Guyana’s sports landscape is now without a famous figure who represented this country with distinction in two sports disciplines, lawn tennis and hockey.
Ivan Phillips, who was a member of the British Guiana Brandon Trophy winning team in 1957 passed away mid June in Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
He was 97.
Phillips represented British Guiana at both lawn tennis and field hockey. He played an integral role when British Guiana won the Brandon Trophy symbol of lawn tennis supremacy in the West Indies on the grass courts of the Georgetown Cricket Club against Jamaica.
Though the star of that title triumph was none other than Ian Mc Donald who played unbeaten through that tournament, Phillips, Derek Phang and skipper Edgar Readwin, were the other members of that famous win.
The late Phillips migrated to the US Virgin Islands over 40 years ago where he coached lawn tennis with his sons Evan and Cecil
His daughter Debbie and Kean Gibson spearheaded Guyana’s Phillips Trophy triumph in 1976 and Ivan and his sons Evan and Cecil are the only father and sons to win the Brandon Trophy for Guyana in 1975.
As a hockey player Phillips left nothing in the tank, representing British Guiana with distinction in a career from 1945 to 1958.
Phillips’ legacy on the lawn tennis court and the field of hockey will always serve as a great in aspiration to our present sportsmen and women
At the time of his death he was still active swimming on a daily basis.
Sleep on champ.
