Phang, Fields were this country’s first Sportsman-of-the-Year award winners

By Stabroek News On In Sports |
FLASHBACK! British Guiana’s Sportsman-of-the-Year winners Clem Fields and Dereck Phang pose with their trophies along with R. D Nelson, General Manager of Shell and Regent Petroleum Distributors (W.I) Limited and representatives of Petroleum Marketing Agencies Limited at the Woodbine Hotel in January of 1955.
FLASHBACK! British Guiana’s Sportsman-of-the-Year winners Clem Fields and Dereck Phang pose with their trophies along with R. D Nelson, General Manager of Shell and Regent Petroleum Distributors (W.I) Limited and representatives of Petroleum Marketing Agencies Limited at the Woodbine Hotel in January of 1955.

By Charwayne Walker

This year will be 68 years since sportsmen in this country, British Guiana/Guyana, were honored with the distinguished Sportsman-of-the-Year award.

On January 10th 1956, a panel of judges headed by Chairman G.W.E Cooper and including the following Mrs. R. Williams (Secretary) Berkley Gaskin, Ken Richison, Ian Mc Donald (advisor) Mc Donald Bailey (advisor) Victor A. Li, B.L. Crombie, C.A Low and Cedric Wiltshire selected lawn tennis champion Derrick Phang and long-distance stalwart, Clem Fields, as joint Sportsmen-of-the-Year (1955) award winners.

Today, Stabroek News will look at the other distinguished winners of Guyana’s most coveted sports award from 1955 to 1971.

After the inaugural selection of Phang and Fields, a panel, headed by Sir Lionel Luckhoo selected West Indies cricketer Rohan Kanhai and sprint queen Claudette Masdammer as Sportsman and Sportswoman-of-the year winners for 1956.