Who Only Cricket Knows/David Woodhouse
This is a book prize-winning account of the 1953-1954 tour to the Caribbean led by Len Hutton and managed by Charles Palmer.
The title is an adaptation from Rudyard Kipling by the Marxist writer C.R James which reflected one of the tensions of the tour – nascent Caribbean nationalism – and the strong feeling that a black captain, one of the the “W”s (Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes or Clyde Walcott) should captain the West Indies, rather than the light skinned Geoff Stollmeyer, a rich Trinidadian, who in the nationalist’s eyes symbolised colonial attachment to the mother country.
This was by no means the only tension.
The MCC – and therefore cricket – was governed by a triumvirate of Pelham ‘ Plum’ Warner, Gubby Allen (his protegé) and Walter Robins, all of whom had captained Middlesex, the first two having had stands named after them at Lords.
They adopted and applied the amateur public school southern ethos so it was a brave but controversial decision to appoint a Yorkshire professional to captain the side.
Hutton was a withdrawn character but outstanding batsman who topped the tour averages, scoring 900+ runs.
Tension soon developed between him and the buccaneers from the southern counties Denis Compton (Middlesex) and Godfrey Evans (Kent).
Nascent nationalism was not the only tension in the Caribbean camp.
There was inter-island rivalry between the Big Four territories – Jamaica, Barbados, British Guiana and Trinidad – who provided the venues for the series.
There was also concern both sides about conduct.
The West Indies regarded the MCC as unsportsmanlike – especially Fred Trueman on his first tour – whilst there was a mini-riot at the Bourda ground in British Guiana which the writer believed to be fuelled by the potency of the local rum.
The fractious series ended 2-2. The Windies won the first two Tests comfortably but the tourists levelled the series with a final win at Sabina Park.
What was the legacy of the series?
Len Hutton captained the next Ashes tour “Down Under”, though the writer feels that – had he not had his training as a churchman – the Reverend David Sheppard (of Sherborne and Cambridge) might have been chosen.
The white John Goddard captained the West Indies on their next tour though eventually Frank Worrell did.
This is a very well researched book.
It’s pretty clear that the writer is more critical of the patrician MCC set up than the Caribbean one but he lays all the facts before the reader.
He conceded that, for all their contribution to greater pay and conditions for cricketers, Kerry Packer, Rupert Murdoch and Modi are in the game to further their own interests.
Certainly the new powerhouse – India – shows no wish to share the financial spoils with the West Indies. Cricket and the University of the West Indies are the the only symbols of the Confederation and no Test cricket has been played in one of the Big Four this century. The beleaguered Board prefer to include the tourist destinations of Grenada and Antigua
Ironically, I note that there are more public school boys in the present English team than that of 1953.
A personal reflection: the one and only time I visited the Bridgetown Oval was when Joel Garner captained Barbados for the first time.
I blagged my way into the George Challinor – mainly whites only – stand and met the powers that be.
I found them out of step with the Caribbean, as did my companion, the biographer of Joel Garner.
Yet I recall fondly the makeshift food outlets and bars often a garage around the Kensington Oval, now a pukka stadium.
Joel Garner was a lovely man and I remember his long outstretched legs in the back of my Mini-Moke as I gave him a lift back to the house he had built in the exact place that he had been born.
