Sun, Nov 26, '06
(The Sticky Wicket West Indies Hall of Fame in Antigua launches its voting process to select two more persons to join the select group of legends to be named among "Cricket's Finest". Voting ends November 30, 2006).
Lord Learie Constantine, by virtue of his exploits on the cricket field, set the standard for West Indies cricket for generations to follow. He was an awesome allrounder -- who could win a match with bat, ball or in the field.
But there was so much more to this outstanding Trinidadian. He was an exemplar, who by his virtues, uplifted the lives of Caribbean people living at home and abroad, and set a framework in place which allowed the all who encountered him to know that he should take his rightful and honorable place in the world.
He fought discrimination against his people with a dignity firm but free of acrimony. He was among the first West Indian cricketers to step on the field in a Test match. This was at Lord's on June 28, 1928 and this sensational allrounder was one of the key figures in the side.
He batted at number 7, and shared the new ball. He was a dynamic and effective cricketer who bubbled over with confidence.
The 1928 breakthrough tour was however not his first trip to England. Back in 1923, as an effervescent 21-year-old and after just three first-class matches one of which he played alongside his father Leburn, he was named in the West Indies team to tour England. On that tour he distinguished himself largely by his brilliance in the outfield -- mostly at cover point.
He also learnt much that he never forgot. He recognized that the game was a possible ladder to the kind of life he wanted. In its tribute, Wisden described Constantine as -- muscular but lithe, stocky but long armed, he bowled with a bounding run, a high, smooth action and considerable pace. His batting, which depended considerably upon eye, was sometimes unorthodox to the point of spontaneous invention: but on his day it was virtually impossible to bowl at him. In the deep he picked up while going like a sprinter and threw with explosive accuracy; close to the wicket he was fearless and quick; wherever he was posted he amazed everyone by his speed and certainty in making catches, which seemed far beyond reach. His movement was so joyously fluid and, at need, acrobatic that he might have been made of springs and rubber.
In 18 Test matches, he made 635 runs with a topscore of 90. He took 58 wickets, with best figures of 5 for 75, and also held 28 catches. In first-class cricket, he made 119 appearances, scoring 4475 runs, with 133, the highest of his five centuries.
He took 439 wickets at 20.48 apiece, with best figures of 8 for 38. In the historic Test match at Bourda, Guyana in 1930, when West Indies beat England for the first time, it was Constantine who twice wrecked the English batting with 4 for 35 and 5 for 87. He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1940.
Away from the cricket field, he also showed his class and awareness of his role and responsibility to Caribbean people as he lived half his life in England. As C.L.R. James wrote: "He revolted against the revolting contrast between his first-class status as a cricketer and his third-class status as a man."
He was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 1954. He returned to Trinidad and was elected a Member of Parliament in his country's first democratic parliament; became Minister of Works in the government and subsequently High Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago in London from 1962 until 1964. He was awarded the MBE in 1945; knighted in 1962; made an honorary Master of the Bench in 1963; and created a life peer in 1969. He served various periods as a governor of the BBC, a Rector of St. Andrews, a member of the Race Relations Board and the Sports Council.
In Trinidad, he was posthumously awarded the Trinity Cross, the country's highest honour. He made his mark in the only way a poor West Indian boy of his time could do, by playing cricket of ability and character. He went on to argue the rights of his people with such an effect as only a man who had won public affection could have done in the Britain of that period.
* NOTE: If Lord Learie Constantine is selected to the Sticky Wicket Hall of Fame, he will join Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Viv Richards, George Headley, Clive Lloyd, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall, Lance Gibbs, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Brian Lara, and Ridley Jacobs.
