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Down Memory Lane

In reply to Chrissy

If my memory serves me right Vin Lumsden used to commentate on horse racing on JBC

In reply to FanAttick

Correct is right
He was a trainer and owners as well.
He will be 94 come July

In reply to FanAttick

Until a moment ago I thought that's all he was known for.
Never knew he played FC cricket for Yard! A Cambridge Blue too?

Oh Sh....e the man batted at #3 vs Oz in their tour match!

In reply to Brerzerk
Went to Caymanas with him and his touring partner a few times. A class act.
His wife was a Lecturer in Dept of History.

Hubert will soon check in.

In reply to Brerzerk

more here

In reply to Chrissy

1. He had a program on the then JBC
2. Prolific points scorer at Champs.
3. Multiple Champs gold medalist.
4. Multiple Champs record breaker.

In reply to Chrissy

Richard, Michael or one of the twins?

In reply to newdread
Richard

In reply to JoeGrine
Di young peeps een have a clue about him.

In reply to Chrissy

Vin played senior cup cricket for Kingston CC. He was probably the only true black complexion player on that team in the late 50s/60s. I remember some spectators calling him the black/white man. I guess Hubert can comment on that. The Lumsden family were from Alligator Pond. I know a couple of his relatives.

In reply to DonD
Yes indeed

In reply to Chrissy

Ricardo Gardner and VCB are trending to the forgotten ranks as well. For today's youngsters recent is yesterday.

In reply to JoeGrine
They are babies to Vin - people forget too soon

World record fi Bol

Did he work at JIS at some point? remember him from Caymanas Park on.

In reply to camos
Not as far as I know. Given his place in agronomy he may well have been on a few of their programmes.

A real revelation!

Never knew of him as a cricketer, much less to have played 57 FC matches. I learn something new here everyday!

In reply to Chrissy

Wow..Nice. Cannot believe he is 94 .Hope Vincent Roy Lumsden is doing well.
He is one that enjoyed success in sports in the mold of the late Lindy Delapenha,a fellow Munro
College Alum. Lindy represented Jamaica at Soccer and golf and was the first to make a name
for football in the English League.
Lumsden played for Jamaica at cricket at about age 20. a right hander who batted anywhere in
the top order from opener .
He left Jamaica for study at Cambridge U so he was lost to Jamaica cricket for a while .the same
for Jamaica and WI captain Gerry Alexander. Coinincidentaliy both Jamaicans played together for at
least one season at the tail end of Alexander's time in early 50s for Cambridge and gained Blues ..Vin for cricket and Gerry for Soccer and cricket.
Lumsden was as they say a guy of many parts. Loved all sports .
I got to watch him in 1958 when he played against the Leewards and got to 91.

He was an aggressive batsman and useful offspinner but he never achieved a FC ton although he had a few 90s.
But he ended his cricket career at the turn of the 60s.. although he was a valuable member and contributor at Kingston CC in Senior
Cup where hye Allan Rae,Alexander and Hendricks were front and center and he stood out as a tall black and elegant gent
among the lot and was the subject of much talk as KCC was known for its light skinned folks.
A poster Don D alluded to.

Vin was an example for many young ones as he was able to bridge the gap with education,career ,sporting exercise with
versatility and competence.
He always looked good at the crease as an aggressive batter . He generated surprise among many when he to to Horse racing
but he did well also.
He probably played a number of sports at Munro as that was the norm back in the day and there are still examples of
high schoolers 'doubling or tripling up ' in sports which makes for good self discipline.

Hope that continues for today's youth.
Keep batting Vin

In reply to hubert
Great post man - you have the history. Gerry was my vet so I got to chat with him - his office was close. He was also a good friend's uncle

In reply to camos

Yes. That is how I became aware of the man as a boy in the 60s. He was a presenter on JIS TV, especially with agriculture related matters.

In reply to CWWeekesSee I did not know that

In reply to Chrissy

Each one teach one Chrissy

He was a regular presenter so he may have been employed at JIS.

In reply to Chrissy

All I can say is that you have known and associated with of the best that Jamaica produced.
Wonderful people..Some of us are well blessed in that regard and that gives even greater pleasure
when we observe so many that make us as a country look so bad.. que 'Onliness and crew'

In reply to jacksprat

In those days an Oxbridge first team player would be required to play six days a week from Mon to Sat -11Am to 6:30 PM. from mid April to mid June.ie 2 first class games per week. A first class game was played over 3 days. Many very good players did not represent the Univ first team particularly in their first and third years when they had exams. They simply played for their college teams mainly on Saturdays or one day per week if they represented the 2nd eleven univ team. The Authentics. Not surprising therefore, that Vin Lumsden played so many first class games given that he represented Cambridge for 3 seasons.

In reply to hubert
Yes I have been lucky fi true.

In reply to hubert

Maas Hubert I just so love reading your posts, glad I went back through this.
Yes, the days of the Yardie student athlete was and hopefully still a great thing.
I can't remember who was being interviewed and recounted how Wolmers went
down to Munro and he witnessed one of the best schoolboy tons scored by Lindy.
Many of my schoolmates played more than one sport and excelled at both sports
and academics. Alas, I never had the discipline to even turn out for the one I was
average at nor the books. Once in a practice match I outbowled our pretty good
pacer at the other end but never went back to practice. Same guy told me that
in a curry-goat match in Merka Andy Roberts saw him and asked why he left Jamaica/cricket.
Discipline is guy to life.

In reply to Brerzerk

One of the greatest examples of the student and wonderful athlete is still with us. MLC Foster.
I think he played about four sports at Wolmer's...cricket and Table Tennis were his main
areas of accomplishment but I think he also played some football at Manning Cup level and he
was familiar with field hockey too. He was a ball player.

But since the 50s especially there have been many two sports student athletes..too many to recall.

But two of more recent vintage I remember well were Richard Austin and and Herbert Dago Gordon.
The latter could easily have played for Jamaica at cricket too as he was superior or equal as wk to some who
played in that role.

There were some very good double sportsmen at High school level and some of course went on to
play for Jamaica in two sports...Frankie Lewis of STGC/Old Boys at cricket and football, Lloyd ' Respic'
Morgan of Boys' Town at cricket and football. There were probably others too that I am not
sure about...
And then there were those that were excellent at either sport but did not make it in the other.
Not many know that former National player and Football coach, Carl Brown was a very good
cricketer a Senior cup level as was his brother Les.
Cannot forget Les as he gave me a lesson in both discipline when I did a stint as student teacher
at Trench Town Comprehensive while at the MICO.
He took a collection of student teachers apart on the football field and when he found out that I was cricket captain at College,
challenged us to a game then knocked an unbeaten 100
on a concrete pitch in next to no time the following afternoon and did not give us a bat .
To top it off he controlled the my class' tough guys allowing me an easy time .
We had good conversations in later years when I became a journalist and he always smiled knowingly too.

Student athletes were special then and will always be.

In reply to hubert

Memories by the score! I actually saw 'Dago' as a 'schoolboy' (he was nearer 20 then maybe:lol for Vere dribble exactly on
the line for about 25yards beating one man in the process. But, for me his best schoolboy performance was taking a ton
off KC's attack that include M. A. Holding. KC made 200+ and Vere won by 9wkts. An opener and Dago at 3 knocked it off.
'Respic' Morgan and other top JA ballers including Carl Brown were later in the same team with Gordon at Boys Town.

In reply to Brerzerk

There was no "maybe" about "Dago" age, he was above 20 whilst playing for VTHS.
NOTE : That "an opener" you are referencing is Peter "Dove" Marston, the absolute best schoolboy midfielder I have ever seen. Both he and an overaged "Dago" made centuries in that match against KC.

Notable multi-sports high school stars (not dibble/dabble but exceled at the highest in at least one and better than average in the other):

KC: Charles Headlam, Howard Aires, Mabrico Ventura, Tony Keyes, Balfour Reid, Mark "Soup Bone" Johnson, Trevor Campbell.
MUNRO : Lindy Delaphena, Vin Lumsden, Bobby Chin
CORNWALL : Jeff McLeod, Allie McNab, Steve Bucknor
CHS : Eddie Hamil, Colin Francis, David Sanguinetti.
STGC : Michael Forbes
STATHS : Richard Austin (track, football, table tennis, cricket), Michael Fray, Everod Samuels, Barrington Sewell.
JC : Teddy Alexander
VERE : Peter Martson
C'DOWN : Desmond Ricketts, Peter Hibbert.
WOLMERS : Jeffrey Mordecai, Jeffrey Dujon, Colin Williams.

In reply to JoeGrine

Greene at Munro,Randfall at Cornwall and Jeffery Mordi at Wolmers.

In reply to camos

So many ...Steve Bucknor of Cornwall is probably another.

DIs thread real nice yuh see

In reply to JoeGrine

That over age thing was an all too common factor throughout the land
That came home to me with a force when I was teaching and had to help prepare kids for
11 plus Common Entrance. There were many a disappointed kid when official Birth certificate
was sourced from Record Office in Spanish Town.
Jamaica's mothers back then were good at dating birth dates much like
mechanics in reverse with the odometers. It was pervasive.
Even he late great Collie Smith who was born May 1933 was playing for KC in 1953 as his birth year
was given as 1934.Collie and Easton McMorris were team mates at KC
Vere Tech with Headmaster Francis was noted for that as well as mass importation of talent mainly
from Kingston and St Andrew Schools. But then again he wanted to win at all costs too his school being
in Prime Minister Shearer's Constituency ..he was not alone tho as oversight was not as tight as
present.

I played against 16 year olds at Elementary school level back in the day and I was not even a teen
yet.Was common practice all over especially in cricket. Very few 15 year olds were supposed to play
depending on what month they were born. It was rough as of those guys were BIG.

In reply to hubert

You highlighted inadvertent and deliberate as shown above.

Say no more.....

In reply to DonD

Thanks for the edification.

In reply to JoeGrine

Dago was born November 1953 so he would have been under-19 when the 72-73 school year started (unless, of course, he had another birth certificate other than the one with which I was familiar!)

Two other notable multi-sports stars are the late Bancroft Gordon and Simone Forbes

In reply to hubert

Vere was Santos youth team, Blairs, Bob Campbell, EB and the list goes on!

In reply to camos

U R Right, again