MR. Chicken Gamecocks finished off their golden season in style on Tuesday night, scoring an emphatic 69-51 victory over Cellular One Tsunamis in the Bermuda Basketball's Association's Fall League Championship match at Bermuda High School Gymnasium.

The league favourites have been in truly electric form this season, losing only one match in league play on their way to the championship.

The Gamecock's captain, Cleon Furbert, was understandably delighted with his team's domination of the local basketball scene.

"Obviously I'm very happy and it is a vindication of all the hard work that we as a group have put in," he said.

"We put together a bunch of very versatile players. In Bermuda basketball, there are a lot of big guys who only play in one position but we had individuals who could play in a variety of positions and we could therfore be a lot more flexible in our play."

The captain also paid tribute to the remarkable collective unity and team spirit of the Gamecocks.

"One of the big reasons we were so successful this season is that as a unit we were very strong," he continued.

"We made sure we had guys with very good heads on their shoulders and while other sides tended to argue and fight when things went against them, we had a team which kept it together."

He could not reflect on this season's success story without mentioning the "invaluable" contribution of the Gamecock's newest recruits.

"The additions we made to the team this season in Graham Robinson (who top-scored with 21 points in the Tuesday night final) Jonathan Lugo and LaVar Powell were crucial to our becoming a better side. Their efforts definitely pushed us over the hump."

When one considers that this is the Gamecock's first-ever title, having finished as runner's-up after their last two appearances in the final, the new recruits would appear to have been the difference.

Furbert however, also paid tribute to the team's stalwarts.

"I don't know where we would have been without our veterans Greg Todd, Dale Jackson and Lee Greene. They were outstanding and I very much hope that we can all get together again next season and do it all over again."

Furbert himself has spent most of his formative years in the United States, playing basketball, along with his talented teammate Graham Robinson, for Cyprus Creek High School in Orlando, Florida. He returned to live in Bermuda two years ago.

And although he admits that basketball in this country is still a minority sport and that the standard of play in the US was substantially higher, he argued nevertheless that he had been pleasantly surprised with the play on the Island, considering its size, and felt that the sport's popularity was beginning to grow.

"For an island of 22 square miles, the standard is actually pretty good," he said.

"And although the sport is still small compared to soccer and cricket, there is no doubt that it is growing and becoming more popular. There are more young kids playing in leagues and in schools. I think the game is in good health and should continue to get better."