in 1st place; The Valley Primary in second place; and the Vivien Vanterpool Primary in 3rd position.
Following the cycling races, it was time for the running contests. First, it was the girls’ teams. It turned out that Adrian T. Hazel Primary won 1st place; Valley Primary won 2nd place; and 3rd position was taken by Morris Vanterpool Primary. For the boys: The Valley Primary came in at 1st place; Orealia Kelly took 2nd place; and third place went to Adrian T. Hazel Primary.
Apart from the usual lively coverage of the races, Millington, Claxton and Martin-Ruan periodically commented on the legacy of the man behind it all: Ashley Brooks had realised his vision to devise such a noble sporting event for the enjoyment of Anguillians of all ages but, in particular, for the school-aged children who look forward to the meet each year. Now in its 27th year, the Ashley Brooks Road Relay Races had definitely positioned itself as a phenomenal landmark in Anguilla’s sporting arena.
After the primary schools competitions, came the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School running races, with all five Houses participating. The results for the girls teams were: Orange House Tigers in 1st place; the Purple House Lions in 2nd place; and in 3rd position was the Yellow House Hornets. In the boys’ teams, the Maroon House Dragons got 1st place; the Orange House Tigers captured 2nd place; and the Purple House Lions took 3rd position.
The competitions ended at 5:05 that afternoon, and Ashley’s parking lot erupted in jubilant cheers from winners and spectators alike. Prior to the issuing of trophies Mrs. Connie Brooks-Cacey gave a brief note of thanks and reflection:
“On behalf of the Brooks’ family — the family of the late Ashley and Doldina Brooks — I wish to say thanks to all for your participation today and throughout these 27 years. We thank the adults for supporting all the participating children. This means a whole lot to us, because this was our father’s dream. He believed in children’s sports, for he was convinced that the youth is the foundation of our society. He knew that if we don’t have strong youths, then we don’t have a strong foundation. So I am happy and grateful to my staff and all of you who have worked together in playing your part to make this event such a great success today. Thanks, to all of you.”
President of the Anguilla Amateur Athletic Association, Mrs. Lorna Kentish-Rogers, also gave a brief address at the close of the event: “I would like to refer to this Ashley & Sons institution as ‘the firm’ in Anguilla,” she said. “We are so grateful for the existence of ‘the firm’. There is no other business that has sponsored sports in Anguilla for as many as 27 years.”
She continued: “I want to put on record the Anguilla Amateur Athletic Association’s gratitude to the heirs of the late Mr. Ashley Brooks, for once again organising this special event. Mr. Brooks saw potential in our youth, and because of his vision, for a full 27 years we have been able to enjoy the Ashley Brooks Road Relay Races.”
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
