As a number of Anguillian sportsmen and sportswomen continue to excel in their particular disciplines abroad, Anguilla’s Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Sports, Mr. Cardigan Connor, has added his voice in support of them – and sports tourism.
Speaking to The Anguillian newspaper, the former county cricketer in England and Australia said: “Sports tourism is something that I have been promoting over the last couple of years. Wherever our athletes go to perform gives us an opportunity to promote Anguilla as a destination. But it is more than sports. It is about social development as well. The esteem that our athletes give to Anguilla when they are performing at the highest level, is something that we have to continue to support both by Government and the private sector.”
Mr. Connor commented on three of Anguilla’s sportsmen and the upcoming Anguilla Tennis Cup event. “Our young people are continuing to excel in the field of sports,” he stated. “The fact that Hasani Hennis continues to do well in cycling, we are looking to him to take that sport forward. But it is not just him. It is the team around him and that is very important.
“He goes off to the Under-23 World Championships in Yorkshire on the 22nd of September, and I have been working with other agencies to put some funding together to help cover the cost. There is a ‘Go-fund-Me’ effort out there – and I think that wherever anybody can offer him support, he or she should assist. It is not just for this one event, but for a couple of other events leading to the end of the year. Support is needed for him and I congratulate him on his achievements so far.”
He went on: “I also congratulate Jahmar Hamilton on his achievements. He is someone with whom I have worked from primary school in the Under-13s, 15s, 19s and the senior team. The fact that he made his debut for the West Indies Senior Team, although having been part of the West Indies Squad for a couple of years, he did not officially make his debut, but in Jamaica, he was in the starting line-up. He took five catches, spent quite a lot of time at the crease in the first innings… and did not get off the mark in the second innings. I would say he has done a terrific job, having steered the course because over the last few years it has been a challenge.
“I would like to also point out the work that the Ministry of Sports has done to making sure that Anguilla was represented in the Leewards [cricket] squad, some four years ago, when some of our players from the previous year were left out.
“I have to say that Permanent Secretary, Chanelle Petty-Barrett, and Hyacinth Bradley, along with the Ministry of Sports, pushed the case that our players were unfairly left out. From the correspondence to the West Indies and the Leewards Boards, Jahmar Hamilton and Montcin Hodge were reinstated in the Leewards squad and haven’t looked back since. So I have to say that Chanelle
Petty Barrett and Hyacinth Bradley were the ones who pushed for justice when it came to selection.
“That has always been a challenge in the Caribbean, but being selected is one thing. The other thing is making sure that you produce the performance. I am happy to say that both Jamar Hamilton and Monsin Hodge have gone from strength to strength.”
