By Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway
Glenford “Chappy” Maduro
Chief Umpire Glenford “Chappy” Maduro, was elected the 8th British Virgin Islands Softball-Baseball Association President in its 73-year history, during the association’s February 18 elections.
Maduro, who previously served as the association’s Vice President during the Walwyn “GM” Brewley for whom the Softball Park is named tenure, said his team’s plan is to focus on grassroots development, to build youth leagues. This will be done through the territory’s Primary Schools and different villages and feed back into the Elmore Stoutt High School.
“This is our main focus until we start developing young national teams,” Maduro told Island Sun Sports. “There are overseas tournaments from U-12 upwards and we have been absent for years. It’s not just important to be in tournaments, but it’s most important to rebuild softball to where it used to be and beyond and you can’t get it back without pitching and good catching. The fundamentals have gone from the youth and once we get those things in place, I think about 2030, we should be seeing the fruits of our labor.”
When asked why he ran for the president’s post replacing Rhodni Skelton who served one term and announced during last year’s season opener that he wouldn’t seek a second term, Maduro said he came up through the stages. He began by fixing the field in 1980 when softball moved from the New Recreation Grounds now the A.O. Shirley Grounds to the Old Recreation Grounds, now E. Walwyn “GM” Brewley Softball Park. Arnold “Foxy” Barronville and Allington Hodge started training young people and it spread throughout Tortola, creating the first Junior Softball League. He played with the A’s coached by Barronville, Allen Hodge coached the Cubs, Rufus “Sleepy” Malone coached the Comets, Allington Hodge the J-Byrds, the Reds were from West End and they eventually joined by the Long Look Express.
With the A’s, Maduro said he played against the likes of Neville “Sheep” Smith, Andre “Shabba” Pickering and Avery “Boonkie” Percival among others, then started coaching and has coached the national team before moving on to umpiring and becoming certified by the International Softball Federation, now World Baseball-Softball Confederation and served on the association’s executive.
“Now, it’s time to move up,” he said. “I’ve had all the experience from all aspects. I have travelled internationally and met some of the big fellows in the international organization, so all the experience is there and I have a team around me to make things move.”
With Smith, the last of the dominant pitchers retiring for a second time at the end of last season, Maduro said that pitching is 90% of the game. “Without pitching, you’ll stay out there all-day taking blows. You might score some but if you can’t defend with a good pitcher, your team will continue walking everybody,” he pointed out. “Some of the teams we’re now seeing this with some of the teams and that’s what we’re trying to avoid—these high scoring games—so that we can have people return to the park and see a 1-nothing or 2-1 game. We can’t do it without good defense and excellent pitching.”
Maduro said his team will be reaching out to older pitchers—who might not have had the correct mechanics—and probably ended up with arm problems, but if they knew how to move the ball, they could come and help the youths.
“This new body is going to be reaching out to the public,” Maduro said. “It’s not going to be isolated to themselves. It’s about inclusion and trying to get our sport back to where it used to be and beyond.”
Maduro is joined by; Vice President: Roxanne McNeil; Secretary General: Bria Smith; Assistant Secretary: Sarah Potter-Washington; Treasurer: Lencia Mills; President of Softball Affairs: Darier Malone; President of Baseball Affairs: Josh Ridgway; Public Relations Officer: Akiema Brookes. The board will serve through the 2025-2028 quadrennial.
