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Windies
Cricket Hall of Fame Welcomes Two New Inductees - Anguilla
Minister of Sports Evans Rogers in attendance |
Coolidge, Antigua – Monday, 7 May 2007 – Two of West Indies’
cricket icons were inducted into the Sticky Wicket West
Indian Cricket Hall of Fame yesterday amid much fanfare and
an atmosphere of celebration.
The late Sir Clyde Walcott, a powerful batsman, and
legendary West Indies fast bowler Reverend Wes Hall, both
Barbadians, were recognized and honoured for their
achievements in the game of cricket during a ceremony held
at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua.
Rev. Hall and family greets Sir
Allen Stanford
Other legends of the game on hand to show their support for
the new inductees were Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Garfield
Sobers, Sir Vivian Richards, Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner,
Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Desmond Haynes, Gordon
Greenidge, Curtly Ambrose, Richie Richardson and Ian Bishop,
a few of whom are Hall of Fame members themselves. In
addition, the families of the late Malcolm Marshall and
George Headley and other current and new inductees were in
attendance. Other VIPs included Antigua’s Governor General,
Sir James Carlisle, Antigua Minister of Sports John Maginley,
Antigua Minister of Tourism Harold Lovell, Anguilla Minister
of Sports Evans Rogers and Jamaica Director-General of
Tourism Carole Guntley.
With international cricket commentator Michael Haysman
serving as
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| Sir Clyde Walcott |
Master of Ceremonies, the programme featured a
tribute to the new inductees by Michael Holding where he
talked about his relationship with both inductees, calling
Hall a “very good friend” and Walcott an “approachable,
understanding” team manager; a response from the inductees
given by Dr. Michael Walcott, son of Sir Clyde Walcott who
delivered a heartfelt speech about his father whom he never
had the opportunity to see play cricket and Rev. Wes Hall
who reminisced about his career and expressed how blessed he
was to be a part of the West Indies Cricket Hall of Fame
fraternity. He also praised Sir Allen Stanford, creator of
the Sticky Wicket West Indies Cricket Hall of Fame, calling
him a man of vision.
“West Indies cricket needs a shot in the arm, and we need
the money to do what we have to do,” said Hall. “We need a
good structure before we can establish a cricket academy and
players need to understand that their performance will be
commensurate with their salary. They will get paid for what
they do.”
Notable cricket journalist Tony Cozier offered the keynote
address where he praised Sir Allen for his initiative with
the Stanford 20/20 programme, and at the same time had
criticism for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and its
players.
“As the two [WICB and the players) continue to squabble, Sir
Allen Stanford, a Texan for heaven’s sake, even if West
Indian by adoption, has stepped into the breach. He has
thrown some of his considerable wealth, a little matter of
US$35 million or so, into the first 20/20 tournament in the
Caribbean and, more to the point, won over the public and
the players with a simple public and player relations
strategy that the West Indies Board seemingly has never
considered necessary. Even before the 20/20 Tournament,
Stanford had established this Hall of Fame for West Indies
cricketers, the first and only of its kind in the region.
Although it is an easily implemented and widely appreciated
gesture, the idea never occurred to the Board and it took
Allen Stanford to show the way.”
Speaking about the tournament itself, “…he [Sir Allen
Stanford] employed specialists to organize the event and
televised it, sending edited highlights to networks the
world over and the final, live, to Sky TV in Britain. Just
as importantly, he insisted on meeting and greeting all the
teams personally, appearing on television as much as
possible and presenting every one of the sizeable prize
cheques to the winners…with such a background it was a
rousing success. One of the complaints during the recent
World Cup was that it lacked typical Caribbean fun and
enjoyment. They should have been at the Stanford Cricket
Ground last July and August.” |
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The evening was capped off with remarks and the subsequent
unveiling of the plaques by Sir Allen Stanford.
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| Allen Stanford greets Lady Murial , Wife of the
late Sir CLyde Walcott |
I did not have the privilege and honour to know Sir
Clyde Walcott but you can understand a lot about a person,
their character, their integrity by the impact that person
had on society, and by the legacy of change in people’s
lives that occurred due to the influence they had. There is
no doubt that Sir Clyde was not just an extraordinary
athlete who brought enormous pride and joy to the hearts of
all West Indians, but he was a leader, he was a role model
whose impact was far more reaching than his days as a player
because of the many lives he touched through his positive
inspiration for doing things at the highest level of
competitiveness with an unwavering commitment to fair play,”
Sir Allen said before unveiling Walcott’s plaque. “I speak
on behalf of all of us who call the West Indies home when I
say to Sir Clyde’s wife and son here with us today and to
all his extended family what enormous respect and love we
have for Sir Clyde.”
Stanford also spoke briefly of Rev. Hall’s career exploits
as a West Indies fast bowler but chose to focus on his
character instead of his skills.
“I’m not going to talk about Wes’ skills as a cricket
superstar. I want to talk about a very special man who
transcends sports and business through his integrity and
commitment to God, his family and all those with whom he is
associated. Wes doesn’t just talk the talk; he walks the
walk…he [Wes] is a gifted leader, a role model without peer,
and has been a great inspiration to me personally in how a
man should conduct himself and live his life.”
After the unveiling of the plaques, the official activities
concluded with a fitting and emotional tribute in song paid
by calypsonian David Rudder who sang “Rally ‘Round the West
Indies”.
Celebrations continued into the early hours of the morning
with a concert featuring a star-studded lineup. Antigua’s
own Red Hot Flames got the entertainment underway, followed
by David Rudder and Destra who delivered high-energy
performances. The high point of the night was an explosive
performance by Grammy award-winning Sean Paul, who along
with Sir Allen Stanford signaled the start of an
electrifying 15-minute fireworks display in honour of the
new inductees.
Other nominees this year for the Hall of Fame were Lord
Learie Constantine, Jeffrey Dujon, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond
Haynes, Rohan Kanhai, Seymour Nurse, Richie Richardson and
Douglas Sang Hue. All were represented in some fashion at
the ceremony, whether in person or by family members, except
for Kanhai and Sang Hue who sent apologies. |
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