Retaining the Athene T20 Premier Division marked more than just a victorious end of a title-winning season for St George’s colts.

While securing their championship with two matches left to play would usually be celebrated wildly, this season has been about more than stats, wins and defeats with their time spent in comradeship around the various cricketing venues in Bermuda punctuated by tragedy and the memories of lost loved ones.

Triumphs, both personal and collective in the past year, have been juxtaposed with agony, heartbreak and death.

On December 18, 2021, the murder of the ultra-talented, always ebullient Osagi Bascome first shook the tight-knit, East End community, while an early-morning car crash that claimed the life of the club’s effervescent goalkeeper Freddy Hall in April, enhanced the pall already cast.

In comparison to the human component, St George’s perennial defeat at this year’s Cup Match’s faded toward insignificance and led to introspection and calls for perspective.

But clear among the “whoops and hollers” after Sunday’s fittingly dramatic one-wicket win over their nearest rivals Bailey’s Bay, in which Bascome’s best friend Brandon Swainson scored the winning run, were melancholy tributes to the two young men who were no longer around.

Coach Clay Smith spoke eloquently to the significance of Swainson’s contribution to the season after the darkness and many valleys that he had recently traversed.

“He had a lot to play for,” said Smith. “These guys are really close and they really wanted to do it for Sagi.

“It’s a very emotional, but very rewarding at the same time, so I‘m glad we were able to pull it through, because it’s been a long, hard season.

“A a community, this last year has been one of grief. We’ve had a lot of loss with what we’ve seen happen to Osagi and Freddy Hall, and the first thing these these guys did when Brandon hit that winning run was to announce how that win was for Freddy and Sagi.

“Our warm-up kit has both of their names on our sleeves, so when I talked to the guys about the motivation, our why was because we wanted to do it in order to respect the guys that we have lost and our community. I’m so glad that we were able to overcome all the obstacles.”

Similarly St George’s club captain and Osagi Bascome’s brother, Onias, was able to offer his reflections on an emotional recent journey.

“This means everything to my team and my community and especially the youngster, Brandon Swainson,” Bascome said. “When he hit the winning run it was like it was all meant to be.”

“We always felt that we had put together a team that was capable of winning things,” began Bascome. “We didn’t get off to the start we wanted in the 50-over league, but we buckled down and stepped it up in the T20.”

St George’s complete their T20 season with a double-header against Cleveland County and Somerset on Saturday.