VETERAN West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul was yesterday named Senior Sportsman-of-the-Year 2012, with squash player Nicolette Fernandes being adjudged his female equal as the National Sports Commission (NSC) names the top performers of the past year. Chanderpaul, ranked number three in the longer format of the game, was the Caribbean’s highest run-scorer in the format last year, slashing 987 runs from nine games while averaging 98.7, coupled with three centuries.
The player who hails from Unity Village on the East Coast of Demerara is the second West Indian and first Guyanese to pass 10 000 Test runs, and was also ranked the number one Test batsman by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Chanderpaul gained six votes from a panel of 11, while powerlifter Winston Frank Stoby copped nine votes in the second round of voting to lift the runner-up Sportsman-of-the-Year honour.
During the period under review, Stoby copped two gold medals in the 74kg Class at the Caribbean Powerlifting Championships in the US Virgin Islands in March and became Guyana’s first world champion in powerlifting at the World Powerlifting Championships in Killeen, Texas, in October 2-9.
Competing in the 74kg M2 category, the 53-year-old Stoby copped gold and broke the World Record in the deadlift; collected gold in the squat and bronze in the bench press.
On the distaff side, squash player Fernandes was again outstanding on the international circuit, constantly making steps up the world rankings.
After the first round of voting, Fernandes got four votes, while powerlifter Dawn Barker and table-tennis prodigy Chelsea Edghill captured three each. With none of the candidates securing the stipulated 50 percent of the votes, a second round of voting was required.
During this round, Fernandes got seven votes, while Barker received three and Edghill one.
Barker was the runner-up Sportswoman-of-the-Year, while Edghill was voted Junior sportswoman with badminton player Priyanna Ramdhani and squash player Mary Fung-A-Fat being adjudged joint-Junior sportswoman.
Edghill was a runaway winner for the junior award, securing nine votes, while Ramdhani and Fung-A-Fat were locked on five and four votes respectively after three rounds of voting, prompting NSC Chairman Conrad Plummer to give the casting vote. Plummer voted in Fung-A-Fat’s favour, leaving both young ladies on five votes apiece, and a share of the award.
Squash coach Carl Ince with six votes beat boxing coach Terrence Poole six votes to three for the Coach-of-the-Year accolade, with the other contenders Denroy Livan (Powerlifting), Gokarn Ramdhani (Badminton), Robert Chisholm (Athletics) and Densil Thompson (Football) all failing to secure a vote.
The Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation got the nod for Sports Association-of-the-Year, capturing six votes, while the Guyana Hockey Board was voted Most Improved Association, gaining seven votes in the second round of voting after the initial round failed to produce a clear winner.
Swimming coach Stephanie Fraser and president of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control, Peter Abdool, won the Female and Male Sport Personality awards respectively, while the national junior Squash team was voted Team-of-the-Year.
Guyana Times/TVG’s reporter/news anchor, Avenash Ramzan, was the popular choice for Sports Journalist-of-the-Year (Non-Print) for the second year in succession, copping 10 of the available 11 votes, with Stephan Sookram of NCN gaining the other. Jadon Samuels of MTV 65 was the other nominee in this category.
Guyana Chronicle’s Calvin Roberts secured eight votes to Kaieteur News’ Edison Jefford’s two in a two-way race for the Sports Journalist-of-the-Year (Print) after the first round did not produce a clear winner.
In the first round of voting, Roberts secured five votes, Jefford two, and Ramzan and Franklin Wilson of Kaieteur News one each. The other nominee Iva Wharton of Stabroek News did not secure a vote.
For the second year running, Stabroek News’ Orlando Charles was a favourite for the Sports Photographer-of-the-Year, securing 10 votes. Rawle Welch (one vote) of Kaieteur News and Aubrey Crawford (no vote) of Stabroek News were the other contenders.
The judging panel comprised NSC Chairman Conrad Plummer, Director of Sport Neil Kumar, Frank DeAbreu, Carlton Joao, Steve Ninvalle, Sharda Veeren-Chand, Daniel Singh, Justice Cecil Kennard, Rawle Toney, Stephan Sookram and Sonia Roberts.
The awards ceremony will be held on March 22 at the National Cultural Centre.