Fifth VVR Schools Championship set for April

Feb 14, 2009 Sports

International athlete Marion Burnette is patron

VVR 2008 Schools Basketball MVP Akeem Kanhai displaying his prizes.

Preparations for the Fifth Annual Victory Valley Royals (VVR) Schools Basketball Championship featuring six Secondary Schools in the Bauxite Mining Town of Linden are well underway.

The tournament, which has the blessings of the Regional Education Department of Region 10 and the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA), was first held in April 2005 and has grown from strength to strength over the years. According to the organising club, it will continue to be an annual feature.

The idea for this championship was generated from the observation of a lack of developmental sporting leagues within the schools and community as a whole. The club (VVR) with its commitment to the development of basketball took up the mantle and produced a schools’ tournament of enviable proportions.

The prizes and equipment at stake annually makes it second to none when compared with other tournaments of this nature in Guyana. The initial championship saw the participation of five secondary schools namely Mackenzie High, Linden Foundation, Wismar Christianburg, Silver City, Wisburg Secondary along with the Linden Technical Institute competing for the right to be named the number one basketball school in the Mining Town.

Played on a round robin format, Wismar Christianburg Secondary emerged as the inaugural champions coming from behind to defeat Mackenzie High to get the first lien on the Wayne “Buturu” Bryan trophy.

Mackenzie High rebounded in 2006 to beat New Silver City Secondary for the top prize and bragging rights while in 2007 Linden Technical Institute etched their name as the tournaments best, New Silver City falling at the final hurdle for the second straight year.

Mackenzie High, are the defending champions, their second championship and will be aiming to make it three this year.

Led by MVP Akeem Kanhai, Mackenzie upstaged Linden Technical Institute at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court.

The tournament continues to receive full support from local and overseas sponsors with the latest entities coming on board being Banks DIH and Laparkan. Former Linden resident, overseas-based international middle distance athlete Marian Burnette is the Patron of the tournament.

Others on board this year; Vanessa Davidson, Audrey Singh, Marlon Josiah, Kenneth Chapman, Orin Louison, Lennox Allicock, Leon Moe, Donald Joseph, Chadwick Wade, Maxie Stephens, Roderick Alphonso, Haynes Basketball Foundation, Movements Sound System, Franklin Wilson, Far End Carib Bar, Ashton Angel Jr. and Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP).

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