Hall of fame salutes Hall, Walcott

Tue, May 8, '07

 

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.

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 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.”

The evening was capped off with remarks and the subsequent unveiling of the plaques by Sir Allen Stanford.

“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.