Bermuda honoured its greatest sportsmen and sportswomen on Saturday night as nine individuals - three of them deceased - and one team became the inaugural inductees to the Hall of Fame.

At an emotional gala banquet at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel, hundreds of guests, including politicians and former and current players from a wide array of local sports, paid tribute to the Island's sporting heroes.

Twenty five names had been nominated from more than 300 proposed by the sporting public, but only ten were inducted on a night which will be recorded as one of the most memorable in Bermuda's sports history.

Fittingly, two of those who had long campaigned for a local Hall of Fame - the late W.F. (Chummy) Hayward and Randy Horton - were among the triumphant ten.

Also inducted were Clyde Best, Francis (Goose) Gosling, Alma (Champ) Hunt, Debbie Jones-Hunter, Clarence (Tuppence) Parfitt, Clarance (Nicky) Saunders, Calvin (Bummy) Symonds and women's softball's Big Blue Machine.

Perhaps the most noticeable name missing from that list was that of boxer Clarence Hill, whose bronze at the 1976 Montreal Games remains the only Olympic medal won by Bermuda.

While included among the 25 nominees, Hill's omission from the final ten occupied lengthy discussion late into the night.

One prominent sports administrator, who asked not be identified, said: “I'm shocked . . . totally shocked, and I think a lot of other people are too.

“I just can't see how you can overlook someone who has won an Olympic medal, Bermuda's only Olympic medal at that.”

Many, however, believed that while Hill has attempted to turn his life around in recent years, a criminal record which kept him in and out of jail for several years both during and after his boxing career counted heavily against him.

While criteria for induction states that all candidates must have been retired from their sport for a minimum of five years, it also emphasises that persons must be “of integrity and good character”.

The general consensus, however, was that those who were inducted fully deserved the honour, none moreso than the affable Clyde Best, a football legend whose name was the first to be announced by master of ceremonies and director of the Hall of Fame committee Rick Richardson.

Struggling to keep his emotions in check, Best told a hushed audience: “Everything I ever achieved, I did for Bermuda. I'm so proud.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by those who followed Best onto the stage.

Two giant video screens allowed guests to watch some of the honourees' greatest sporting moments - such as Best playing alongside World Cup hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst and England captain Bobby Moore, and firing a memorable goal past Alex Stepney during a West Ham victory over Manchester United; Parfitt mesmerising Somerset's batsmen during Cup Match; and Nicky Saunders jumping for joy as he snatched gold at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

The ever-smiling high jumper gave a repeat performance on stage, leaping in the air to celebrate his induction.

Horton, honoured for his feats on both the cricket and football field, described it as a “night long to remember”.

“It's long overdue,” said the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs. “But I never thought I'd be up here on the first night. I thought maybe one day, but I didn't think it would be now, the first one. It's historic, it's very, very special.

“I think it's great it's finally come to fruition, it's one of the things I've always wanted to see and since I've become involved in politics, it's one of the things I said I'm going to make happen no matter what.

“I'd like to offer congratulations to all of the nominees, I think everyone deserved recognition. It must have been a helluva job picking ten out of that 25.

“I would hope this night becomes a big part of Bermuda's sporting calendar. I think we need to recognise our top athletes and I can only see it getting even bigger. In fact, I see us maybe having a Hall of Fame weekend, with golfing and tennis events. It would create a great opportunity to raise funds, to maybe provide a permanent site for the Hall of Fame. There's lots of opportunities to explore.”

While former skipper Rosalind Simmons initially appeared on behalf of the Big Blue Machine, almost the entire team later gathered on stage including former coach Winston J.R.Jones. Just three were missing, including the late June Durrant.

The late Alma (Champ) Hunt was represented by his daughter Beverley Baldwin who flew in from Bristol, England; Chummy Hayward by his daughter, Pamela Osborne, and the late Francis Gosling by Malcolm Gosling Sr.