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radio and what year did you start watching cricket on TV - that is local, regional or international cricket.

Allyuh turn on Mason and guest
PE Teachers

Im young....1975...listening to the tour to Aus on the radio and watching the inaugural Prudential World Cup on TV.

In reply to Chrissy

The year was 1963. I was an 11 year old primary school student then, and West Indies was playing a five Tests series in England.

Hall, Griffith, Sobers and Kanhai were at their best. And all the school boys gathered around a Grundig vacuum tube radio relaying BBC commentary of the first test. The silky smooth voice of John Arlot described the first ball of the first test: 'And Statham runs in to bowl to Hunt [pause] and Hunt crashes it through the covers for four..'

I was hooked on cricket because of that 1963 radio commentary

And yes Hunt did regularly hit the first ball of a test match for four.

And by the way, who on this board remembers a Grundig Radio?

The Old Grundig Radio

And forgive me if some facts are bent because I'm pulling this out of my grey head

In reply to Chrissy

Around 86, it was always on, but i really started to follow, listen and understand the game around 86/87

The 75/76 tour of Australia and listening to cricket on the radio still brings back memories to this day. I was just a kid but even though we got thrashed, what memories!

I had access to a transistor radio in those days and my dad used to bring Mangal’s Roti home on match days. Anybody who know Mangals from them times know it was a MASSIVE ROTI! 1 roti could make 3 servings easy.

First game I saw on tV? Probably the series against India with their 3 spinners and Viv

In reply to Chrissy

Radio 1981 tour of Australia.

1973 tour of England under Kanhai...cricket lovely cricket

In reply to Chrissy

1974/75 tour of India and Pakistan

I remember the England tour of 1963 with Worrell as captain and Deryck Murray as wicketkeeper as the first time I heard cricket on the radio.
The first big matches I ever saw was the 3 matches around Easter time in 1965 when Australia toured the West Indies and Steve Camacho made 157 for the British Guiana Colts and made his first-class debut for British Guiana a few days later and made 28 and 25.
In the test match, the stars were both Guianese.Kanhai was 88 not out overnight and Bourda was packed the next day in anticipation of his century.He got out for 89 the next morning and everyone went into deep depression.Of course, Lance Gibbs took 5-29 to leave Australia with 1 wicket left to fall overnight so admission was free the next day and Lance took the last wicket in the first over to seal the win.

Chrissy, knowing my Dad, my mother loved the game just as much, so I watched my first game from the stomach/womb of my mother 1962, Sabina India vs West Indies. That's how I got my first name. So I say all that to say, been hearing cricket on the radio since I born. Cannot recall when I first watched on the telly.

In reply to natty_forever

So you were the poster Sabina too?

In reply to Walco... no, I was named after an Indian player, not the grounds.

In reply to natty_forever

Ok Sunil

Radio : 1982, India's tour of Pakistan,G.R.Viswanath's last series..

It had to have been somewhere between '82 to '84, as Clive Lloyd was still playing then.

i was born in 1982 so 1982 with my dad who is a die hard fan

In reply to Chrissy

Radio in early 70s. TV in late 80s.

Listening on radio to shell shield and test cricket while having our own test match in the backyard... ah the days..

In reply to Walco

Farouk

Believe I became aware of test cricket when Collie Smith died, because it seemed everyone was talking about it. I even remember my infant school (kindergarten for the pampers generation) teacher talking about him at morning devotion.

My first memory of listening to test cricket on the radio was the 1960 home series WI vs England. Was 7 yrs. old. I actually remembered when Kanhai was denied a runner and me and my cousins were saying he should let his bat fly and hit the close-in English Fieldsmen. I remember during that series listening to Walcott getting out for 9 on a Saturday; a younger cousin was born the night before. That inning is the only memory I have of actually listening to Walcott at bat in a test. Particularly remember Walcott, because I am named after him. One of my uncles chose that name. The people I grew up with were cricket crazy, including my grandmother. In those days in rural Jamaica many people listened to cricket on a radio powered by a Berec Battery. Sometimes when the power was getting low it would be put out in the sun to recharge ( anyone here share that experience).

First saw cricket on JBC TV, first test, Ash Wednesday 1965 (had the rest of the week off because it was mid-term break), Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, Aussies vs WI. Remember that yam licking innings from Tony White in the 1st innings. And yes, I even remember that Berger Paints sponsored the broadcast.

In reply to Dukes

Very similar except I watched the aussie match at Kensington where Kanhai (ton) and Nurse (double) dominated after Lawry and Simpson made 382 without loss of Hall and Grif. In the second innings Garry was on course to win the match but Slowpoke Solomon couldn't up the tempo.

During that match a group of QC girls in the schoolboys' stand were admiring Rohan on the boundary till Lawry hit a six that landed on a girl's forehead. Rohan rolled up with laughter

In reply to Chrissy 1971 shell shield & Indian's tour to the Caribbean think i can stel remember names of most of players on both teams

In reply to Dukes

I was also tuned to radio when Gibbs took that last wicket. Previous day was Easter Monday, remember listening to commentary while at the beach feasting on curry goat and fish tea.

In reply to analyst-kid

interesting...thats the year i have marked too....

I was in England...summer of 1975...Richie Benauds voice caught my attention...and stuck.

My first memory of cricket on the radio was around 1970/71. I was about 6,7yrs old. India I believe was touring West Indies with the "kars" Solkar, Wadekar & Gavaskar. One other match I remember in particular was a Shell Shield match betweed TNT & GUY played at Skeldon...Charlie Davis was one of the names etched in my memory.

The series that I really got in tuned with cricket was the 1973 OZ tour to the Caribbean with the Chappell brothers.

First Live TV match was probably in the 1990s with Lara vs OZ. This was due to migrating to the US in early '80s.

In reply to Chrissy

Started listening to Shell Shield cricket in about 1981 or 82. I distinctly remember the 1983 world cup when we bowled out india for 180 but couldnt chase it down.

Carried radio to school to listen to cricket, much to the annoyance of the teachers.

In reply to Chrissy

1966 tour of Eng 1st test. WI bat first and scored 480+; hunte, mcmorris, kanhai, butcher, nurse?, solomon?, sobers, hendricks, hall, griffith, gibbs. WI won

My memory goes back to the 1957 tour of England, when the team returned home, Empire vs Spartan was a match to see.
I went on the first day with my older brother, Spartan batted first, and was bowled out about half hour before close.
Wes Hall who had been on that tour and never played in any of the test, was the drawing card, the fans wanted to see him bowl to Everton.
Wes from one end and Anthony Mayers from the other.
Needless to say, I was too small and my brother did not take me back to watch the other days.1960 tour of Australia was the series that made me understood the game, I still was too young to stay up at night and listen, but my best friend mum, would score every ball, and give us her score sheet every morning before school, thats how I learned to score
I cannot remember my first regional or International match, I've seen so many as a tot and as a youth.
Every Saturday I would go to private lessons in Pinfold street, during the crop season I will leave home with $1, with twenty cents for bus fare, out of season with twenty-five cents.
I've walked to every ground close to Bridgetown to watch Empire play, until I joined Yorkshire in 1968

1962, the Indian tour to WI when Nari Contractor had to leave the tour because of a fractured skull from a ball delivered by Griffith in a territorial game. I was aware of the '61 tour to Australia, but was not allowed to stay up to listen. My uncle, who was living with us at the time, would stay up. But I was hooked by the '63 tour to England. Worrel's captaincy, and the briliance of Sobers, Kanhai, Hunte, Butcher, Griffith, Hall and Gibbs, and the emergence of the 20 year old Deryck Murray still makes me long for the old days. I remember every game as if it was last week.

In reply to Cameron

I was only 6 years old for that 63 tour of England, yet I have a distinct memory of Deryck Murray. Looking at his performances on that tour which do not seem spectacular it is remarkable that quite a few children were "taken" with him on that tour.

In reply to Walco... the captain of India 1962 team.

In reply to Chrissy

I started listening to radio commentary I think it was 1973 WI tour to England...Vanburn was de WI pace bowler....I was still a likkle boy...by the 75/76 tour of OZ, I was a pro with the stats....

I can remember hearing pieces of the 1960-61 Tour of Australia on the radio late at night…. I recall Worrell suffered a mild fainting spell from the heat in one of the games and came off for a few Overs.

In those days there would be lots of action photo in the newspapers. Guyana had three daily papers, and an Evening paper. I used to collect pics and tape them into a scrap book. The Daily Graphic was the place for action photos.

Pics of:
Jackie Hendricks performing a stumping.
Ritchie Benaud dropping a catch
Wes Hall hitting a Six

I followed W.I. Cricket from then onward.

In reply to Elsie

True. I kept all the stats on the 70's.....before computers and internet LOL

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy


Boxer Sonny Liston was a huge deal in those days also...

1997 tour of Australia. First tour that i can remember

1965 Aussie tour of the West Indies.

Watched television for the first time on Ash Wednesday when the 1st test (??) was played at Sabina Park, and my Sunday School had their (our) annual outing. That year the gathering was in Savanah-la-mar and this country boy was privileged to attend. There was a crowd gathered in someone's backyard watching and a group of us just joined in, no invitation needed.

Charlie Griffith, Wes Hall, Gary Sobers, Bobby Simpson, Bill Lawry, all looking larger than life.

1965! my cousin who died January 17, this year got me interested , would talk endlessly about Wally Grout the keeper.

I started 1982.

I started in the late 80s. My primary school was a short walk from the ARG and towards the end of the series they would make the entrance free for students. They would literally take us out of school and march us up high street to the ARG. I can still remember my first time sitting on the hard concrete seats of school children stand, with a view dead square of the wicket, watching fast bowlers bowl at what seemed like the speed of light. They'd run up to the crease, send a red bolt of lightning to the keeper and then you'd hear the delayed sound of the ball hitting the gloves like thunder.

I wanted to be a fast bowler from that very moment.

In reply to Chrissy

TV can't remember radio
so maybe 1983 lol
Yeah I'm that young lol
Black & White
Benson & Hedges series
watching on the TV on ABS TV
Had to go out many times to turn the antennae cause sometimes when wind blow hard it turn it

In reply to Chrissy

1972... New Zealand tour of West Indies...

Lawrence Rowe debut. unforgettable

West Indies could not get Glenn Turner out

In reply to googly1961

Boatload a runs were scored in that series; Charlie davis and desmond lewis keeping and opening come to mind

1982

In reply to Chrissy
Radio..1951-52 WI in Australia..Can still hear Johnny Moyes describing E Dec Weekes' shots in 1st Test and Rae's dismissal same Test.

TV; ..1965 Australia 1st Test at Sabina Park. JA got TV very late

In reply to db
Desmond Lewis. My hero. did not feature in the 72. NZ series. He played against India the previous year. When he scored all those runs.

I first saw test cricket on TV in 1972. Lawrence Rowe"s debut series. I fort heard it on radio when Sobers made that disastrous declaration against England.

In reply to aliaskid13.... well did you?

In reply to jacksprat

You’re correct; Findley returned in 72

In reply to CWWeekes

And there was more coverage of cricket then than now.

This is a nice thread - keep 'em coming folks.

In reply to Elsie

Nice bro

In reply to sunfish

Were you the person listening or did you listen because your father/mother or grandparent was listening.

I was lucky DCC was two blocks from my home and GCC was further up New Garden Street.

First I heard it because others were listening and I loved the excitement and happiness. Then I was listening

In reply to aliaskid13

Nice

In reply to Chrissy In my case radio-1960 tour by England. Can still remember fascinating names like Pullar,Subba Row and the wicketkeeper Roy Swetman.
Also McMorris being run out...off, was it a no ball?.
TV 1965-Australia vs WI at Sabina
Hubert: Tv came late to Jamaica..But after the Indian Tour.Also after the Australian tour, some Shell Shield games were locally televised.

In reply to Chrissy

GCC was 2 blocks from my house and I could see it from my house, whereas DCC was 4 blocks away but I never watched club cricket at GCC and spent many Saturday afternoons and a few Sunday afternoons watching DCC players like Blair, Wiltshire, Layne and of course captain Fred Wills.Clive Lloyd, I saw my first year, but never saw Lance Gibbs play for DCC.

In reply to Dukes

Well all di boys we liked were at DCC and since we wanted to impress we had a friend's dad (he was an umpire) teach us the basics so we knew more than most of the girls.

Radio -- Remember tucking my transistor under my pillow at night, and listening to CG Greenidge scoring a double against Oz.

My first big recollection of paying attention to cricket was 1950 -- West Indies in England. Spin twins Ram and Val, and the calypso!

But at home we did not get our radio until 1951, just in time for Hurricane Charlie August 17. So my radio listening time would come right after that.

And then, at boarding school - 1952-57 - we would listen on crystal sets!

Can't remember my tv debut. Guess that is because when tv cricket coverage came to Jamaica I was in a country that glorifies hockey!





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In reply to TrinidaveWhat year was that?. Greenidge was a miserable failure against Australia in 1975. WI had to use make shift openers Julien and Richards to partner Fredericks.

In reply to Ewart

You migrated that long ago?

In reply to natty_forever

Yes sir. but only made it to about fast-medium

In reply to Chrissy I had the same question,as we both played together in 1970 and 1971 in Montego Bay.

Not much sustained listening...but, starting late 70s.

Could be Ewart left that early but came back because I recall him being at the Daily News in the early to mid 70s

In reply to alfa1975

I think the only double Gordon scored against AUS was in 1991 in his penultimate test. Must be the 76 English tour where he scored 2

In reply to Jumpstart

In Barbados

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

yeah.

1965 was the first time really understood what I was listening to. Australia vs West Indies at the oval. Seymour Nurse scored a double century and I was a Nurse fan from that day.

In reply to Baje

Nurse was school coach and we all coPied him....and Sobers of course

In reply to Bajethat damn opening stand with Simpson and Lawary was a nightmare.

In reply to camos

382

All I can say is you all are old.

In reply to rudebway

I started listening on Radio in 1967 . I remember hiding the radio o=under the pillow and pretending to be asleep when WI were touring OZ. Because my dad used to check into our bedrooms at night to make sure we were sleeping.

In reply to rudebway

yes my youth! built to last. The fry chicken generation wont last as long.

oops

In reply to Baje

I met Seymour Nurse in the 1970's and he said he never scored a century at Bourda.I told a friend of mine who claims that he did.
I thought to myself how could he not remember.

Oh well.....

In reply to Baje Dang it! Daiz de year mih born!

SO which territories still carry cricket on radio?

In reply to FuzzyWuzzy

both take hits from Hall n Griffith.

In reply to Chrissy

Short answer no. My parents were not listeners then. However, quite surprisingly my dad started looking at it on TV in the '80's after he retired.

Clearly the folk who got me listening were the teachers and older boys at the St. Dominic's RC where I started my schooling. And 1963 was the beginning.

In reply to Chrissy

Barbados.
I've been listening to local cricket, every weekend during the cricket season, for a number of years
Wanderer cricket club stream most their games, you can also follow some teams, on Totalcricket, twitter and facebook.

In reply to Chrissy

Chrissy, my inquiring mind suspects you are doing research for a paper or a book? And if not, maybe someone needs to write about the history of cricket and radio in the Caribbean.

Me thinks another 'Beyond the Boundary' is in the making from this post, and the new author will be Dr Christine Cummins.

Remember, you got your data from all who replied to your original question about 'first time listening'

In reply to db

Correct on boatload of runs... that was the series that Alvin Kallicharran debuted.
Think the keeper was Michael Findlay though.. Lewis was done after the India series in 1971

All... allyuh too damn young for me

Before 1971 I played child cricket, pick up cricket with sponge ball and coconut bat/wood bat, or cork ball cricket now and then. I remember looking at Wes Hall bowl to Trinidad or for Trinidad on Telvision- cant remember when or what. I remember he was tall, wiry, shirt open with a little thin chain on his neck.

In 1971 my father was looking forward to India visiting the WI ( We R not East Indian ) for whatever reason. He then decided to put me in front the radio and teach me the basics of scoring...dot balls, extras etc. He provided a copybook pencils and anything I asked for. My job was to let him know the score whenever he asked.

Sound simple enough...one big problem though - Sunil Gavaskar. My copy book lines for Gavaskar went on for 3, 4 pages because the man would not out, and make my life easy. I had an intense dislike for Gavaskar then and refused to do any more scoring for my father. He to it seemed , wanted Gavaskar to out...but the man would not oblige .

1971 is when I began to pay attention to big cricket and at the same time attach icon status to Sunil Gavaskar. The man made a little boy work to damn hard with all dem runs he scored...

In reply to Chrissy


1976 was the migration... but I was here 1964-68 studying...





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In reply to jacksprat

Came back in '68 to the Gleaner and helped start the Daily News in '73.


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In reply to Chrissy

the Pakistan tour of West Indies in 1977 when Garner and Croft debuted. My first experience was actually watching the game at the oval with my oldest brother. We sat next to Esther Hope who knew my brother. She was the sports woman of the year that year. It was a great experience. So live cricket, radio and tv all started the same time for me.

In reply to Trinidave

A Transistor Radio was a staple like a Cell Phone is today and "Pen Light Batteries or 9 Volts" were in high demand.

I doubt many youngster know what a Transistor radio is

Tony Cozier in your ear all day long calling VIVs name....Or Greenidge Or Haynes

The quiet confidence of an entire diaspora regardless of the situation and all comers were spread on those tiny devices and it was common to be asked and to ask...(Whats De Score?)

In reply to methodic

Ipso facto, this series became a crucial benchmark not only for WI v Pak future series but also for many of the players on both team going on to become great:

Javed was a mere 17 yers old who was dropped while Imran was still green. Croft & Garner made their debut and Haynes and Greenidge came on their own.

I visited Trinidad for the 4th test at QP Oval.

In reply to Ewart

Makes sense now

In reply to sunfish

I am always doing research but I started this thread as a result of Cameron's nonsense about female PE teachers.
Older folks heard way more uninterrupted cricket matches on radio than today.

A serious question is how many folks have access to live streams. Given the number of smart phones around and available data, I am sure we can find out.

Of course back in the day the one radio station would have cricket.

In reply to powen001

Yep

In reply to Dukes

Have to say the Suriname Government has done a great job with the embassy at 54. It does look beautiful and maintains the same basic structure.

In reply to Walco

Nah he isn't Sabina

In reply to sunfish

Grundig brings back pleasant memories

In reply to methodic

Nice

In reply to Chrissy

And to my surprise there are still many Grundig radios out there. I googled it before responding to your question and it popped up on Amazon and Ebay. Shocker..

In reply to Chrissy
Most of my friends had this box, in their home.
Rediffusion

I remember taking the transistor radio to the farm.
I will tie a piece of wire to the antenna and extend it with a bamboo
pole up in the air to get good reception to listen to shell shield cricket.
Around 1975.
At home my Dad had a big white Phillips radio, short wave, long wave.
We uses to catch cricket commentary from BBC and other Caribbean countries
if Guyana was not carrying it.

In reply to openning

I remember that Rediffusion Box between 1969 - 1973 at the Barbados Hilton. Frank Worrell's widow worked there as well if my memory serves me right.

Listen at school to that famous World Cup win against Pakistan
when Windies was down and out.

In reply to Chrissy

Yes, yes. coverage only stopped for news and a word from our sponser and to thank those who made their spot available for the broadcast. and we wonder why interest is low now!
Radio early '50s could only hear games being ployed in our time zone because radio was at village shop. can remember name such as 'Niran Asgarali' have no idea of the spelling.
Australia in the WI Colie Smith and Alli Binns debut. England in WI G Headley last test. India in WI with names like Hazari Gupti as usual not sure about the spelling

In reply to Chrissy

It was a speaker, you could not change channels, I remember being glued to it, the day Sir Gary broke the record, only to be interrupted for racing.
Our Head Master was a very good friend of Sir Frank, He taught Math, French, Latin and history, the 197 not out against England was the only time, we were allowed to listened to cricket at school.

I can still remember my embarrassement to hear Roy Lawrence 'wicket keeper Christian Murphey' (Krishnamuthy)India 1971 tour

In reply to ducks

Start lissen year Burnham strong-arm de board fi mek Lloyd cappo before Holford

In reply to che

Well that was clearly the one thing Forbes got right

In reply to imusic

Mangals used to have the best roti.

In reply to CWWeekes

That's amazing about Collie

Berec battery to blow wow - I remember dat.

My grandfather bought me a transistor radio and for years after that I was always proud to have one to listen to cricket even at school. But my interest was more for Shell Shield cricket than International Cricket.

I remember going to the Garrison for horse racing though and WI was 1 for 3 against India and Lloyd and Gomes staged a big recovery. Another time Lillee had WI 10/4 overnight listening to cricket Down Under but WI staged a fightback to win both tests!

I know of the Grundig radio but my family had a Rediffusion and a radiogram used to play records and AM radio.

Berec batteries...what a blast from the past! Time was it was only Berec and Eveready batteries!

In reply to analyst-kid

that was a great memory..i remember that game. my two favorite though were when england declared on the last morning and we chased down 340. Greenindge made a double century and Gomes made 93. there was also a game against India when Roberts took some wickets before tea ans swung the match. had to make 176 in the last session to win. We chased it down, Richards made 60.

In reply to rudebway

Dujon struck a 6 off the last ball to win that match. Roberts got mom. Great game.

Chrissy - In truth I watched cricket before I heard it on radio.

Born in London in 1965 to Jamaican parents, I recall watching cricket on television in particular England playing a test match - I can't recall against whom but I do know Dennis Amiss was batting.

My most powerful memory of cricket in England was that for some reason I became a fan of Clive Lloyd then (I have no idea why - TBH)

In 1972 we emigrated to Jamaica - where I began my love of radio commentary. Amusingly enough, my love of Lloyd in my youth made it difficult to support Jamaica when they played Guyana in the Shell Shield and impossible to support England when they played West Indies.

In reply to Robin

LOL - nice post

In reply to methodic and Chrissy

Shell Shield was also great in those days. I vividly remember a match between Jamaica and Guyana. Had my radio in my school bag and a few of us were listening at the back of chemistry class . When I tuned in, Guyana were about 28 for 8. i turned it up a bit louder because i thought i had heard the score incorrectly. it came on WAYYY too loud, and it was the middle of a commercial. it was the Highgate Cocoa advertisement. NOt sure how good the yardies on here memories are, but it was a song. Call all yuh want me nah answer now, a just sipping highgate cocoa.. the chemistry teacher was less than amused.

In reply to rudebway

Shell Shield was great but we had some great regional first class up to fairly recently.

Cricket was truly King in those days....l remember CBC used to show the last session after tea of regional and test matches at Kensington. I vividly remember watching Croft in his debut match holding Pakistan off from victory....I think he was the last wicket and I think he was batting with Roberts with all the close in Pakistan fielders surrounding as he blocked ball after ball to secure a draw for WI

In reply to analyst-kid

That's the point- cricket was king

THE FIRST TIME I LISTENED TO A CRICKET COMMENTARY WAS DURING THE 1952-53 TOUR OF INDIA. I RECALLED ACCOMPANYING MY AUNT UP TO PARSON WINT'S MANSE AT CASCADE IN HANOVER. PARSON WINT WAS THE PRESBYTERIAN PASTOR AND THE FATHER OF ARTHUR WINT, THE GREAT JAMAICAN MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNER.WHILE SITTING ON HIS VERANDAH I HEARD THE BROADCAST.MY LASTING IMPRESSION WAS THE USE OF THE TERM GULLY. I IMMEDIATELY ASSOCIATED IT WITH THE CRICKET FIELD AT CASCADE WHICH HAD AN ACTUAL GULLY AT ONE END.

On shortwave radio ...WI tour to England in 1950 ( I am probably the oldest poster on this site)....we had the only radio in the village in Bim and folks would trample our garden (and be forgiven) to listen through the windows to the great John Arlott, Ken Ablack etc. I can still remember the Worrel/Weekes partnership in one of the tests. So great and accurate was the radio commentary, not yet contaminated by TV, that we as kids made our own score cards. Try that these days with commentators babbling on about extraneous matters like food etc...Younger guys should search the web for examples of John Arlott's commentary. I recall him once when Walcott intentionally gave away his wicket after scoring a century, quoting Shakespeare "He sheathed his sword for lack of argument"...After coming to USA in 1959 to Columbia Univ and then medical school my listening days were gone and I lost touch with WI cricket until the 70s with entirely new faces...

In reply to DonD

Nice

In reply to trev114

Another great recall of an important part of our lives