Francis ‘a great hero of track and field’

NEXT year’s 30th Hampton International Games will be staged in honour of late club president Hubert Francis.

Francis, 65, who died on Friday last at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital was regarded by club chairman Rawle Raphael as “a very dedicated coach to club and national team athletes.” Raphael has issued a call to all officials with whom Francis served over the past 29 years, to wear their Games T-shirts and black pants or skirt and to form a Guard of Honour at 2.30 pm for “a Great Hero of Track and Field Athletics” at his funeral service at St Finbar’s RC Church, Diego Martin, tomorrow. He said officers and members of Hampton stood in one minute silence and prayer at their regular meeting on Monday.

Raphael said Francis was president of Hampton Games throughout its existence including this year, and indicated he will be dearly missed by the organising committee, to which he contributed his time and personal finance. He said Hampton and Trinidad and Tobago athletics have lost a good, humble, honest and generous man who will be hard to replace. Among the more than 50 athletes coached by Francis and for whom he secured scholarships in the United States are Learie Rivas, Raymond Fabien, Ashwin Creed, Christopher Brathwaite and track queens Joan Porter and Esther Hope.

Raphael extended condolences to wife Lorna Francis, daughter Dawn and his several sisters, brothers and other relatives on behalf of Hampton and the Games organising committee.