Published 7 August 2019
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
PM Harris honours SKNA National Bank SKNABA Premier Division Champions, M&D Construction Inner City Conquerors
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 7, 2019 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — M&D Construction Inner City Conquerors Basketball Club’s fairy-tale rise to the top of the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank St. Kitts Nevis Amateur Basketball Association Premier Division was celebrated at the Molineux Sports Complex hard courts on Sunday August 4 courtesy of Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris.
Celebrations had started at noon with an island-wide celebratory motorcade that started from the Edgar Gilbert Sports Complex in Molineux and headed towards Tabernacle Village, then on to Saddlers, St. Paul’s, Sandy Point and through Basseterre, culminating at 6:30 pm at the sports complex in Molineux where an open-air party was held on the complex’s hard courts.
Prime Minister Harris, who is also the Area Parliamentary Representative, was the host and also the chief guest where he applauded the club for achieving the feat this year and added: “They will do it again another time and another time thereafter. In fact I am promised they are going to deliver the National Championship back-to-back. So I want just to say congratulations and a job well done.”
M&D Construction Inner City Conquerors Basketball Club, then playing as Inner City Ballers, is a product of the Dr Harris-sponsored Constituency Seven Inner City Basketball League which has since been renamed Harris Basketball League. So proud of the team, Prime Minister Harris was at Basketball City on Sunday July 21 when they played their final game against the former champions St. Paul’s Tuff Knots who they beat 72-58.
“I was happy to have been there to see basketball at its best and at the end of it, those who have been part of the Inner City Basketball League for several years emerged as the champions as we know the league produces champions,” said Dr Harris. “So congratulations to the coach, congratulations to the manager, the captain and all the team members, and sponsors for a wonderful team effort. Thank you very much and congratulations.”
M&D Construction Inner City Conquerors, which is sponsored by the company’s principal Mr Myron Percival who is also a church elder in the Seventh Day Church, came into being in 2017 when it participated in the SKNABA ‘A’ Division and emerged the champions. Last year they played in the Premier Division but did not win the championship.
“After we won the ‘A’ Division we said ok, in two-three years the most, we will win the national championship,” said Mr Myron Percival. “We had been in the Premier League for two years, and we are now the national champions. We have a lot to celebrate about because winning the national championship is not an easy thing, but the team played together and when we look at the construct of the team, if they practise as the Prime Minister said, this will not be the last win.”
In looking back at what the team has achieved, team manager Mr Jarvid ‘Bugga’ Percival said it was a bittersweet moment for him as he used to play for the defending champions, St. Paul’s Tuff Knots, and in the finals he was indeed playing against his former teammates. Ten teams took part in the premier division.
“Prime Minister Harris has supported us,” said Jarvid Percival. “At the beginning of the league, before we had jerseys when the league started we borrowed the Constituency Seven jerseys to play in the A Division as our jerseys had not arrived. The whole celebration today was sponsored by the Prime Minister. We have a junior team, we have an A team, and we have a Premier Team, so we are represented in each division in SKNABA basketball.”
ENDS
Pix captions:
1: Prime Minister Harris (2nd left) with from left, M&D Inner City Conquerors Manager Jarvid ‘Bugga’ Percival, Captain Quincy ‘Puppet’ Taylor, and Sponsor Myron Percival.
2: Prime Minister Harris (centre in orange) with officials and players of the M&D Construction Inner City Conquerors Basketball Club.
3: Prime Minister Harris (seen clapping) listening to speeches being made at the celebratory party held at the Edgar Gilbert Sports Complex hard courts.
4: Prime Minister Harris joins in as officials, members and players of the victorious M&D Construction Inner City Conquerors Basketball Club hoist the trophy and chant “all in”.
