Kwakwani Untocuhables outclass opponents

By Joe Chapman
KWAKWANI Untouchables girls’ team proved too strong for their opponents and were out of reach for the two Presidents’ College Royals teams and Mackenzie High School Sixers. This event was the specially organised inaugural Junior women’s Basketball League, which bounced off at the Retrieve Hard Court in Linden, last Sunday.

The Untouchables, under the guidance of their coach Dave Causeway, ended unbeaten in the tournament with guard/forward Natalya Clarke being the most valuable player of the tournament. United States-based Guyanese Professional female basketball player, Joy Adams donated a replica of one of her playing jerseys’s for the MVP.

The first place winners’ trophy, won by the Untouchables, was donated by ‘James’ Bond out of New York, as Region 10 Member of Parliament Jermaine Figuriera contributed basketball boots to the best players on each of the contesting teams.

Other contributions to the success of the tournament came from the Regional Health Officer, Dr. Harris, Power’s Car Rental, Jermaine and Family General Store, Two Brothers’ Investments, among others.

In the first game of the tournament, Kwakwani’s Untouchables, led by Clarke, shut out PC’s Royals ‘A’ team 31-4 as Clarke netted 16 points.

In the second game, Mackenzie High School’s Sixers side won against President’s College B side 11-1 with Rehaica Roman getting a top score of six points.

In the third game, the PC Royals A side were winners 4-2, while the fourth match ended with the Untouchables again dispatching their opponents from PC B 28-4, as Clarke again was in fine form with 14 points.

Kwakwani ended the tournament with a 23-5 drubbing of MHS’s Sixers with Clarke sustaining her top level play with 12 points while the other game to complete the round robin format competition finished with PC’s Royals A getting the better of their B side 4-2.

The competition was put together by coaches from the Inter Guianas Games using girls from the under-18 age range to help the development of young players across the country.

Abdulla Hamid of the Hamid/ Joy Basketball Foundation was pleased with this first development league. He noted that, “It (basketball) could only get better if key personnel continue to invest in it. It is a league that we are pushing to have so it means one month from now we will be switching to 3 x 3 for females as there were several talented females that fit the criteria for 3 On 3 basketball which will be hosted right here at the retrieve hard court in Linden.”

According to Hamid there will be a tournament planned for every quarter of the year.

He continued saying that, “The coaches who created this plan were Willon Cameron, Ann Gordon and myself as we sat down to note that in order for us to progress the women’s sport, we need to form a Guyana Basketball League which will be incorporated with the Women’s Basketball Association which is headed by Michaela Burnett, a former senior National player.”

Hamid thanked the Regional Democratic Council through its Regional executive Officer Dwight John, who facilitated the arrangements for the transportation of the team from Kwakwani.