CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MOST RECENT CRICKET HERO, MR. RUNAKO MORTON.
By: Rupert McDonald Byron
I seize this opportunity of adding my quota of congratulations to our most recent Nevisian cricket hero, Runako Morton for his brilliant performance on the West Indies team in its one-day matches and test matches against New Zealand recently. I congratulate him for his outstanding achievement of making the highest batting averages all told on both sides for the entire series of matches… In so doing Runako has gained distinction for himself and brought honour to his native land, Nevis.
During the hero’s welcome which he received at the Vance Amory International Airport it was said that Runako Morton is now the 5th Nevisian to play on the West Indies team in test matches, and the 6th Nevisian to do so in one-day matches. We are indeed very proud of him as we are of his predecessors Elquemedo Willett, Derrick Parry, Keith Arthurton, Stuart Williams, and Carl Tuckett. The Prophet Isaiah wrote that those who wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength. I therefore believe that the Lord Jesus Christ who fed 5000 men besides women and children with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes will renew Runako’s strength and cricket skill to enable him to become a reliable player in the great tradition of Nevisian cricket heroes.
I can well remember the time when Nevis was knocking in the door of the Leeward Islands cricket tournament and was not admitted because only one team was allowed to play in the tournament from each territory; and it was the St. Kitts team which represented the territory of St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla. Since then this practice was discontinued to admit a team from Nevis to compete in the Leeward Islands tournament. As a result of this development Nevis has produced the greatest number of cricketers to have been selected to play on the West Indies team.
Why don’t our fellow Nevisians who have decided to vote against implementing of a clause number 113 in the constitution of St. Kitts-Nevis which gives Nevis the right to gain full political independence by means of secession from St. Kitts as a result of gaining two-thirds of the votes in a referendum learn a lesson from the truth that it was necessary for Nevis to be given secession from St. Kitts on the cricket field in order for some of our cricketers to gain selection on the West Indies team, and in order for Nevis to rank highest among the Organization of East Caribbean States’ cricket heroes who have gained selection on the West Indies cricket team?
Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Luke 11:17, Quote “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house that is divided against itself will fall.” End quote
Let us not continue to be divided against ourselves in Nevis about our constitutional right to achieve political independence; but let us take pattern from our cricket hero Runako Morton and his predecessors who seized the opportunities presented to them by secession of Nevis from St. Kitts on the cricket field to be the ambassadors off Nevis in the international arena of world of cricket.
