The West Indian cricketer seems to mature at an earlier age than most and Nyron was one of several teenagers to make their first class debuts during the years of goodwill cricket, 1941-47. He played in the first of these games, vs. Barbados at the Queen's Park Oval, had score of 33 and 0 and was one of four players of East Indian ancestry not included in the team for the second game. Up to 1948, when Test cricket resumed in the West Indies after World War II, that was the pattern he had learnt to accept one match in each series for which he was selected. In preparation for the 1948 visit by M.C.C he scored two centuries but was omitted from both Trinidad teams. While the West Indies team was touring India in 1949, a Trinidad side visited Barbados and apart from appearing in both games he got a chance to exhibit his medium paced bowling which hitherto was not used at that level. The turning point in his career came the following year, when, at home to Jamaica for the games serving as trials for selection to tour Great Britain that year, he hit 77 in an opening partnership of 103 with Andy Ganteaume.

When Trinidad visited Barbados in 1951 for two games, this time as trials for the winter tour of Australia and New Zealand he got his chance as an all rounder, hit a highest of 48 during which he shared a second wicket stand of 118 with Jeff Stollmeyer and bowled 19 overs in the second innings of the first game to restrict the homesters in delaying their declaration. A year later, while the West Indies contingent was still on tour, Trinidad entertained a Guyana team and he made 18 and 103, 128 and 83 in the two matches. During his second century he put on 170 with Ken Corbie for the first wicket, a local record v. Guyana. A visit by India in 1953 was next and in his lone innings he scored 47 in an opening partnership of 112 again with Stollmeyer, against the tourists. That year he went to Guyana, was wicket keeper for the second of two matches in which he hit 7 and 141*, 25 and 44 and also registered a native record of 188 unfinished for the fifth wicket with Gerry Gomez. He was invited to the trial game, which followed in preparation for the 1954 M.C.C. visit. Scores of 33 and 65 helped Jeff Stollmeyer to give their team starts of 84 and 110 against M.C.C. but he played in only one in Jamaica the following year, when he scored 20 and 124. He then left for a professional engagement with Enfield in the Lancashire League and so did not play against the visiting Australians.

Two years later he was successful in the trials held at the Queen's Park Oval, with 45 and 8, 106 and 19 to gain a place on the West Indies team to tour Great Britain where he totalled 1011 runs (av. 20.73) with 2 centuries 130* v. Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge and 120* vs. Kent, Canterbury. His 2nd Test opportunities, the only ones of his career yielded 62 runs (av. 15.05) with a highest of 29 in a West Indies total of 89. On his return he was appointed captain of the national team against the touring Pakistanis and marked the occasion with 131 during which he shared in a fourth wicket partnership of 131 with Ken Furlonge. He captained Trinidad in Guyana against Jamaica in October 1959 and in one game v. M.C.C. in 1960 after which Willie Rodriguez replaced him. On the local cricket scene he was a prolific scorer and virtually carried the batting fortunes of his club. Invincible on his shoulders. In 1948, he scored an undefeated double century against Maple and totalled over 1000 runs in all matches that season. He captained North in the Beaumont Cup fixture 1958 and South the following year, when, as welfare officer for Caroni Estates Ltd., he represented Wanderers. He hit 98, his highest Beaumont Cup score in 1959 and led South until 1962 when he retired at first class level. He played club cricket for five years afterwards and his 31 and 81* were key factors in Wanderers' island wide win in 1965. He was included among the nation's five cricketers of the year in 1959 and 1961.

His best bowling figures in inter-territorial cricket were 3/30 vs. Jamaica at Bourda in 1959, but his 3/69 of a Barbados total of 433 must have given him the most satisfaction at the same venue, three years earlier. Later he served on the South Management committee of the Trinidad Cricket Council and a national selector up to 1972 when his son Gregory, who by then had become a national player, was likely to prejudice his interest. He was manager of the 1983 Trinidad and Tobago Shell Shield teams and served as liaison officer to the visiting Australia, New Zealand and England teams 1984-86.

An outstanding talent on the international cricketing landscape, Ian Bishop’s 161 wickets in 43 tests at an average of 24.27 runs per wicket were an apt reflection of a fine paceman. The best moments came at Perth in January 1993 when his six wickets for 40 runs contributed to the West Indies’ series-clinching innings and his 25 runs at Brisbane reduced Pakistan to just 71 runs in the Benson & Hedges Trophy series.

With a straight-on run in and the ability to generate acute movement away from the bat, Bishop was part of the early 1990’s quartet of established fast bowlers in the West Indies team – the others being Antiguan Curtly Ambrose and Jamaicans Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson. Fifty wickets were claimed in his first eleven test matches. Number 100 came in his 21st test when he bowled England’s Robin Smith at Edgbaston, Birmingham. He took four for 29 in that innings en route to scuttling the opposition for a lowest-ever ground total of 89 and facilitating a West Indian victory by an innings and 64 runs.

Bishop was also rather useful with the bat as his 111 for Trinidad and Tobago against Barbados in 1997 attests. Unfortunately much of Bishop’s career, which also included spells at Crompton, Preysal and Derbyshire, was hampered by chronic back problems, which included a diagnosed stress fracture in 1991. These injuries frequently kept him out of the game for long periods. Since his last game for the West Indies against England in 1998 Bishop has served as a Trinidad and Tobago team manager and is currently a television and radio commentator.

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His initials bear some cricket significance but he has been known as "Joey" through out his cricket career. A left hand batsman who drove the ball crisply from his schoolboy days with Fatima College, he made his first class debut in 1956, scoring 8 and 17 against E.W Swanton's XI. He had to wait three years for another national chance and it came with a visit to Guyana, where he scored 114 v. Jamaica at Bourda adding 183 for the fourth wicket with Kenny Furlonge in the process. The West Indies hosted three international teams in the next three years and he hit 102* at the Queen's Park Oval and 70 at Guaracara Park against the 1960 M.C.C. team. The following year he scored 58 v. E.W. Swanton's team and in 1962, 55 and 11 against the Indians. There were some inter-territorial games too in which he scored 14 and 5, 6 and 76* in 1961 at home to Barbados and 4 and 34 v. Guyana, at Berbice batting in each case in the middle order.

Selected to tour Britain in 1963, he converted to the position of opening batsman, played in two Tests for 57 runs (av. 19.00) and totalled 1060 runs (av. 30.28) with one century - 117 v. Glamorgan, Cardiff. Three years later he was back but did not fare as well - 720 runs (av. 25.71) and one century - 132 v. Gloucestershire, Bristol.

But he was third time lucky. In 1969 on a shortened tour he scored 677 runs (av. 45.13), hit three centuries, the highest of which, 172*, saw him feature in an unfinished stand of 324 for the second wicket with Roy Fredericks at Leicester. The other centuries were: 126* v. Oxford and Cambridge at Oxford and 122 v. Somerset, Taunton. With the advent of Shell Shield Cricket in 1966 there were more inter-territorial game and he scored 25 and 66 v. Jamaica, 24 and 5 v. Barbados and 81 and 5 v. Combined Islands. His best score was made in partnership with Bryan Davis, the pair putting on 155. He was made national captain for the 1967 season and played through the innings for 65 against Barbados at the Queen's Park Oval. The following year while preparing for the visit by M.C.C. that pair gave their team Queen's Park a 398 run start v. Maple, a West Indies record. Scores of 26 and 90* for Trinidad and Tobago and 56 and 40* in the Fourth Test ensured a place on the team to tour Australia and New Zealand that winter.

He had outstanding performances in both countries. In the Test matches he scored 83 and 71* at Brisbane (First Test), sharing partnerships of 165 for the second wicket with Rohan Kanhai and 120 for the seventh wicket with Clive Lloyd; then 90 in the Fourth Test at Adelaide, where, with Kanhai he added 132 for the second wicket. Finally his 64 at Sydney in the Fifth Test gave the West Indies its first ever century start on that continent, with Roy Fredericks being the junior partner here. His series aggregate was 427 runs (av. 47.44) when he left for New Zealand. At Auckland he scored 109 to mark a debut century against that country. He added 172 for the second wicket with Seymour Nurse. The 91 he scored at Christchurch helped Nurse to increase the second wicket record to 231. His Test figures were 256 runs (av. 51.20). Trinidad and Tobago won the Shell Shield in 1970 and 1971. In 1970 he proved to be a one-man wrecking crew, with 523 runs (av. 87.16) and 13 wickets (av. 9.23), the lowest seasonal bowling average to date. He scored 143 v. Guyana, 164 and 101 v. Jamaica in successive innings at the Queen's Park Oval and put on 202 for the first wicket with Alvin Corneal in his final effort.

The following year he contributed handsomely to his team's repeat performance with 74 and 44* v. Jamaica, 52 v. Combined Islands, 91 and 18 v. Barbados, both at Port of Spain and 27 and 40, Bourda. Trinidad and Tobago defeated Barbados for the first time since 1945. By 1973, after 3 Tests each v. India (1971) and New Zealand (1972) he decided to retire, but not before he had scored with Deryck Murray to lay the cornerstone for another local victory over Barbados. Among his other achievements have been the R.K. Nunes trophy after the 1968/69 season, the WITCO Sportsman Award for the 1970 season and inclusion as one the five cricketers of the year by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Council six times; 1960, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1970 and 1971. Since retiring he has served on the West Indies Cricket Board of Control as one of the nation's representatives and later, as a selector.

Statistics very often find a way to devalue genuine quality, especially in sport. And in the case of Learie Constantine, figures truly misrepresent this colourful and dynamic cricketer, who for over two decades, never failed to amaze followers of the game, both in the Caribbean and overseas. The grandson of a slave, Learie willingly followed his father's footsteps onto the cricket greens, at first at Diego Martin in west Port of Spain, and later on at the Queen's Park Oval where he gave warning from very young that he would someday write his name boldly in the cricket books of the world.

Thus, he became the first superstar in Caribbean sport, the first sportsman of the region to be internationally recognised as a world-class performer. His legendary performances for Trinidad and West Indies do not always carry record breaking figures, but those who were privileged to witness them never ceased speaking of the fire and magnetism Constantine infused into his batting, bowling and fielding. He first played for Trinidad in 1921, a year later his father, Leburn was also in the team, and shortly after he toured with the West Indies team to England. He returned there in 1928 when West Indies played their first Test match, and took 4 for 82. Though his statistics reveal little when placed alongside other great all rounders, Constantine ended his Test career in style in the third and final Test at The Oval, London, 1939 against England, when he took 5 for 75 and scored 79 runs.

During his first class career (1922-1945) he scored 4,451 runs with five centuries, and took 424 wickets and 133 catches, most of them unbelievable efforts. He scored 635 runs in Test and captured 58 wickets. Later, Constantine became a Minister in the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, and was knighted in 1961 and became a Life Peer in 1969.

In the last years of the 19th century, when cricket was taking shape in the Caribbean as a new social dimension, Lebrun Constantine stood tall among players in Trinidad. An overseer on an estate in Diego Martin, Constantine had a passion for the game. Learning a great deal from English plantation owners who played the game on the island.

Constantine sought as much knowledge about the game and the great players of the past as he could grasp and was a self-taught exponent with the bat and ball.

Known as Old Cons, after his son, the famous Learie Constantine began to make his mark on the green fields, Lebrun was in the first West Indies team to tour England, under Aurcher Warner, and hit a brilliant 113 against MCC, the nearest game to a Test match on the tour, becoming the first West Indian to score a century at Lord's. A specialist wicket- keeper, Constantine did well on that first tour to England, with both bat and gloves, but when he returned to that country with Harold Austin's team in 1906, he had given up wicket keeping. He had already given his home crowd a taste of his fine batting technique when in 1902 he hit 84 at Queen's Park Oval for the West Indies against R.A. Bennett's visiting English side.

In 1911 he scored a fine 53 against A.P.F. Somerset's team at the Oval and in 1913 scored 61 again at the Oval against the visiting MCC team, again led by Somerset. Old Cons was a disciplinarian who licked the opposition first and smiled after. He developed excellent qualities in his sons, Learie and Elias, the former becoming one of cricket's greatest personalities, the latter becoming a fine player for Trinidad in the 1940's. Constantine was one of the pioneers of Trinidad and West Indies cricket, a man who loved the game and played it with great enthusiasm and skill and may have had Test cricket status for West Indies in his day.

Younger brother of Bryan, he was never short of company as a tot. He played ball games and matured as a cricketer at an earlier age than Bryan. He made his first class debut at the age of 17 when E.W. Swanton's team visited and registered scores of 58 and 11. He then made 115 in the Beaumont Cup game (North v. South) and ended the season with over 1,000 runs, the rest being scored in club cricket for St. Mary's College. For his achievement he was presented with a trophy bearing the score in each innings leading to that rare total in local cricket. Later in 1961, he went over to Guyana and in scoring 127 and 97 participated in century partnerships against the hosts in each innings, 140 for the eight wickets with Ollie Corbie and 180 for the fifth wicket with Willie Rodriguez. Between 1962 and 1964, his best effort at national level was 42 vs. Jamaica but in local cricket he topped the North Zone Senior Grade averages in 1963 with 571 runs from 6 innings in 5 of which he was not out and followed this by topping the Zone Championships average in 1964 with 416 runs (av. 59.42) and 1965 runs (av. 48.88).

After scoring 71 and 51 against the 1965 Australians, he got his first taste of international cricket when he was appointed twelfth man for the Fifth Test.

The Shell Shield was inaugurated a year later and in 1967 he hit a career best 154 vs. Jamaica, Sabina Park during which he was partnered by Richard De Souza in a Trinidad and Tobago as well as a shield record of 223 runs for the sixth wicket. He greeted the visiting M.C.C. team a year later with 158 at Kensington Oval for the W.I. Board President's XI and followed with 68 and 62 when the local team opposed them. These scores did not influence the Test selectors but when the team was named for the winter tour "Down Under" his was among them. He was hardly used in Australia and saved his best performance with both bat and ball for the return game vs. South Australia. In scoring 69 he was helped by Mike Findlay in the seventh wicket stand of 127, while he took a career best 7/106 with his medium paced swingers. But his Test debut on the same Adelaide ground was a different story - 18 and 10 and 1 wicket for 94 runs. His best score in New Zealand was also 69 vs. South Island Dunedin, where he helped Clive Lloyd in a third wicket partnership of 255 and although omitted from the Tests, was included on the team to tour England for half of the 1969 summer.

With the unavailability of Rohan Kanhai and Seymour Nurse he made the number three spot his own for that tour and in his debut Test appearance at Lord's scored a century and became the first player of his country to score Test century in England. The West Indies next series was in 1971. He was omitted from the First Test but regained his place for the second with 100 vs. the Indians. He obliged with 71 and 74 at the Queen's Park Oval, 34 and 125 at Bourda, 79 and 22 at Kensington Oval and 105 and 19 back at Queen's Park for an aggregate of 529 runs (av. 132.25). Against New Zealand in 1972 he continued where he left off. He totalled 466 runs (av. 58.25) which included a career best 183 at Kensington Oval, where he shared a record sixth wicket 254 with Garry Sobers. he hit 156 for Trinidad and Tobago against the tourists at Guaracara Park and enjoyed his best Shell Shield score, 180 vs.Jamaica at the Queen's Park Oval. The following year marked a visit by the Australians and he inexplicably omitted from the first three Tests. At the start of the season he had scored 1,231 Test runs at an average of 61.55. His four innings of the last two Tests yielded 70 runs and he retired from international cricket at age 29.

On the local scene he excelled in club cricket. In 1967 he hit 224 in the island wide final vs. Wanderers, after topping the North Zone averages with 597 runs at 74.62 per innings. He also claimed 40 wickets (av. 11.42). In 1970 his 319 runs (av. 63.80) were also top zonal figures and in 1974 vs. Wanderers he hit separate centuries - 106 and 118 - sharing partnerships of 154 for the fourth wicket in the first innings and 201 for the fifth in the second, both with Sheldon Gomes. He continued to play Texaco Zonal cricket until retiring in 1976. He was honoured among the local five cricketers of the year on four consecutive occasions, 1965/68 and six times in eight years, 1961/68. He scored centuries in most of the major cricket grounds in the Caribbean and in 1971 was named Sportsman of the Year by the WITCO Sports Foundation for his performance.

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One of the true characters of West Indies cricket, "Fergie" was a right arm wrist spin bowler whose leg breaks took a high degree of turn, a batsman who fancied the cut stroke and a fieldsman who could catch anything, particularly in the gully area. Because of his features, which were reminiscent of the type that made Joe E. Brown, Bert Lahr and Ned Sparks famous, he was a great favourite with the crowd, especially when he removed his cap to reveal his baldhead, which seemed to shine in the sunlight. Fergie first came on the inter-colonial scene in 1943, when, playing as twelfth man, he was used as runner for Gerry Gomez who batted with influenza. He ran about half of Gerry's 216 and was included in the team for the second game. He scored 37 attractive runs but failed to take a wicket and did not gain selection to tour Barbados the following year. Later in 1944, when British Guiana visited he was selected for the second game, captured 5/61 & 4/22 between which he knocked up 60 runs and shared an eight wicket partnership of 136 runs Elias Constantine and became an automatic choice for Trinidad until he retired in 1956 after playing against E.W. Swanton's team.

In 1945, playing at home to Barbados he had figures of 4/59 & 2/74, 5/137 & 6/60 for total of 17 wickets (av. 19.41). His 11/97 in the second match surpassed the previous best for a Trinidad bowler v. Barbados both at home - 10/78 by Sydney Smith, 1906 - and abroad - 10/70 by Learie Constantine, Kensington Oval, 1924. In addition, he scored 38 and 36 in his only 2 innings. Included among his victims were Everton Weekes, making his debut, stumped for nought and Frank Worrell in the same manner, also for a 'duck'. That October when Trinidad visited British Guiana he did not bowl in the first match but made 60 in the second innings of that game.

In the second match he took 3/50. 1946 was a barren year for him. In five matches 2 v. Barbados at Port of Spain and 3 in Jamaica he could only claim a total of 6 wickets, but gave two good batting performances. His 35 in the second game helped Gerry Gomez to add 111 for the seventh wicket but the time spent in the middle was more important. It helped to ensure a draw against Barbados in the face of a target of 672. His 34 in the third game at Sabina Park assisted Derek Sealy in adding 78 runs, a series record for the ninth wicket, which stood for 34 years. A year later when British Guiana returned to Port of Spain he claimed 15 wickets and stood poised for his international debut against England, the following year.

He was not disappointed and after taking the wicket of the in-form Dick Howarth in each innings plus an undefeated 56 in the second innings in the First Test at Barbados, was retained for the rest of the series. In the familiar Queen's Park Oval he captured 5/137 & 6/92 to become the first West Indies bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test and his 3/23 & 5/116 at Bourda went a long way towards the West Indies first victory of the series in which he took a record 23 wickets (av. 24.65). His farewell to the England side was a knock of 75 at Sabina Park. Included in the touring party to India & Ceylon that winter, he played in the middle three Tests and took 10 wickets at high cost 44.3 runs each. There was a tour of Great Britain in 1950 and the inter-colonial series were used as trials to select the team. Trinidad was host to Jamaica and introduced a new spinner in Sonny Ramadhin with whom 'Fergie' formed an interesting combination. In the first game "Ram" took 5/39 & 4/67 and 'Fergie' 2/57 & 7/73. It seemed a formality for the latter but he failed to take a wicket in the second match while Ramadhin collected four and the wrist spinner's place went to 'Boogles' Williams, a Barbadian, who never saw Test action.

Whenever the name Andy Ganteaume is mentioned, there are two cricket events with which he is linked. One is his feat of scoring 9 out of Trinidad& Tobagoís total of 16, in Barbados in 1942 and the other is his 112 in his only Test innings. But this dapper player was also a good footballer and was recognised first in that discipline, when he represented the Senior League in 1937. In 1946 after keeping wicket during the mammoth unfinished Walcott/Worrell fourth wicket partnership of 576 runs, he opened the innings and scored 85 then watched Gerry Gomez play his face saving double century. The next day, he, Gerry Gomez and Prior Jones already the Trinidad and Tobago football Captain, played in a trial match for a football tour to British Guiana (Guyana), and all three gained selection! Andy's inter colonial cricket career began with the Goodwill Series in 1941. On his debut, batting in the unlikely position of number eight he scored 87 and kept wicket for the team. The next year he was not considered for the visit by Barbados but when Trinidad returned the visit he was included and his 9 was made on his first experience of a turf pitch, affected by rain. Thereafter, except for 1945, he played in every match in which Trinidad was involved up to 1951, when he decided he had seen enough of Caribbean venues and a foreign trip was unlikely in the near future, so he was through with inter-colonial cricket. An opening batsman primarily, he occupied the number three spot whenever the Stollymeyer brothers were available or partnered one of them when the other was absent.

During those series he only saw failure once, in 1943, but he went on to score 1548 runs (av. 37.75) and took part in some profitable partnerships for the first wicket, the highest 286 v. Jamaica, Port of Spain, 1950. His contribution was 147, his third century in those games. His others were 112 v. Barbados, also at the Queen's Park Oval in 1946 when he put on 112 with Victor Stollmeyer and 152 for the second wicket with Kenny Trestrail; and 159 in Jamaica, later that year at Sabina Park.

He also had a second wicket partnership worth 207 runs with Trestrail when he was run out for 85. When in 1948, he scored 101 & 47*, 5 & 90 against the touring M.C.C. he was expected to gain a place on the Second Test team. He was omitted from the original selection but when Jeff Stollmeyer withdraw due to injury, he gained inclusion. His debut century was part of a record opening start of 173, which stood against England for 26 years. After being omitted from the Third Test though no accredited opening batsman was selected, he also stayed on the sidelines for the Fourth, but more disappointing was the fact that he was again omitted from the touring party to India & Ceylon that winter as well as the one that visited England in 1950, his aggregate of 181 runs from 2 innings notwithstanding. During the series in Barbados, 1951,he scored 56 & 45, 68 & 14 but Roy Marshall who made 2 & 20, 52 & 28 was preferred for the tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Encouraged to return to cricket after a two-year lay off, he went to British Guiana in 1953, played in one game as wicket keeper and scored 34 & 7. It was another three years before he made his next national appearance again in British Guiana. There he made 38, top score in a total of 115 v. Barbados. Invited to trails for selection on the tour of Great Britain he got 53 & 7, 19 & 106 and was one of the three opening batsmen included in the party. He finished the tour with 800 runs (av. 27.58) and although five batsmen were tried as openers in the Test - Kanhai, Sobers and Worrell apart from the other two original selections, Pairaudeau and Asgarali, he was not considered for a test place. Afterwards he played two other first class games - 1958 v. Pakistan and 1963 when he captained a young team to Barbados. But he played club cricket for five more years topping the averages in the North Zone Senior Grade with 619 runs (av. 88.42) in 1965 and 417 runs (av. 139.00) in 1967. On the local scene he captained his club Maple for most of the fifties, led North in the Beaumont Cup campaign in 1950, 1955 and 1956 and hit his highest in that fixture 125, in 1949 when with Jeff Stollmeyer he helped to give North a 259 run start. He stopped playing organised cricket after 35 consecutive years (1939 -73) in the game.

On the football field he was first recognised as an inside forward but he played inter colonial football in every position in the forward line except centre forward. He played an entire season for Maple at halfback. When he visited British Guiana in 1946 he shone on both wings and it was for the visit by Haiti that he was selected at right wing, played there for the "Family XI" and made that position popular until he retired from that sport. Andy served as government coach and had the satisfaction of seeing two of his protÈgÈs, Inshan Ali and Richard Gabriel reach international standard. He was manager of the local you

Like Kenny Trestrail and Charlie Davis before him, and Brian Lara in more recent times, Larry Gomes lived up to his potential of being a schoolboy batsman who would one day become a top class international player. Gomes develop into a steady, dependable batsman. His worth to the West Indies team, even in the presence of outstanding stars like Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Clive Lloyd, was profound. He fashioned a fine career among such luminaries, filled a need in the West Indies side and his own self-effacing way, and established himself as a player of a high quality.

A left-handed batsman Gomes graduated to the Trinidad and Tobago senior team in the early 1970's. When the Kerry Packer controversy blew up in the 1978 West Indies/Australia series in the Caribbean, Gomes was called into the team for the third Test in Guyana when the top West Indian players pulled out of the side. He blossomed forth with an innings of 101 and got another century in the fifth Test in Jamaica. Even with those scores Gomes was not a certainty in the team when the Packer caravan came to a halt and the top players returned to conventional cricket. But he soon established himself firmly and became a regular middle order batsman along with Richards, Lloyd and Gus Logie.

In Australia he scored six of his nine Test centuries against that country regarded as the toughest opposition West Indies had faced during his time. He also hit hundreds against England and India. Gomes scored 3,171 runs in 60 Tests at an average of 39.63 and took 15 Test wickets at 62.00. He also captained Trinidad and Tobago on several occasions, retiring after eleven years as an international. He took up coaching assignments including being the official coach of the Trinidad and Tobago national team.

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Son of a former inter colonial cricketer, Gerry was a middle order batsman who would have represented Trinidad in any era. In the middle of his career he developed his bowling talents and at Test level was a brilliant all rounder. His potential was obvious from his days at Queen's Royal College where he benefited from the coaching of Australian Test player Arthur Richardson. His first representative honours came in 1937 a Grenada team, led by Jackie Grant, was visiting. He scored 01 & 20 for North/South combined team and 85 & 20 for Trinidad XI. This gained him selection for the Inter-colonial tournament, which was to be staged in British Guiana later that year. His scores of 13 & 39 were enough to confirm his class, the latter knock helping his captain L.S. Birkett to add 110 for the third wicket against the host team. The maiden century of his career was made at Bourda Oval in 1938 - 119 for Rolph Grant's XI. Then followed his 161* v. Jamaica at Port of Spain during the 1939 trials and he was included on the team to tour England. On a visit shortened by a war scare he scored 719 runs (av. 25.67) without a century, 22 of those coming from three innings in the 2 Tests he played. He was not recognised as a footballer before he left but on his return he had learnt enough to be considered a certainty for the island honours in both sports.

In Goodwill cricket between 1941 and 1947 he was a batsman capable of dominating the best bowling and set an individual record at the Queen's Park Oval in 1943 when he scored 216*. Three years later at the same venue he got three runs less but saved Trinidad from certain defeat from Barbados. In inter-colonial cricket, which covered the period 1937 - 53, he scored 2721 runs with the outstanding average of 66.36, including a record 10 centuries. He seldom failed on the matting wicket of the Queen's Park Oval, where he scored 7 centuries and 1525 runs with the Bradmanesque average of 89.70. During the years 1944/47 he captained the national side in three series. In Barbados in 1944 he made 13 & 40 in the first game, which his team lost. Then he got 94 out of 449 - 8 which Barbados surpassed due to the Worrell/Goddard fourth wicket record stand of 502 runs. In British Guiana a year later his scores were 37 & 60, 35 & 10, the first three vital in a low scoring series. Two years later in Trinidad off the Guianese bowling, he hit 16 & 26 and 190, which helped Jeff Stollmeyer to get within 11 runs of the world record, with his dismissal when the partnership reached 434 runs. Trinidad won both games to keep their record against British Guiana since the war.

Test cricket resumed for the West Indies in 1948 and he became a fixture on the Test team until 1953, when his batting form was considered unconvincing. He missed a Test in New Zealand in 1952 he greeted England with 86 at Bridgetown and followed with 62 at Port of Spain, where he had just scored 178* in the colony game. He was captain in the Test due to Jeff Stollmeyer's injury. Selected to tour India & Ceylon that winter, he developed his bowling with remarkable results. After scoring his maiden Test century -101 at Delhi - in a record fourth wicket partnership of 267 with Clyde Walcott, his bowling became dependable and he claimed 71 wickets (av. 18.70) including a career best 9/24 v. South Zone at Madras. His next big tour was the 1950 visit to Great Britain where he totalled 1116 runs (av. 42.92) and got 55 wickets (av. 25.58). Fourteen months after that tour ended he was on another, this time to Australia. In the only first class game before the First Test he scored 97* v. Queensland, Brisbane. In a series, which the West Indies lost 4-1, he made useful scores in each of the first four matches but in the fifth Test at Sydney he made up for low scores with 7/55 (10/133 match). Furthermore he was undefeated on 46 at Adelaide where the lone Test was won and his series figures were 324 runs (av. 36.00) and 18 wickets (av. 14.22). He played two home series v. India 1953 and England 1954. His bowling was most economical v. India. At Port of Spain he had analyses of 42-12-84-3 and 46-20-42-1 but saved his best for the final Test in Jamaica, where, preferred to Ramadhin, he returned 28-13-40-1 and 47-24-72-3. Later that year he led a team to British Guiana and scored separate centuries - 148 & 108*, the former coming on his 34th birthday. He closed his Test career against England with 147 runs (av. 21.00) and 7 wickets for the overall 1243 runs (av. 30.31) and 58 wickets (av.27.41).

Gerry played cricket and football for both North and South, and was cricket captain of both. He served as a national and international selector. He was a board member and helped to found the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association. He was manager of the West Indies team that visited Australia in 1960/1. As a footballer he played at inside forward and represented Trinidad in British Guiana in 1946 and Jamaica in 1947 He was a good club lawn tennis player and was president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Trinidad and Tobago during the years 1963 to 1967. Gerry was also President of the National Scouts Association.

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Jackie Grant will always be remembered in West Indies cricket circles for his daring and successful declarations in both innings against Australia in the fifth Test at Sydney in 1930/31, which West Indies won by 30 runs. It was West Indies' second ever Test victory, and one of the most remarkable in its history. That was Grant's first series and he was entrusted with the captaincy at the tender age of 23. Considering that status of West Indies cricket in those times and the strength of the opposition, Grant must be ranked as one of the greatest captains to ever lead the Caribbean.

In must not be forgotten also that he was a fine right-handed batsman who scored 53 and 71 not out in his first Test, in that very series, at Adelaide. He later captained West Indies in England in 1933 and against England in the Caribbean in 1934/35, when West Indies won the series 2-1. Grant was a double blue at Cambridge (cricket and football), playing in the Varsity match against Oxford at Lord's in 1929 and 1930. He was a sound batsman, always good in a crisis, and was a brilliant fieldsman, especially in the gully. He also represented Trinidad and Tobago at football as an inside forward when he was a Master at his Alma Mater - Queen's Royal College.

His cricket career was relatively short (1928/35), during which time he scored 3,811 runs with four centuries. One of his best performances was 115 against an England Eleven at Folkestone in 1933 when he added 226 for the third wicket with the great George Headley. After retiring from cricket, Jackie Grant moved on to missionary work in Africa and became a noted figure in serving the people of that country. His brother, Rolph, also became captain of the West Indies.

George John was the fast bowler every boy wanted to be in his dreams. John had a fine physique, 5 feet 10 ins. tall, powerful arms and legs, well developed neck and chest, all fine for fast bowling. He was still bowling at top speed at the end of his career, from the early 1900?s to early 1930?s. Born in St. Vincent, John came to Trinidad in his teens, and even then he was really quick with the new ball. He became head groundsman at Queen?s Park Oval and joined Stingo one of the top clubs in the local first class competition. In 1909 he hit 111 for W. C. Shepherds XI against British Guiana. His first opportunity against international competition came in 1911 when he represented a West Indies XI against M.C.C. at Georgetown where he took 5 wickets for 106. A week later, playing for Trinidad against M.C.C. at the Queen?s Park Oval John claimed 5 for 55. But West Indies had not yet been given test status and John, like Learie Constantine?s father, Lebrun, had little opportunity to display his talents at the highest level.

One such opportunity came, however, in 1923 when West Indies toured England. In a match against an England XI at Scarborough, John and George Francis of Barbados had the Englishman reeling at 19 for six wickets on a perfect pitch as they went after the small total of 31 to win. When West Indies visited England five years later for their first test series, John was already 43 years old and, past his best, was not selected. At his prime he was really fast and possessed a terrific bouncer, but he preferred to make the ball rush into the batsman?s rib cage rather than at their heads. He had great control and could bowl long spells at top pace. Being a professional, he never played for Trinidad and Tobago in the Inter-Colonial Tournaments, which were for amateurs only! Indeed this was a tragic loss to Trinidad and Tobago and to the West Indies. However George John also made a useful contribution in coaching Queen?s Park Cricket Club members as well as some others outside of that club. He was the forerunner of the great future fast bowlers like, Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding.

Prior is one of those personalities who took full advantage of our two sporting seasons. He was a fast bowler for Princes Town E.C. School and continued in that vein throughout his career. He entered Queen's Royal College after leaving the elementary stage and while there was a member of both the winning cricket and football teams in the college's record year - 1933. Two years later he was included in the Trinidad football team, which visited Jamaica. Two years further on he was selected to represent Trinidad v. Barbados in an inter-colonial Cricket match. No young sportsman could have expected more. But there was disappointment in store for him. On the morning of the Cricket game he was informed that he would be replaced by 'Teddy' Peter. He had to wait four years to gain island recognition at cricket. Meanwhile the 1939 tour of Great Britain was undertaken and he did not get any opportunity to address the selectors. A fast bowler of remarkable control he had to wait nine years to get Test consideration.

When the Goodwill Series started in 1941 he was overlooked for Joe Hendrickson in the first game but made his debut in the second. He scored 43 runs and partnered Andy Ganteaume in an eight-wicket stand worth 103 runs. His returns for that game were only 1/55 & 1/41 but in the next five years the venue did not matter as he took 2/61 & 1/25, 3/44 & 0/28 v. Barbados in Trinidad and 4/65, 3/66 & 2/38 in Barbados. In 1934 at the Queen's park Oval, apart from taking 3/59 & 0/49, 1/83 & 1/36, he made 47 and 48* in his only innings v. Barbados. Next year he paid them a visit and got career bests, 6/66 (bowling) in the first game and 60* (batting) in the second, during which he added 105 for the eighth wicket with Jeff Stollmeyer. In 1945 at Bourda he took 3/30 & 0/11, 3/31 & 3/44, the latter supplemented by scores of 34 & 23* in a three-wicket win. The following year he played in all three games in Jamaica and captured 11 wickets, with a best of 5/37 in the final game. When Test cricket for the West Indies resumed in 1948 he was a certainty and, on his debut at the Kensington Oval, he returned figures of 4/54 & 0/29. He did not play any more in the series due to injury but was included in the party to tour India & Ceylon later that year.

That was the first of three consecutive tours on which he gained selection his experience extending to cities in Great Britain 1950, Australia 1951 and New Zealand 1952. The Asian tour was his most successful, for he totalled 51 wickets (av. 18.54) and the last two Tests were his most fruitful with 2/28 & 4/30 at Madras, scene of the team's only (and deciding) victory and 1/31 & 5/85 at Bombay, the latter off 41 overs, (bowled to a plan of containment). In England he found the pitches too slow for his liking and only took one wicket from two Tests but he improved his career bowling figures to 7/29, taken vs. Yorkshire at Bradford. On the Australia and New Zealand tour, he played in one Test, Sydney, claiming 3/68 & 0/16 and ended his career on return. But he continued in local cricket, captained both North and South in Beaumont Cup games, his best figures in those encounters being gained for North - 5/42 in 1939 and 77*, Skinner Park, 1942 in a record eighth wicket partnership of 137 with Clarence Skeete. Later he served on the North Management Committee of the Trinidad Tobago Cricket Council and was manager of the 1966-67 West Indies team that toured India & Ceylon.

On the football field he captained Trinidad from 1944 to 1947, touring Barbados, British Guiana, Jamaica and Curacao and serving as host to all but Curacao during that period. He also gave his services as linesman and referee after his retirement. As roving centre half he was never known to have a bad game and his goal scoring prowess could not be overlooked. In 1944, playing for his club Maple, he scored against Barbados from a shot taken way outside the penalty area. Later at club level he played at inside left or left wing. Prior was a Customs Officer all through his international career. In 1955 he was transferred to the Point Fortin area and played with Shell (formerly U.B.O.T.). He took an interest in the community and served as a voluntary fireman. Later he became a full time Shell employee and his interest extended to another sport - fencing. At that time his expertise in sport was brought to the forefront in the field of television.

In a cricket world of high powered professionalism the presence of a brilliant player who bears a moderate disposition, is like a refreshing breeze.

The humility with which Augustine "Gus" Logie has travelled along in his career, the absence of discord in the heat of the action and more so, off the field, has been his most edifying virtue.

But it was not a mild mannered style when he batted or fielded. Indeed, the exciting style of his stroke play and brilliance of his fielding and catching won him multitudes of admirers all over the cricketing world. He first played for the Trinidad and Tobago youth team that played against the touring England youth side to the Caribbean. He scored a brilliant 163 in the St. Lucia "Test". Logie made his debut against India at Kanpur in 1983/1984, but with a despairing duck. Retained for the second Test at Delhi, Logie played a splendid innings of 63. There was no doubt he was on his way as a Test star especially as his fielding stamped him in the highest class and as the seasons passed, he mellowed into a player of exceptional quality. In 1988 in England he headed the West Indies batting averages with 364 runs at 72.80 even Richards, Greenidge and others in the side. When he went to Australia in 1992/93 he failed to make the Test side and left first class cricket soon after.

Among his major achievements was to captain Trinidad and Tobago in the inter-regional tournament. He was also vice captain of the West Indies side led by Richie Richardson, from 1992. When he made his announcement to leave the Test and first class game, Logie went to Australia for a season to play with Prospect District Club in Adelaide. At the time he had scored 6,291 runs in first class cricket at 35.26 with 12 centuries and 28 fifties. In Tests he scored 2,470 runs at 35.80 with two centuries. Gus Logie's statistics do him little justice, as those who have watched him play cricket understand how deep his performances go and how profound is his manner as a cricket. He also played 52 Test matches for the West Indies.

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Storybook elevations to fame are rare and dramatic events. The rise to the highest level of Test cricket by Deryck Murray can be regarded as a chapter from such a realm. An outstanding college cricketer and footballer at Queen's Royal College in the late 1950's and early 1960's, young Deryck was gradually developing into a wicket keeper - batsman of exceptional quality when the West Indies team for England in 1963 was being contemplated. Just 20 and with no great experience at first class level, Deryck was chosen when the field was narrowed down to just two wicket-keepers; David Allan of Barbados and himself.

He did nothing unusual during the early part of the tour with the bat or behind the stumps. But Allan sustained an injury before the first Test at Old Trafford and Murray got his chance. He grabbed it with both gloves and thus, began the career of one of the most durable and, indeed, successful of all West Indian cricketers.

To list his remarkable achievements in 17 years of Test cricket and two decades of first class cricket would require many more pages than are available for this review. But an outline indicates that in 62 Test matches, Murray scored 1,663 runs (22.90) and collected 189 dismissals behind the stumps (181 catches and eight stumpings). But returning to that fateful England tour of 1963, Murray silently but confidently had 24 dismissals in the end, a record at the time, and won the admiration of the team and the West Indian cricketing fraternity, no one with greater affection than Frank Worrell, the Captain.

He was away from the Test scene for five years after that, going on to Cambridge University, and then becoming a member of Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire in the English County Championship. Murray returned to Test cricket in 1968 for the series against England in the Caribbean and re-established himself as the number one stumper in the team for the next 12 years. He made tours to Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand and again England, always strengthening his reputation as an unobtrusive but effective player who later on became vice captain to Clive Lloyd in a West Indies team which, through the late 1970's was regarded as the most powerful cricket combination ever to emerge from the Caribbean. Murray was one of the architects of the West Indies Players Association which emerged out of the Kerry Packer World Series cricket, a phase in West Indies cricket which disturbed the easy climes of the cricketing world. But the efforts of the players eventually resulted in greater financial rewards, especially for the present day players who have reaped what was planted by players like Murray and Lloyd.

Never one of the high scoring West Indies batsmen, even in his best years, Murray was still able to play some of the great rear-guard roles in both Test cricket and one-day competition like the World Cup, which often saved West Indies from defeat and at times defeat into sparkling victory. During the last few years of his Test career, Murray lost his touch with the bat, but he never relinquished his admirable form behind the wickets where he took catches and affected stumpings with the calm and authority of a master. As a footballer, Murray was just as cool and methodical as an inside-forward and in his last year with QRC led his college to a smart 4-1 victory over the favourites, St. Mary's, Murray himself playing a significant role in the victory. Murray became an effective member of the Trinidad and Tobago overseas mission where he advanced his skills with the same confident and reliable manner as he once did behind the stumps.

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During the crop season of fast bowlers in the Caribbean early in the 20th century, one player departed from the art of quick bowling to weave his own kind of magic against batsman, and with great success in the bargain. He was Victor Pascall, a mild-mannered man from Maraval, who bowled slow left-arm spinners, with such devastation at times that batsmen reckoned their chances were better against the fast men of the day, like George John, George Francis, and the two earlier demons, Woods and Cumberbatch.

Pascall emerged late in the last century and turned out to be the outstanding slow bowler of the island. He joined Shannon, a powerful team of the day that produced Lebrun Constantine, Edwin St. Hill, Ben Sealey and later. Learie Constantine, nephew of Pascall. He would have gained international honours earlier had it not been for the first World War, and it was not until 1923 that he was chosen to tour England with the West Indies under Harold Austin. John and Francis were the terrors on that visit with their tremendous pace, but during all the havoc they created, Pascall took 77 wickets on the tour through remarkable accuracy and spin on the fast England pitches that year.

When the West Indies were ready to visit England again in 1928 for their first Test series, Pascall was a bit over the hill and was left at home. In inter-colonial matches he took 80 wickets at 16.60 runs each with a best of 5-36 and 6-26 vs. British Guiana at Bourda 1922. But the performance that must have given him the most satisfaction was his 89-25-132-1 in Barbados' mammoth 726-7d, 1927. Learie Constantine has attributed a great deal of his talent and discipline to the training he got from Pascall. It was Pascall's guidance as much as Learie's father's, that moulded him into the outstanding cricketer he turned out to be. Pascall achieved in his career more success than was believed possible for a bowler of his type in an age when pace ruled the domain. Some old timers still believe he was the greatest spin bowler West Indies ever produced.

A fast bowler who played in glasses, he made his inter-colonial debut in 1941 as a teenager who had an impressive career at Queen's Royal College. His first Goodwill series was a success as he secured 4/79 & 2/41, 3/50 & 0/42 against the visiting Barbados team. Later that year he went to Apex oil fields where his career as a land survey began and he represented South in the Beaumont Cup encounter. He claimed the only wicket (Victor Stollmeyer's) in North's 319 -1d. When Barbados visited the following year he improved on his debut figures with 6/68 & 2/62, 3/34 & 5/62 and in returning the visit later that year, he took 4/67, 2/68 & 0/22.

Tall, slim and with the type of action that satisfied the purists he swung the ball to a remarkable degree and with a well disguised slower delivery he often befuddled the opposition. Throughout his career he seldom resorted to bowling the bouncer.

Two batsmen who often suffered at his hands were the Walcott brothers, Clyde, usually with the slower ball and Keith, who like Lance wore glasses, with the Yorker. By the time 1946 arrived Clyde would be taking his revenge with 314* but at the start of that series only 3 of which Trinidad lost. His after-tea spells were a popular feature of his play. In 1943, most of his 6/47 was obtained in the last session, including Frank Worrell, bowled for 1 and the following year he broke a stump in dismissing the Guyanese batsman, Allan Outridge. In 1946 he was switched from the familiar pavilion end to the northern end and bowled Barbados Johnny Lucas with his first delivery.

In 1946 too he was a member of the Malvern football team, which he helped found and which won the B.D.V. Cup as well as the Second Division League Shield. He played at centre-half and the success of the team that season plus promotion to First Division the following year when the team won the League Shield, meant more football. It soon began to take its toll on his lean frame. The years 1947 and 1948 found him playing less cricket but in the latter year he was selected for the Third Test at Bourda Oval against the England team and bowled very little in a rain affected match. It was his only Test appearance, although he was in the squad, which toured Great Britain in 1950. The docile pitches did not bring out the best in him nor his fellow pacemen, Hines Johnson and Prior Jones, but he made most of his limited opportunities with 24 wickets (av. 23.20), fourth in the bowling averages after Ramadhin, Valentine and Goddard, He also claimed his best career figures v. Lancashire at Liverpool, for an innings (8/51) as well as a match (9/99).

Not considered a batsman he only scored 2 runs on the tour, his visits to the crease being restricted by the touring batting phalanx and he only had 7 innings. Two batting performances helped Trinidad, the more outstanding being his 13* in 1946, which helped Gerry Gomez to save the game in an unfinished partnership worth 60. His career best 23 which helped 'Chicki' Sampath in a stand of 67, also for the ninth wicket, v. Barbados, Kensington Oval, 1949 also allowed Sampath to complete a century on his debut in first class cricket. Lance served on the management of the North Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Council as well as its successor the Cricket Board of Control. He was manager of the national cricket team in 1981, when for the first time since the war a Trinidad and Tobago team beat Barbados in Barbados, on that occasion for the Geddes Grant/Harrison Line Cup.

Clifford Roach not only went in first for West Indies during his splendid cricket career, but also achieved some "firsts" which shall never again be equalled by the generations of cricketers to come, for these feats have been immortalised through the chronological process. Surpassed only by George Headley among the first generation of West Indies Test batsmen, Roach scored the first century and double century in the history of West Indies Test cricket. He did this through an array of brilliant strokes, which many claim was also the intimation of his failures when he had been expected to succeed.

Roach was in the first Test match in West Indies history, against England at Lord's in 1928. Not among the runs that time, he scored two half centuries in the next two Tests, and when England visited the Caribbean two years later, he hit 122 in the first innings of the first Test in Barbados, and then 77 in the second innings. In the third Test at Georgetown, Roach took the England bowling apart with a brilliant 209. Not a success in Australia in 1930/31, he had some good scores on his second visit to England in 1933, after which he made some small scores mainly through exaggerated stroke play when he seemed set for big totals. Roach scored 952 runs in his 16 Test matches, including two centuries, and if all as worthy of a true Test batsman does not readily accept his statistics, those who saw them often recall his actual performances with great admiration.

Like most sportsmen of his generation, Roach was also gifted in another game, football. A member of the magnificent Maple team of the 1920's and 1930's, he represented Trinidad in that marvellous age. Roach was a solicitor by profession, having done his finals in England while on tour with the West Indies team in 1928. Sadly today, has lost both legs through amputation, but is still the bright, cheerful personality he has always been, looking through the doorway of past glories.

At St. Mary's College this right-handed player was recognised mainly for his batting, which featured some fine drives. He also appeared at right back for his college and that was his main position in representative football. It was for cricket that he received his first national invitation touring Guyana in 1953 and scoring 38 and 26 in the second match. That gave him a call for the trial match that followed and he scored 1 and 36* for J.B. Stollmeyer's team against R. J. Christiani's, but he did not play against the touring M.C.C. team in 1954. The following year also saw him out of the Trinidad team, which went to Jamaica, but the Combined Islands as well as the Australians recalled him for the visit. His 15 was top score against the former in his team's first innings, while he managed 26 and 7 v. the Aussies. Three years elapsed before his recall by which time his wrist spinners, delivered at near medium pace, and were causing alarms in local cricket. He scored 105 against the Pakistan tourists and that launched his international career.

During the winter of 1958 he toured India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Pakistan with the West Indies team but returned without making his Test debut. He claimed 7/90 v. Combined Universities at Nagpur and finished the tour with 216 runs (av. 19.63) and 18 wickets (av. 25.33). Afterwards he captained the Trinidad cricket team whenever he was not hampered by a worrisome knee up to 1966 and in 1969 when "Joey" Carew who had succeeded him, was touring Australia and New Zealand.

He played at home against M.C.C. (1960); E.W. Swanton's XI (1961) and the Indians (1962) and eventually got his Test call against the last mentioned after of 77 and 4/67. He played in two Tests, his debut at Sabina Park, Jamaica where he got 3 runs and no wicket; and on his home turf, Queen's Park Oval, where his 3/51 and 50 played a part in the clean sweep against India.

In 1963 he went on tour of Great Britain but twisted his knee early and Barbadian Anthony White was summoned as his replacement. When he recovered, the team was having difficulty in finding an opening partner for Conrad Hunte. Placed in the role for the return Yorkshire game at Sheffield, he scored 93 runs, engaged in a second wicket partnership of 129 with Seymour Nurse and was included in the Fifth Test at The Oval. He made only 5 in the first innings but his 28 in the second and the 78 run start, the best by the tourists in the series, laid the foundation for the assault by Kanhai and with Hunte steadying the innings, the West Indies won after being led on first innings, a rare occurrence in those days. After a visit by Australia in 1965 in which he played in only the Fifth Test and did little of note he played his final international game in 1968, the famous game with the Sobers declaration and he took 3/145 and 1/34. During his Shell Shield career spanning five seasons, 1966-70, he had some impressive figures, mainly on the Queen's Park Oval strip. They included 5/42 v. Windward Islands with a 'hat trick' thrown in and 6/30 v. Barbados in 1969; 5/12 v. Guyana, 1970 while his best abroad was 5/73 v. Jamaica, Sabina Park, 1967. He also captured 6/51 against a strong M.C.C. batting line-up and ended with Shield figures of 51 wickets. (Av. 19.41) from 16 matches.

When his fitness allowed him to play football he frequently represent North Trinidad as well as his island and was selected to tour Great Britain with the West Indies football team in 1959. A consistent tackler, he bowed out of competitive football at the end of the 1959 season when his team Shamrock won three trophies in a week and in their encounters with Malvern he successfully blanked the efforts of Carlton 'General' Franco. He went into cricket administration after retirement, has served on the North Management Committee, was chairman of the national selectors and managed the first West Indies team ever to win a series in Australia, 1979-80, the winning margin being 2-0. Later that team lost 1-0 to New Zealand in a controversial series. One of his sons, Scott, has already represented Trinidad and Tobago at Youth Cricket level and like his dad is a talented footballer. Willie had been a member of the West Indian Tobacco Sports Foundation and is at present the President of the Queen's Park Cricket Club.

During the early years of this century when West Indies cricket was being developed through fine performances by men like Lebrun Constantine, Sydney Smith and Bertie Harragin, an all rounder emerged to steal the spotlight time and again. His name was Joe Small and he developed into an all rounder second only to the legendary Learie Constantine, as old-timers were quick to observe.

Small first played for Trinidad in 1909. He toured England in 1923 and 1928, the second visit being the first tour by an official west Indies team which entered the Test arena. In 1923 Small distinguished himself as one of Trinidad's supreme all rounders scoring 1,371 runs for an average of 24.05 with a highest score of 106 not out, and he took 69 wickets at 30.14 runs apiece with his fast-medium bowling. His figures in inter-colonial cricket established him as a top all rounder, having scored 1,170 runs (average 31.62) with a highest score of 133, and he took 60 wickets (average 24.41).

Small became the first West Indian batsman to score 50 runs in a Test match when he top scored with 52 against England at Lord's in 1928, the first Test West Indies ever played. He made his last Test appearance in 1930 at home against England, but continued to play for Trinidad with some success in inter-colonial competition until 1932 when he scored 25 and 66 in his final match at that level against British Guiana. Cricket fans in South Trinidad had the pleasure of watching this fine cricketer in the early 1940's still scoring useful runs and bagging wickets in the St. Patrick League.

Like all schoolboys, Sydney Smith had dreams of glory, for after watching Lord Hawke's cricket team play at Queen's Park Oval in 1897, which included Pelham Warner, his ambition after that was to play for Trinidad. It wasn't long before he was in his country's team in inter-colonial cricket in 1900, while only 19 years old. Two years later, Smith was up against R.A. Bennett's English team, being selected in a West Indian XI.

And what a great match it turned out to be for the 20 year old. He scored 30 in West Indies first innings and took nine for 34 and seven for 51 in the match as the visitors were dismissed for 71 and 97. His match figures of 16 for 85 are still a record for West Indies first spells. Despite his slender frame, Smith was also capable of opening the bowling and possessed a devastating in swinger. But it was basically as a slow bowler that he made his mark on the green fields of the West Indies and in England where he played for Northamptonshire in the county championship. He toured England in 1906 scoring 571 runs at an average of 24.82, including 100 in a game, and took 66 wickets at 24.36 runs apiece.

IIn 1914 while at the height of his career with Northamptonshire, he was selected as one of the five Wisden players of the season. That season he scored 1,373 runs (average 42.90) and took 105 wickets (average 16.25). One of his greatest feats was against Barbados early in his career when at Queen's Park Oval he took 20 wickets for 89 runs. But the game did not have first class status. He once played for the Gentlemen against Players at Lord's and when his career ended migrated to Australia and New Zealand where golf became his favourite past time.

St. Hill was one of those players who one must watch to get the measure of his greatness. For his record in Test and first class cricket is nothing to catch the eye. So looking at the scorebooks says little for this slim, tall and elegant batsman, who started his Test career at the advanced age of 35. Like so many players of his generation, St. hill longed for West Indies to gain Test status so he could make his mark as an international batsman.

His adventures in inter-colonial cricket spoke for themselves. A forerunner to Frank Worrell and Lawrence Rowe in style and greatness, St. Hill started his career in 1912 in Barbados when he was just 18.

Little wonder he never ranked among the outstanding Test players, having to wait 16 years before he made his Test debut. But between that time, he charmed cricket followers with many a great and elegant innings, including centuries against Barbados and British Guiana. Left out of the West Indies team that toured England in 1923, St. Hill never had the opportunity to play in that country while still at his best. He was chosen in 1928 when West Indies set out for their first ever Test series, but by then he had lost his superior stroke play and confidence, which against bowlers like Larwood, Tate and Freeman, was bound to spell disaster.

In the second Test as Port of Spain in 1930, his final Test appearance, St. hill scored 33 and 30 to give his home crowd a final glimpse of the majestic shots he had at his command. But by then he was near 40 and only the days of glory to look back upon. The old-timers say, however, that St. Hill was born too soon, or that Test matches came too late for the West Indies, otherwise the greatness of Wilton St. Hill would have been written in the pages of cricket history like that of Headley, Worrell, Weekes, Sobers and Richards.

He was good enough to score centuries and double centuries at home and abroad and once reached a treble century, his 324 v. British Guiana at the Queen's Park Oval, 1947, remaining a record for inter-territorial cricket. A right handed opening batsman and wrist spin bowler he was elegant in everything he did and during his first tour of Great Britain as an eighteen year old was hailed as the "Palairet of the lovely isles". Beginning his career at age 17, he scored a century on debut - 118 Rolph Grant's XI v. British Guiana at Bourda. The following year he made his bow to Test cricket at age 18 years 74 days and thereafter, until he left the international scene after Australia visit in 1955 he was and automatic choice as opening batsman and was captain from 1953 until his retirement, when he had accumulated 2159 Test runs (av. 42.33).

During the period of inter-colonial (goodwill) cricket, he was a prolific scorer. Starting with 84 & 92 in 1941, he got 106 & 43* in 1942, 107 & 77* in 1943, 210 in 1944, 40 & 31*, 45 & 27 in 1945 all against Barbados and 88 in 1944 v. British Guiana. Only in one series could he be considered a failure ñ 1942 in Barbados where he got 0 & 36, 43 & 9. After missing the 1946 series v. Barbados due to muscle trouble, he led the Trinidad team to Jamaica later that year and hit 74 in the middle of the three matches, giving his team a start of 130 in partnership with Andy Ganteaume. In 1948 when Test cricket was resumed for the West Indies, he scored 78 in the First Test but was forced to miss the Second for which he was appointed captain. Selected for the India and Ceylon he formed one of Test cricket's more productive opening partnerships with Allan Rae and in the Fourth Test at Madras scored 160, while the pair made 239 for the first wicket, a West Indies record that stood for 34 years. That was the first of three successive tours in which these openers were involved.

During the Trials in 1950 Trinidad hosted the tournament v. Jamaica and his 261 was the pivot for two national records ñ 286 with Andy Ganteaume for the first wicket and 295 with Kenny Trestrail for the second. In England, he batted consistently while only recording one century, but his 198 v. Sussex at Hove helped Rae to give the team a 355 run start, a record by a West Indies team for any wicket. He totalled 1334 runs (av. 37.05) to follow the 916 (av. 30.53) he got on the war-shortened tour eleven years earlier. In the Tests he scored 43 & 78 at Old Trafford, 20 & 30 at Lord's, 46 & 52* at Trent Bridge and 36 at the Oval, the best opening partnership being 103* in the Third Test. The following year he scored 33 & 35, 208 & 82 in Barbados and left for a winter's visit of Australia and New Zealand. He improved as the series progressed and hit 104 in the Fifth Test at Sydney in which he was captain. His other big score on the island continent was 94 v. Victoria at Melbourne in an opening partnership of 161. In New Zealand he made 152 at Auckland in the second of two Tests to put on 197 with Rae for the first wicket.

He then captained the West Indies in successive home series v. India, England and Australia from 1953- 1955 and an injury during the last-named in which he missed 3 games, hastened his retirement. His best of those three series was the first in which he totalled 354 runs (av. 59.00), including his last first class century - 104* at the Queen's Park Oval - where he added an unfinished 128 for the third wicket with Everton Weekes. He retired from first class cricket in 1956 with a total of 7942 runs (av. 44.61) and 14 centuries. Apart from his double centuries already mentioned his best score abroad was 244* v. South Zone at Madras. In the Caribbean he was one of the stalwarts of inter-colonial cricket, scoring 2787 runs (av. 61.93) with 7 centuries and 10 fifties from 51 innings, which meant at least 50 runs every third visit to the crease. In Beaumont Cup games (North vs. South) his 4 centuries are most by anyone and he is the only player to have scored centuries in both North and South venues, his highest 179* at the Queen's Park Oval in 1941 making him the senior partner in an unfinished 293 for the second wicket with Dave Merry, remaining a record for any wicket.

A talented footballer who gained national honours at right wing and toured Jamaica in 1947, he preferred to remain in cricket administration and was President of the West Indies Board for more than one term, resigning in 1982. He was also a quarter miler in athletics and served as an independent senator. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of several leading firms.

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Cricket followers are more familiar with the name Jeffrey when the name STOLLMEYER is mentioned, but elder brother Victor, in contrast of medium height and looking shorter in Jeff's company, was also an opening batsman and usually the more difficult to dislodge. Right handed with the ability to bowl wrist spin, he was an all-rounder prior to World War II but concentrated on batting when the Goodwill Series started in 1941 and left cricket to pursue his law career when only 30 years old. He also got married in the year of his retirement and would have been an odds-on favourite to lead the West Indies when Test cricket resumed in the Caribbean two years later. He was a member of both the cricket and football teams that won the Bonanza Cup and the TAFA First Division League Shield in 1933. The achievement by Queen's Royal College that year remains unparalleled. He made his debut in 1936 v. British Guiana at Barbados with 1 & 0. A year later he scored 139 against the Guianese at home and 121 at Bourda when the tournament shifted there.

In 1939 he had a consistent series hitting 86 v. Barbados, 83 & 24* v. British Guiana, to help Trinidad regain the Inter-colonial Cup; and 66 v. Jamaica at Port of Spain. Selected to tour Great Britain, he was dogged by illness and totalled only 542 runs (av. 30.11) including his lone Test innings at the Oval, where he scored 96 and shared a record fifth wicket partnership of 163 with Jamaican Ken Weekes.

Appointed captain for the Goodwill Series he shared century starts of 129 & 170 v, Barbados with Jeff, his contribution being 41 & 86. The next year, 1942, the brothers bettered their partnership to 224 (Victor 121) and were not separated while getting 105 to record a ten wicket win, his score being 52*. Later that year he was one of the three visiting players to avoid a 'duck' in Trinidad's 16, his 4 being next to Andy Ganteaume's 9. In the second game he made 42 & 104, so that he registered centuries on all venues on which the Goodwill Series was staged. When he retired after the 1946 series v. Barbados at the Queen's Park Oval. He had scored 1554 runs (av. 50.12) with 4 centuries and 10 fifties in 36 innings. He had taken in several century partnerships for the first wicket, including a record 169 v. British Guiana at home, in 1944, of which he got 92. He took some useful wickets in inter-colonial games twice getting three in an innings, once v. British Guiana at a cost of 42 runs, 1937, and the other for 38 runs - v. Barbados, 1941 - both at the familiar Queen's Park Oval.

In local cricket he had some very productive seasons, becoming in 1937 the first player to score a century for North in a Beaumont Cup game and during his 126, established a fourth wicket record partnership of 196 with Len Harbin. His career best 207* was made in the Bonanza Cup competition v. Sporting Club in 1940, when he became captain of the Queen's Park Cricket club. A year later he hit 177 of a record 382 for the first wicket v. Police. During the four years that he led North in the Beaumont Cup classic, 1940-43, his team never lost its hold on the Cup, while Queen's Park Cricket Club under his leadership won the Bonanza Cricket Cup for five successive years, 1942-46. At inter-colonial level Trinidad lost under his captaincy only once, in the 2 game series in Barbados in 1942. In 12 other games the calypso isle's players played unbeaten, winning 7 of them. Victor was a good club footballer, performing at left wing. Apart from being a solicitor he held directorships in some leading firms. He was awarded the Chaconia Medal (Silver) on Independence Day 1983 for long and meritorious service in the field of law.

It is rare to find someone of Chinese ancestry playing cricket of a high calibre but Rupert, who made his debut in October 1934, played for 21 consecutive years, never missing a game in which Trinidad was involved over that period. Moreover, after starting as a bowler who could bat, he developed into a dependable batsman and at all times a reliable fieldsman with special ability to catch. Before World War II he was a right arm wrist spinner who generally bowled first change and in the Inter-colonial Cup games of 1936, he claimed 12 wickets, 9 against Barbados who lost by 36 runs. The following year there were two tournaments and to back his 4/70 v. Barbados at Port of Spain he scored 44 & 36* then 22 & 41* v. British Guiana. Later, when Trinidad as championships went to the South American mainland, his 5/34 almost won the game for the visitors, who lost by 2 wickets.

When the tournament was held in Barbados in 1939, also serving as trials to select the team for Great Britain that summer, he experienced failure for the only time in his career. He registered a "duck" against each of Trinidad's two opponents as well as Jamaica who visited Trinidad for the first time. His best effort with the ball was 3/44 v. Barbados but he came out of the Jamaica game wicket-less and suffered the first of his international representation disappointments.

After a one-year stoppage due to the War, cricket resumed in the Caribbean in the form of Goodwill Series and in 1941 he greeted Barbados with 83. The following year, with Barbados again the visitors, his 50 in the second innings of the first game, helped Gerry Gomez to steer the home team to a two-wicket win, their partnership for the fifth wicket being worth 139. Later in Barbados, he was one of eight Trinidadians who failed to trouble the scorers in their 16 run total. Trinidad hosted the series in 1943, for the third consecutive year and his 3/86 in the first innings of the second game and 7 wickets in the series, were his last serious contributions as a bowler. In the three years preceeding the M.C.C. visit in 1948, he made his presence felt as a batsman with 132 v. Barbados in 1945 during which he added a record 186 for the fifth wicket Kenny Trestrail.

The following year when Trinidad toured Jamaica for a three-game series, he was again the leading batsman scoring 54, 63 and 88 to be the highest scorer in each case. A year later his score was on 82 when the Trinidad record total, 750 - 8d was hoisted v. British Guiana. When the M.C.C. visited he made their acquaintance with 103, while engaging in a record fourth wicket partnership of 244 with Gerry Gomez. It seems the two had relished each other's company in the middle and there was a confident understanding in running between the wickets. When the team to tour India & Ceylon was announced and his name was omitted, his last international chance had gone but he went on to defend Trinidad's honour the only way he knew. He hit all bowlers who pitched half-volley length overhead and cut or pulled anything short. In 1951 he improved his best on Bajan soil to 95* when the declaration came. A year later while the West Indies were visiting New Zealand, this player who was then representing Maple, to uphold a tradition became a member of Queen's Park Cricket Club and was appointed captain of the Trinidad team.

There were three international visits starting with India in 1953. He played the wiles of wrist spinner. Subash Gupte standing about a foot outside the crease and used the cut with telling effect in an innings of 58. He also played against the M.C.C. team of 1954 and the Australians a year later, after which he decided to retire. In 1955 too he bade farewell to the inter-colonial scene when he visited Jamaica and hit 60 in the second game. In local cricket he was a consistent performer and in 1938 when notified by his captain that he would declare after one more over, Rupert, who was then on 70 proceeded to hit "Big Jim" Yeates the Police paceman and former inter-colonial player for four sixes and two fours. In Beaumont Cup cricket he had two outstanding performances. In 1935 he took 8/32 at Pointe-a-Pierre, a record which stood for 41 years, until Prince Bartholomew surpassed it with 8/27. Then in 1947 he joined Gerry Gomez with the North total on 35-4 and in getting 101 shared a record fifth wicket partnership of 217.