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Clyde Walcott

 
spider 2020-05-12 01:49:11 

How good was he as a keeper. Considering his batting record would it not make sense to pick him as wicketkeeper/batsman on an all-time WI test XI?

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 02:08:53 

In reply to spider

Walcott kept wicket in his first 15 test matches but gave it up on the 1951-52 tour of Australia.Not too many people on this board would have seen him wicketkeep.I would say he must have been pretty good since it was Ram and Val on the 1950 tour of England but that would be guessing.

 
spider 2020-05-12 02:13:27 

In reply to Dukes

Thanks. That's what I think too. He got stumping against Ram and Val. Think he stumped Len Hutton in one game. He must have been at least reasonably good to have kept to Ram and Val. That and his very high quality as a batsman would cause me to lean towards picking him were I picking an all-time Test XI.

 
Walco 2020-05-12 08:46:50 

In reply to Dukes
No you have me wondering what his batting average was during those first 15 test matches.

Educated at Combermere School and Harrison College, he had marked his 16th birthday with his first-class debut. When fully developed he resembled another Walcott, "Jersey Joe", the American heavyweight boxer. His strokeplay carried the same sort of paralysing punch. At his peak, like Viv Richards later, he was one of those rare power-packed batsmen to whom bowlers preferred not to bowl on a long afternoon. At 20 Walcott made 314 not out in a world-record unbroken fourthwicket stand of 574 with Worrell in an inter-island match at Port-of-Spain.

 
Walco 2020-05-12 09:36:48 

Walcott scored 168 not out in that historic Test and kept wicket while the amazing young spinners Ramadhin and Alf Valentine bowled 231 overs together, 145 of which were maidens, taking 18 wickets against a semi-petrified England line-up that included Len Hutton, Cyril Washbrook and Bill Edrich but lacked Denis Compton.

 
Maispwi 2020-05-12 11:02:13 

In reply to Walco

His batting average was 40.36 with 3 tons and 1 fifty and a high score of 168* for a total of 888 runs from 24 innings. He also had 27 catches and 11 stumpings

 
Ewart 2020-05-12 12:11:43 

In reply to Dukes

Walcott, "the giant wicket-keeper" was a very good keeper but suffered from lumbago and had to give up wicket-keeping.

I believe he was succeeded by Robert Christiani.


//

 
CricSham 2020-05-12 12:12:21 

In reply to Walco
One of the hallmarks of his batting was his consistency. In the home series against Australia he made 550 runs (?) without scoring a century.

 
spider 2020-05-12 12:18:37 

In reply to CricSham

Walcott? What series was that?

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 12:35:39 

In reply to CricSham

Actually in the 1955 home series he scored over 800 runs with 5 centuries including a century in each innings twice and it wasn't as though the WI wee making a whole lot of runs as we lost that series 3-0.It was 827 in 10 innings of the 5 test series at an average of 82.70.

I am quite partial to Big Clyde who occasionally coached at our school because his son was a student at QC.I remember one time he was batting against us in the nets and one of my friends bowled a googly at him and of course he read it and said "not the googly, son", danced down the pitch and hit the ball about a mile.At the time he had to be in his late 40's.

 
CricSham 2020-05-12 13:17:37 

In reply to Dukes

Thanks Dukes. Yes, I am a big fan of Walcott. My mistake, I was thinking Conrad Hunte and his exploits against the Aussies - bwoi this age thing does start fuh play games with the memory! Hunte was another of my favourite batsmen, and I know men will want to kill me but in any WI all time XI - Hunte opens the batting.
Dukes around when did his son go to QC - in the 60s? I am thinking. So you rub shoulders with the big man. I saw him once when he came to NY in the late 90s. At that time he was ICC Chair and was trying to get the "low-lifes" "running" cricket in America to stop cussing and fighting, and come together. Needless to say, after two days of meetings, he returned to England empty-handed because the "yard fowls" were more interested in filling their pockets with ICC money rather than promoting the game.

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 13:51:07 

In reply to CricSham

This would have been 1969-1971 time frame.Clyde's son,I think his name was Michael but everybody called him Juggie after Jughead from the Archie comic books was 2 years ahead of me at school.
Later on circa 1972 Roy Fredericks' wife came to work at QC and he used to come to pick her up and of course we engaged him in conversations.

Big Clyde was a great man.Very intelligent and knowledgeable but also very thoughtful.I remember doing an interview with Cecil Kippins, the test umpire and he told me that before the Shell Shield Tournament began,Clyde Walcott would go over the rules with the Umpires and he had a vast knowledge of the rules and he was also very fair.

 
Walco 2020-05-12 14:25:08 

In reply to Maispwi

Thanks

 
CricSham 2020-05-12 14:25:58 

In reply to Dukes
Thanks Dukes, a little before my time. Guyanese cricket will always be indebted to Walcott for paving the way for the Berbicians (is there such a word???) into the national team.
In Blasting for Runs, Kanhai said that Walcott's bat was his favourite, and one day Walcott said to him, make a double century in the next match and I will give you this bat. Kanhai said that he was well on his way before being run out for 195. Returning to the pavilion he was disappointed but Clyde with a big smile told him that he would give it to him anyway because he earned it.

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 14:40:58 

In reply to CricSham

I know that story about Rohan..When Big Clyde passed,I asked Basil B's son to ask his Dad to do a tribute to Clyde and he did.

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 14:56:34 

In reply to Ewart

Walcott, "the giant wicket-keeper" was a very good keeper but suffered from lumbago and had to give up wicket-keeping.

I believe he was succeeded by Robert Christiani.


Clyde was a huge man indeed.Of course when I met him, I was about 12 or 13 so he seemed HUGE.

Not too many guys that size are wicketkeepers.

Robert Christiani did substitute for Walcott behind the stumps in a test in India but when Clyde gave up the gloves it was Simpson Guillen who took over in Australia and then New Zealand.
I notice a leg spinner named Willie Ferguson who seemed to get a lot of wickets stumped in those days. I had never heard of him.Do you know much about him?

 
Walco 2020-05-12 17:04:10 

In reply to Dukes

Following a miserable series in England in 1957 he had the pleasure of escorting Sobers to his Test record score of 365 not out against Pakistan at Kingston (Walcott was a terrifying vision to be coming in at 602 for 3) and he followed with a century at Georgetown; but after two appearances against England in the sour 1959-60 series his career of 44 Tests ended. His average remains a mighty 56.68. Walcott, who had battered Lancashire league bowling (having an average of 600 for Enfield at one point), worked for cricket's advancement in his native island and in Guyana.

shock shock shock How can someone average 600 runs in any form of cricket?

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 18:21:27 

In reply to Walco

Shiv averaged 354 against Bangladesh in a series

 
Ewart 2020-05-12 19:06:54 

In reply to Dukes

I recognise the name Willie Ferguson and know he played for the West Indies and, as you said, was a leg-spinner.

Not much more. Sorry. Maybe hubert...



//

 
DonD 2020-05-12 19:46:43 

In reply to Ewart

Wilfred Ferguson was a Trinidadian. He was one of the first serious spinners to play for the WI. He played for the WI Vs England in 1947-48 in the WI and he bowled well. I believe WI won that series 2 to nil. Ferguson was ear marked for the 1950 tour to England. In the trials he bowled well and his returns were superior to Valentine's, but selectoral politics gave the preference to Val who was only 20 years old at the time. The rest is HISTORY.

 
DonD 2020-05-12 20:02:02 

In reply to spider

How good was he as a keeper.


I recall Dickie Dodds the former Essex batsman talking in general terms about the 1950 WI tour. He was, like most English cricketers at the time, ecstatic about Worrell's batting but they were also astonished regarding the ease and competence of Walcott behind the stumps. Just a note; apparently Walcott was perhaps the premier school boy athlete at Harrison college and indeed Barbados in his time.

 
hubert 2020-05-12 20:40:27 

In reply to Ewart

Ferguson..He was the most popular member of the Trinidad team that played in Jamaica just before the Australia tour of 55.
Fans loved him -had a head that was oversized and bald to boot and he was stocky and built like a barrell.
But he could bowl.Mesmerized all the batsmen with his accurate leg spin and variation .The REnglish bats found him more than a handful.

As DonD said above he was earmarked for the 1950 Tour..but the Ram -Val experiment put paid to that as the selectors went for youthful
spinners by also including the Barbadian leggie BC 'Boogles' Williams, Fergie being in mid30s.
He had made a good impression in his debut series 47-48 vs England and toured India 48-49.

He made comeback and also toured ANZ in 51-52 as back up to Ram- Val.
But such was the respect they had for his bowling that when Val developed problems after the 3rd Test in BG against England in 53-54,he justifiably
replaced him for the 4th and his final Test at QPO. Sobers then played the final Test at Sabina.

Fergie always grabbed wickets even if expensive as he was a workhorse too.He was that accurate. He was a character and played to the crowd
in his last hurrah in Jamaica in that two-match JA vs Trinidad series.He was fun on the field especially to us young boys.

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 20:43:24 

In reply to DonD

What I read about Walcott's wicketkeeping was his ability to "read" Ramadin which the English batsmen were unable to do.

 
hubert 2020-05-12 20:50:32 

In reply to Dukes

Worrtell said all three Ws had no problem 'reading Ram' while the English could not.
There are tales told of Walcott's keeping to Ram -Val where he had a way of slanting his cap to signal
a certain delivery too that wouldlead to a stumping.
Clyde was adept at keeping to spin..but they wore him down with the very long spells they
bowled hastening the onset of lumbago which put an end to his wickekeeping in Australia.
Clyde was good keeper and for a big man was light on his feet too keeping and batting.
For good measure he bowled a decent medium pace.

 
Dukes 2020-05-12 21:25:21 

In reply to hubert

As I said before my impression meeting Clyde Walcott was that the dude was HUGE.It is unimaginable that such a person could be a wicketkeeper.Mike Findlay was pretty tall too but he was not huge.

 
hubert 2020-05-12 23:23:14 

In reply to Dukes

I learned that Jamaicans were amazed that he was the wickekeeper in 1947 2- game series.At that time he was
a big bats with a triple already to his name.
He played more as a batsman in his First Test series..in fact opening the batting on
debut with Stollmeyer.

When he did not make many runs, there was call for him to give up the gloves for the final Test as the then Jamaica wicketkeeper was
Arthur McKenzie was auperior in that area.Arthur Mck was an ace Jamaica soccer player and coach too and he concentrated in that area
for the rest of his active days.

But Walcott was too big a bat to drop and retained his place although the
captain Goddard did opening duties and Walcott recording his best score lower in the order.

As you know Walcott really excelled once he gave up keeping...in three successive home series he recorded some 400 plus vs India with 2 tons...600 plus vs England with 3 tons and a massive 827 v Australia ,with still record 5 tons and double immortal too to boot. ..10 tons...had the pleasure
of seeing five of them.

No WI batsman has had such a run. 15Tests, 10 tons.Some claimed he was the Best of the Ws.They have an argument too.

 
Dukes 2020-05-13 00:16:46 

In reply to hubert

You guys, yourself,DonD and Ewart are absolutely invaluable to this board.It does not matter how much people like me read, we will always lack a contextual understanding having not been there..
That Australian team in 1955 was very strong and for Big Clyde to score 5 centuries is mind-boggling.
Another significant contribution, he made is convincing Clive Lloyd to accept his 12th man position in 1973 in Barbados and pave the way for a return to the team in the next match in Trinidad.Had Clyde not cajoled Lloyd to stay and not return to the UK,we could have lost one of our top batsmen for the next decade.

 
Walco 2020-05-15 14:10:02 

Clyde Walcott had 1 duck in 74 innings shock In contrast Weekes had 4 ducks in 81 innings and Worrell had 11 ducks in 87 innings.

 
tc1 2020-05-15 14:34:52 

In reply to Dukes

One of his sons played for Bim.

 
tc1 2020-05-15 14:35:58 

In reply to Walco

Worrell was the original duck farm lol

 
Walco 2020-05-15 16:03:40 

In reply to tc1
Worrell tailed off badly nearing the end of his career. He probably played a series or two more than he should have.

 
Oilah 2020-05-15 17:11:42 

In reply to Walco

Worrell tailed off badly nearing the end of his career. He probably a series or two more than he should have.



Even with 11 ducks and this he still had an average of 49+...quite impressive smile

 
Walco 2020-05-15 17:32:57 

In reply to Oilah
His average would definitely have been higher with better retirement timing.

By the way, nick talking yuh name bad on the fantasy league thread smile

 
tc1 2020-05-15 17:58:04 

In reply to Walco

Yes, he made 11 ducks, but when he scored he scored big, Dukes said he scored about 5 fifty in the 60-61 tour of Aussie.

 
Oilah 2020-05-15 19:06:45 

In reply to Walco

By the way, nick talking yuh name bad on the fantasy league thread



Somebody got tuh come last wink

I purposely picked a second eleven team to see how it would do and on paper they didn't do great but if de fantasy could play out pon de field I still think my team would hold dem own smile