BANKS... he was Anguilla's leading player with both bat and ball scoring 519 runs and capturing 41 wickets

THE VALLEY, Anguilla (CMC) - Out of favour West Indies player Omari Banks has captured the country's 2007 Sports Personality-of-the-Year award.

The 25-year-old Banks, who recently started an overseas contract with Somerset in the English County Championship, captured the award during the National Awards Ceremony at the Campus B Sports Complex on Saturday night.

The lanky, off-spinning all-rounder, who made his Test debut against Australia in Barbados in 2003, was the most outstanding performer in the 2007 senior Leeward Islands Cricket Association tournament.

He was Anguilla's leading player with both bat and ball scoring 519 runs and capturing 41 wickets.
Banks' national team and Leewards Islands colleague batsman Montcin Hodge accepted the award on his behalf.
Banks has played 10 Tests and five One-Day Internationals but has not played for the West Indies in almost three years.

Anguilla's national cricket team - winners of the sub-regional championship for the first time - was voted Team-of-the-Year while the Anguilla Cricket Association was adjudged the Association-of-the-Year.

Former Hampshire professional and Anguilla Pro team coach Cardigan Connor was named Coach-of-the-Year.
Shara Proctor, a sophomore at the University of Florida, captured the award for athletics following her outstanding performances for her school in both the long and triple jumps.

Also honoured during the ceremony were former national cricketers Lanville Harrigan, Lesllie Richardson, Orris Proctor, Lawrence Carty, Lindy Davis, Clarence Fleming-Rogers, Paulivar Rogers and Sam Webster.

Special guests at the ceremony were West Indies legends Sir Vivian Richards and Desmond Haynes, along with ex-players Eldine Baptiste and Adrian Griffith.

Sir Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire and financier of the Stanford Twenty20 Cup who was scheduled to deliver the keynote address, missed the event due to pressing business engagements in the United Kingdom.

He sent a note of apology and Sir Vivian conveyed a brief message on his behalf.

In the short message, Sir Allen pledged his continued support to the development of cricket in the region.

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