Keisha Hill, Staff Reporter

Courtney Walsh in 2001 became the first bowler to pass 500 Test wickets, but little did he know that three years later his remarkable consistency and durability would have been further rewarded with an award named in his honour.

The annual Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence was instituted to formally recognise the achievements of outstanding sportsman Walsh and was the brainchild of former Prime Minster, P.J. Patterson.

Official launch

The award was officially launched in 2005 by the National Council on Sports (NCS) in collaboration with the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund.

At a press launch on Wednesday hosted by the CHASE Fund and the NCS at the Cuddy'z Restaurant and Sports Bar, New Kingston, nominations were opened for the Courtney Walsh Award for Excellence to honour an outstanding athlete who captures the spirit of sportsmanship and the soaring elegance which has been associated with Walsh on the cricket field. Nominations are set to close on August 29.

The award is open to all areas of sports. The criteria for the award specify that individuals considered for the selection process must be between 18 and 40 and have represented Jamaica at the senior level in the field of sport. The sport must also be recognised by the Jamaica Institute of Sport and the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA).

Nomination forms are available at the CHASE Fund website: www.chase.org.jm.

Dr. Aggrey Irons, director of the CHASE Fund, will chair the selection committee that will include Phillip Henriques, Alan Beckford, Ali McNab, Belinda Williams, Annmarie Heron; CHASE directors and representatives for the JOA, the sports media, Institute of Sports and the Jamaica Cricket Association.

Cash grant

Each recipient will receive a cash grant of $500,000 with a specially designed trophy.

Walsh, who spoke at the launch, stated that he has never taken the award lightly.

"There are many benefits of this award. It has actually gone world-wide and has done good things for the country. I am sure, speaking on behalf of the recipients, that it has also done something for them. It is something that means a lot to me to have my name associated with the award," Walsh said.

Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, in delivering the keynote address, stated that the award could have been named after many Jamaicans who have had the privilege of representing the country, but it was named after Walsh because he was not only a gifted cricketer but also a patriotic Jamaican.

"We have all been impressed by your commitment, your discipline, your skill and the determination that you displayed on the field. And it is those characteristics that the selection committee clearly looks for in determining the winner of this prestigious award," Minister Grange said.

She encouraged all athletes who were desirous of being nominated for the award to continue working hard and maintain the high standard of physical fitness to achieve the attributes possessed by Walsh.

Former West Indies captain, James Adams, was the first recipient of the award. The second was 1996 Olympic 400m hurdles champion Deon Hemmings-McCatty, who received the award in 2006. Last year's winner was netballer Elaine Davis.