Two cricketers, whose lights illuminated the cricket fields all over the world during their playing days, will tonight get an opportunity to regale cricket fans with details of their exploits when the second annual “Evening of Nostalgia” hosted by the `Reds’ Perreira Sports Foundation takes place at the Savannah Suite of Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel.
West Indian greats Sir Wes Hall and Lance Gibbs will be interviewed by veteran cricket commentator Perreira while an interactive session where the two greats will answer questions from the public is also planned.
“It’s a part of the commitment to sensitise the Guyanese community about the players of the past,” Perreira said yesterday. Perreira said he has extended an invitation to West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, West Indies selector Clyde Butts and former West Indies fast bowler Reon King along with President of the Guyana Cricket Board Chetram Singh and other members of the GCB executive.
Perreira said that he had also invited the British High Commissioner and members of the Guyana Olympic Association and Minister responsible for Sport Dr. Frank Anthony.
“I have personally invited Sarwan, King and Butts,” he said, adding that he hoped that former national players such as `Reds’ Murray, Colin Wiltshire, Sydney Seaforth, Robert `Pacer’ Adonis, Ivor Mendonca and Leon Stuart would participate.
The inaugural `Evening of Nostalgia’ was held last year, to honour the West Indies cricket legends Sir Everton Weeks and Sir Clyde Walcott who is now deceased. Walcott’s unfortunate passing, a short while after last year’s event, served as a reminder of the significance of the event.
Just as last year, the organizers will have the privilege of using the venue free of cost as they hope to match the success of last year’s event which set the bar extremely high.
Legends Hall and Gibbs were scheduled to arrive in Guyana yesterday and will be joined by Cricket historian, Professor Winston Mc Gowan who will do a historical piece.
Hall, who started his cricket career as a wicket-keeper/batsman, turned out to be one of the most fearsome fast bowlers the game has ever known.
In the famous tied Test between the West Indies and Australia in Brisbane in 1961 he took nine wickets for 203 runs.
All told, Hall, 70, played 48 test matches for the West Indies capturing 192 wickets at an average of 26.38.
Hall has also served in other spheres of life being a minister of religion, a government minister and president of the West Indies Cricket Board.
Gibbs, the first spin bowler to pass 300 wickets and the first West Indian bowler to hold the world record for the most test wickets, played 79 test matches for the West Indies capturing 309 wickets at an average of 29.09 including a hat-trick against Australia.
So, for cricket lovers who might want somewhere to go after looking at the lights that adorn the houses in Georgetown and its environs, head for the Savannah Suite at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel for a different type of cricket action, it just might be worth your while.
