KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Test batsman Sunil Ambris has been crowned St Vincent and the Grenadines’ senior male Sports Personality-of-the-Year.
The 25-year-old beat out challenges from fellow Windies player Kesrick Williams, footballer Myron Samuel and long distance runner Junior Ashton, to claim the the honour at the National Sports Awards last Saturday.
Ambris enjoyed a stellar season last year, piling up 608 runs for Windward Islands Volcanoes in the first class tournament, including a career-best 231 against Leeward Islands Hurricanes.
He also dominated in the Regional Super50, blasting 423 runs, with six half-centuries in eight outings.
That form was good enough to book him a place in the Windies one-day side where he scored an unbeaten 38 against England in the fifth and final match at Hove – his only innings of the tour.
A couple of hundreds for West Indies A against the touring Sri Lankans saw him force his way into the Test squad for the New Zealand series last December.
Despite a sizzling 153 against New Zealand A in a warm-up fixture, he endured a nightmare tour, however, twice dismissed hit wicket before exiting the series with a broken forearm and 25 runs from four innings.
Williams, meanwhile, was one of the Windies best bowlers in the Twenty20 format, snatching 18 wickets from 10 matches last year.
National striker Samuel also proved outstanding, scoring four goals last year including a hat-trick against Barbados in the Windward Islands tournament. He also helped Avenues United win the Premier Division of the National Club Championships.
Meanwhile, long distance runner Linda McDowall captured the senior women’s Sports Personality-of-the-Year award, nudging out cricketers Cordel Jack and Juliana Nero.
In 2017, McDowall clinched her maiden win in the South America 10k in Guyana, clocking 39: 50 minutes.
She also won the NACAC Chatoyer Endurance 10k.
