Those little pals of mine

Years ago, I promised myself never to watch another Worst Indies cricket match.

Yet, at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23, I found myself watching as the cricket clowns earned yet another crucial defeat and a ticket home. I couldn't help myself. My first cricketing memory found me huddled around the radio with my father in the wee hours of the morning during the famous Brisbane tied Test. Who could forget legendary captain Frank Worrell strolling over to fast-bowling superstar Wes Hall with the scores tied to remind him that, if he bowled a no ball, he should seek permanent residence in Australia because he wouldn't be welcome back home.

Can you imagine today's Mickey Mouse captain trying to motivate even a young Kemar Roach like that?

Who remembers where it all began? We won our first Test match in England (1950) at Lord's and young Trinidadian Egbert Moore (a.k.a. 'Lord Beginner') immortalised the occasion:

"Cricket, lovely cricket,

at Lord's where I saw it.

Cricket, lovely cricket,

at Lord's where I saw it.

Yardley tried his best

but Goddard won the Test.

They gave the crowd plenty fun.

Second Test and West Indies won

with those little pals of mine,

Ramadhin and Valentine."

Remember the emotional flood bursting on to the Lord's pitch as hundreds of immigrant West Indians, battered and demoralised from years of working at multiple second-rate jobs for fourth-rate pay and first-rate insults, invaded the hallowed Lord's arena after that memorable win? What did it mean? It meant we had successfully thumbed our noses at our former slave masters. In five beautiful days, we had proven that, given a fair chance, we were as good as anybody. In a word, we were emancipated. For real!

"The King was there well attired,

so they started with Rae and Stollmeyer.

Stolly was hitting balls around the boundary

but Wardle stopped him at twenty.

Rae had confidence

so he put up a strong defence.

He saw the King was waiting to see

so he gave him a century."

Since the tied Test, I've been through thick and thin with our team. I followed every ball in England in 1963 and 1966 (when Sobers and Holford turned certain defeat into a near miracle win at Lord's); when Australia came here in 1964/65 (Bobby Simpson and Bill Lawry produced a record opening stand). I suffered through Clive Lloyd and Charlie Davis as opening bowlers; the embarrassment of the famous 1967/68 home loss to England after a 'sporting' declaration by Gary Sobers; and the added indignity of the obligatory customs jokes ("Me? Something to declare? I ain't never declaring again") aimed at my hero, Sobers, whose effigy was burned in Trinidad.

"West Indies' first-innings total was three-twenty-six

Just as usual,

when Bedser bowled Christiani,

the whole thing collapsed quite easily.

England then went on

and made one-hundred-fifty-one.

West Indies then had two-twenty lead

and Goddard said, "That's nice indeed.'"

I rejoiced as the Clive Lloyd era heralded world dominance through a phalanx of great fast bowlers led by Andy Roberts and Michael Holding. Then came Wayne Daniel and, when injuries to Holding and Daniel gave two unknown youngsters their chance, Croft and Garner never looked back. Finally, Kerry Packer's defiance of authority in support of cricketers (and his own commercial requirements) gave Malcolm Marshall an unlikely opportunity. He became a legend.

"Yardley wasn't broken-hearted

when the second innings started.

Jenkins was like a target

getting the first five in his basket.

But Gomez broke him down

while Walcott licked them around.

He was not out one-hundred and sixty-eight

leaving Yardley to contemplate."

Now I must suffer a Mickey Mouse captain and a team with the motivation of a South West St Catherine by-election voter. Plus a coach, whose job is motivation, whining about the senior players. You can't motivate senior players like Sarwan, who lost the captaincy through injury (a cardinal no-no in professional sports), and Gayle, who was fired for independence.

When we get a WICB with a corporate mentality, either Daren Ganga or Sarwan as captain, and a policy to reward performance and punish slackness, we will improve. Until then, we can but wistfully remember:

"West Indies was feeling homely.

Their audience had them happy.

When Washbrook's century had ended,

West Indies voices all blended.

Hats went in the air.

They jumped and shouted without fear.

So at Lord's was the scenery

bound to go down in history.

With those little pals of mine,

Ramadhin and Valentine."

Peace and love.

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.