Artist Otto Trott sat quietly among the audience as the 1955 St George’s Cup Match team were recognised with a special recognition award for beating a touring West Indies XI by seven runs at Wellington Oval.

Last year marked the 60th anniversary of that achievement and although Trott was about only 1 at the time, he thought the achievement deserved recognition after reading about it on the microfilm at the Bermuda Library. So he nominated them for the award.

“The Bermuda Library has a digital collection and I saw that the entire Bermuda Recorder, from 1933 to 1974 was online,” Trott explained. “I was working with a guy who was a Somerset fan and he asked if Somerset had ever beaten the West Indies or any Test teams, and I said I would look it up.

“There was a whole list of games from that tour and Somerset must have been two overs away from earning a draw. A couple of days later, I found out that St George’s had actually beaten the West Indies.”

St George’s won that game by seven runs, scoring 110 and then dismissed the West Indies, containing Test players Everton Weekes, Collie Smith, Garfield Sobers and Clairmonte De Peiza, for just 103 as Lloyd James, sharing the new ball, claimed four for 26 and captain Carlton Welch three for 30.

“My uncle Andy [Smith] was the top scorer in that game (34), he and Buster Smith (32) both got in the thirties and that’s how I ended up finding the story,” Trott said.

“Growing up, I used to hear that St George’s gave touring teams a tough time. I remember the game in 1991 when Anthony Braithwaite and Kenny Phillip had Australia in trouble at Wellington Oval and almost beat them.”

Australia were dismissed for 147 as Braithwaite took four for 35, Philip two for 56 and Noel Gibbons three for 31. St George’s could manage only 129 in reply.

In the 1955 match, St George’s fielded five colts from Cup Match the month before — James, Alfred “Fleas” Hall, Donald Steede, Fred Trott and George Dyer.

“The West Indies team had four Test players, three of them among the greatest of all time,” Trott said. “I nominated St George’s for a citation, figuring that because it was their 60th anniversary, they might get recognised.

“Sitting there, I had to keep composing myself because I kept thinking about my Uncle Andy. It was a bit emotional.”

Smith, who later became president of St George’s Cricket Club, died in 2011.

The Sports Awards had an Olympic theme in this the Olympic year with former Olympians Troy Douglas and Katura Horton-Perinchief acting as hosts. Other Olympians such as Sonya Smith, Victor Ruberry, Mike Watson, Devon Bean, Xavier James, Dennis Trott and cyclists John “Buddy” Ford and Elliott Hubbard were among those presenting awards. This year will mark 40 years since boxer Clarence Hill brought home Bermuda’s only medal from the Olympics, bronze in 1976 in Toronto.

Tyler Butterfield and Flora Duffy repeated as Athletes of the Year when they beat out the likes of Patrick Nisbett, Sentwali Woolridge and Jessica Lewis in their categories. It was Butterfield’s fourth Athlete of the Year award.

“It’s an honour to receive this award again, it’s a great motivation to stay at the top of my game, I never want to let Bermuda down,” Butterfield said yesterday from his base in Boulder, Colorado.

“I’m grateful for the support my country has given me my whole career. It’s an inspiration to keep on improving.”

Tyler Smith and Cecilia Wollmann won the Junior Athlete of the Year awards, with Smith outscoring Matthew Oliveira and Jah-Nhai Perinchief while Wollmann beat out high jumper Sakari Famous and triathlete Erica Hawley.

Former cricketer Eldon Raynor received a sports citation for his long service to the game, with daughter Wanda accompanying him on stage and singing an altered rendition of My Way, which had a golf twist to it, Raynor’s new sport after retiring from cricket.

Also recognised for long service to his sport was Gladwin Lambert, who has been involved with sailing for 56 years at the West End Sailboat Club, which hosts the Long Distance Comet Race.

Likewise, Lois Steede Virgil received a Sports Citation for her service to softball during the Big Blue Machine era. Michael Cherry, in equestrianism, and Gregory Grimes, in football, were also recipients of sports citations for their dedication to their respective sports.

Terry Fray (cricket) and Kenneth Simmons (basketball) received special achievement awards.

The West End Sailboat Club, Bermuda Sanshou Association and Argo Group, for eight years sponsoring the Argo Gold Cup, received appreciation awards.

• For The Royal Gazette’s report of the 1955 St George’s Cup Match team’s upset of the West Indies XI and more, click on tyhe PDF links junder “Related Media”