In this week’s edition of In Search Of West Indies Cricket Roger Seymour looks at the forgotten scoreboard of the 1975 Shell Shield Match between Trinidad & Tobago and the Combined Islands.
On February 15 and 16, 1865, at the Garrison Savannah, Bridgetown, Barbados hosted British Guiana in the first ever Inter-Colonial game of cricket. In the 150-odd years since, cricket has become heavily engrained in West Indian culture. Icons of the game, writers, commentators, fans, mythical figures, often referred to by only one name, have traversed the passage of time and have become part of the everyday vernacular: Mas George, Constantine, CLR, Worrell, Garry, Rohan, Andy, Viv, Cozier, King Dyal, Tanti Merle…
You forget Tanti Merle? You kidding? After all de trouble she mek in de Oval in 1975 pon she birthday? How she promise to form delegation to go to de doctor? And how she stir up dem small island people fuh write all kinda argument like dem lawyer? Wasn’t she mek de West Indies Cricket cardboard preso’ Stolleymeher postpone de announcement of de Shell Shield winner?
The Shell Shield Competition, sponsored by the Shell Oil Company, commenced in 1966 and was the first annual first-class tournament encompassing all six members of the West Indies Cricket Board – Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Leeward and Windward islands. The latter two joined together as the Combined Islands in the inaugural year, then played two games each, as separate units in 1967 and 1969. There was no contest in 1968 due to the MCC Tour. From 1970 to 1981, they reverted to the Combined Islands banner in the Shell Shield. Barbados dominated the early years notching liens in 1966, 1967, 1972 and 1974. Jamaica put their name on the Shield in 1969, Trinidad and Tobago scored back-to-back victories in