In this week’s edition of In Search of West Indies Cricket, Roger Seymour looks at events that took place 77 years ago this month.
Saturday, 19th August, 1939, start of Test Match # 274, the final Test in the three match series between England and the West Indies. The atmosphere was almost surreal as the silvery barrage balloons cast their ominous shadows across the Kennington Oval, London, with the threat of war looming larger with every passing day.
Conscription had started two days before the cricket season commenced; the front pages of the 2nd of August newspapers had announced evacuation plans for children from major cities, the details of petrol rationing had been posted, air raid shelters were being distributed, and travel was increasingly hard as the forces commandeered the railroad and road networks…
The three day Test concluded in a draw on Tuesday, as 1,216 runs were scored. The hosts batting