Guyana Harpy Eagles and Windward Islands Volcanoes will clash from today in the opening round of Cricket West Indies Regional first-class championships in Trinidad.
Today Stabroek Sports will take Guyana and Windwards fans down memory lane 55 years ago when these two teams met for the first time. The year was 1967, the month was March and the venue was Queen’s Park, not in Trinidad but St. George’s, Grenada.
Guyana was led by the legendary Lance Gibbs, the Windward Islands was playing under the captaincy of Grenadian John Evelyn Foster Gresham. Batting first with debutant Alvin Kallicharran at number-five, Guyana found the going rough and was all out for 259. Dominican off spinner Kaleb Laurent (now deceased)was the destroyer with 6 for 76 from 29 overs and was supported by fast bowler and fellow Dominican Jerome Mellow who took 3 for 42 from 12.5 overs. Police Sports Club’s all-rounder Winston English top scored for Guyana with 55, while former West Indies stars Roy Fredericks (46), Basil Butcher (40) and Rohan Kanhai (29) were also among the runs. Wicket-keeper Ovid Glasgow chipped in with a useful knock of 28. Windward Islands were dismissed in their first innings for 176 with Tyrone Harbin top scoring with 36. Former Chairman of the West Indies selection panel, Mike Findlay, made 30 while Sparrow Duncan 23 and Irving Shillingford 20, lent support.
Bowling for Guyana, Gibbs took 4 for 54 from 31.5 overs and Edwin Mohamed, father of Timur Mohamed, took 3 for 62 from 26 overs. Guyana declared their second innings at 254 for 8 with Stephen Camacho 66, Rohan Kanhai 63, Rex Ramnarace 37 and Basil Butcher 21, the principal scorers. Bowling for the Windward Islands, Laurent took 5 for 95 from 29 overs giving him match figures of 11 for 170.
The Windward Islands in their second innings were dismissed for 107 with Shillingford top scoring with 30.
Duncan 23 and Laurent 18 lent support.
Bowling for Guyana, medium pacer Rex Ramnarace took 4 for 39 from 18 overs and Mohamed 3 for 32 from 10 overs. Guyana won by 230 runs.
The historic playing XI:
Guyana Team (1967)
1 Stephen Camacho, (deceased)
2 Roy Fredericks, (deceased)
3 Rohan Kanhai
4 Basil Butcher, (deceased)
5 Alvin Kallicharran, Debut
6 Lloyd Cornelius
7 Rex Ramnarace
8 Ovid Glasgow, WKT
9 Winston English
10 Lance Gibbs, Captain
11 Edwin Mohamed
Windward Islands Team (1967)
1 John Evelyn Foster Gresham, Captain Grenada
(deceased)
2 Irving Shillingford, Dominica
3 Kaleb Laurent, (deceased) Dominica
4 Jerome Mellow, Dominica
5 Mike Findlay, WKT St. Vincent & the Grenadines
6 Clem John, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
7 Earl Cenac, St. Lucia
8 Henry Elwin, Dominica
9 Tyrone Harbin, Grenada, (deceased)
10 Sparrow Duncan, Grenada
11 C.Charlemagne, St. Lucia
