Last anything positive and in public, was said about Lawrence George Alphonso Rowe, was some thirty-three years ago.
Under-lights 'Down-Under', Jeff Thomson had served a 'loosener' to his name-sake. Hardly ever getting one, the batsman clicked his heels and punched straight. Bill Lawry's pigeons scurried, and the other camp's crowd, 'oowed-and-aawed'.

“A glorious shot this by Jeff Dujon,” Alan McGilvray hailed it. Finding an illustrious comparison, he then mumbled into his microphone: “Only Lawrence Rowe could have timed that better.”
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In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

I would have given my right arm to have been there...didn't find out in time.

Is that really a fair comment??
I have not found that to be true at all.

In reply to Dukes

While the last sentence can stand up to scrutiny, the first cannot.

In sports alone, think of the Body Snatcher McCallum, George Atlas Headley, Whispering Death Holding, H Herb McKenley, Allan Rae, Alf Valentine, J.K. Holt jr., Merlene Ottey, Donovan Bailey, Ben Johnson, Alia Atkinson, Bunny Grant, Percy Hayles, Maurice Foster, Donald Quarrie, Dennis Johnston, Usain Bolt, Pocket Rocket Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell Brown, Juliet Cuthbert, Roper (cross-harbour and competition swimming) Fuarnando Roberts, Carlton Glanville, "Black Flash," Leo Davis, Joy Foster, Dave Foster, Lindy Delapenha, John Barnes, Yvonne Laidlaw, George Kerr, Allie Binns, H.Hines Johnson, Warren Weir, and several other peeps I could think of.

Hubert, help me here.

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In reply to Ewart

Doan fuhget Richard "Shrimpy" Clarke!!!

In his haste to defend Lawrence Rowe's actions in South Africa, the author might have inadvertently maligned Jamaicans by implying that they do not praise their own. On its face it is a ridiculous statement when one thinks of Usain Bolt and Tessane Chin.

In reply to Ewart

Errol Stewart, David Weller, Belinda Phillips, Marilyn Neufville, Neville Myton, Roberto Byles, Monica DeSouza, Lennox Miller, Lennox Lewis, Lloyd Honeygan, Arthur Wint, Gillie Heron, Herb McKenley, Xavier Miranda, Allan Cole, Bancroft Gordon,"The Axeman", Andrea Bruce, Linford Christie, Sanya Richards...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In reply to Dukes

I see Rowe finally got a willing PR person to write a puff piece about him. I guess he found someone to do what he begged a notable Jamaica writer to do(and which said Journalist refused to do)write a sanitized piece about him, in order to help him rehabilitate his sullied image.

Contrary to this writer's misguided propaganda, Jamaica has done much more for Rowe than Rowe ever did for Jamaica. How many other sportsmen have had a trust fund set up for them-as was done for Rowe in the early 70s-from the contribution of ordinary citizens, and coordinated by a newspaper?

What Rowe did is unforgivable,
betraying your race... no words to describe such a unspeakable act

Lawrence Rowe scored a double century and then a century when he debuted for West Indies. Consequently, he was revered throughout the Caribbean especially in his native Jamaica. Rowe's status as the West Indies big bat remained high until Viv Richards over shadowed him. To this day many consider Rowe the most aesthetically pleasing batsman to ever play for the West Indies.

Rowe travelled to South Africa with a rebel West Indies team during Apartheid and many saw him in a different light. Indeed, years later Jamaica was divided as to whether he should have a stand named after him at Sabina Park. In the end it was decided Rowe would be honoured once he apologized publicly for having gone to South Africa. An apology was given, there was a ceremony and all was forgiven. At least so it seemed.

Then for some unknown reason Rowe gave an interview some time later stating he had no regrets about touring South Africa during Apartheid. Subsequently, his name was removed from Sabina Park.

It is my view, Lawrence Rowe, along with Carl Hooper, was perhaps the most stylish batsman ever to represent West Indies. However, once he apologized for going to South Africa he should have never stated publicly he had no regrets going there.

That's my two cents on Lawrence Rowe.

In reply to Fivestar

Lawrence Rowe is the best batsman I ever saw(Note I never said "greatest").

I never saw Frank Worrel nor Seymour Nurse but I heard they were very stylish as well.

It's Rowe,Lara, Hooper, Richard Staples and Marlon Samuels for me in terms of being batting stylists; and I would put Staple ahead of Samuels in that regard but he just never scored too many runs!

In reply to jacksprat

Huh? Don't mean to be the grammar police on here but this doesn't sound right. Maybe you meant to say he never did score enough runs.

In reply to Priapus
What's ungrammatical in saying "Staple never did score too many runs"?

Please enlighten me.

In reply to jacksprat

Would you say "I am feeling tired.I can never get too much sleep" or "I am feeling tired. I can never get enough sleep"?

What is the failure of a batsman? Never scoring too much runs or not scoring enough runs?

In reply to Priapus

HUH?

I think you are being obtuse so you have lost me!

What's the error in grammar in saying a batsman "never did score 'too many' [a lot of] runs"

I am waiting..!

In reply to jacksprat

I saw the both, and Worrell was indeed very stylish. But Rowe outclasses him.



Good list. But you omit that batting stylist from Wolmers who had to take up wicket-keeping to make the West Indies team.



Peter Jeffrey Dujon! To me he was far more pleasing to the eye than either Staples or Marlon.

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In reply to jacksprat

At a stretch perhaps a mild solecism... but no error there!





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In reply to Ewart

Can't keep up with all the figures of speech!

Yeah, I missed Dujon! How could I!

Renford Pinnock was 'pretty' but I am not sure I would categorise him as stylish (contradiction?)

EWART & JACKSPRAT

Please stop being like disgusting Jamaican journalists who always forget that Bertland Cameron and Lorraine Fenton are Jamaicans.

In reply to JoeGrine


Thanks for the reminder, Joe. I am sure there are another two or three dozen whose names have not yet surfaced!



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In reply to Ewart

No problem, I do enjoy your posts just dislike the disrespect these two seem to get from the Jamaican media especially Fenton.

In reply to JoeGrine

Thanks, Bert slipped my mind. Unpardonable oversight,'cause I see the interview with him on CEEN every week.

My apologies!

In reply to jacksprat

I am considering if you and Ewart should not be charged with gross neglect

In reply to jacksprat

Huh? Staple? Hmmm. Tell me something please.. I trying to place who this guy is.. Did Staple also keep wicket?

In reply to JamMack
No he was a top order batsman and bowled a little offspin

Richard Staple played briefly for Jamaica, batting at #3 in, I think, the 1980s.

He now plays in the NY league and once captained the USA team

In reply to jacksprat
My brother it is sacrilegious to mention Richard Staples in the same sentence with the likes of Rowe, Lara, Hooper.

In reply to JamMack

spratty is right macky, i saw him make thirty odd against guyana at bina and believe me it was top class..

he was kind of hooperesque though, a pretty thirty, then gave it away..i think he went to steths and now plays for the us..

here

In reply to Fivestar

Jeffrey Dujon is the "sweetest"of all West Indian batsmen that I saw and I have seen quite a few including Sobers,Rowe,Hooper and JK Holt---sorry Graveney was not West Indian he was easy on the eye too

In reply to Stilbatn

Regarding sweet batsmen who were not West Indian, what do you think of David Gower?

In reply to Fivestar

Yes I will pay to watch him,Barry Richards (Sth Africa)and Zaheer Abbas of Pakistan also--even when these batsmen get out they look good --true

In reply to Fivestar


Gary Sobers, collars up, sunlight on his face, just walking from the pavilion to the wicket, was the sweetest thing you ever saw
outside of bat meeting ball.


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In reply to Ewart

the second best thing you ever saw outside of bat meeting ball was the Dukester imitating Gary Sobers,collars up,sunlight on his face..............