Oval mulls Lara monument

Following his monumental achievement on Monday, Brian Charles Lara, world record holder of the highest individual score in a Test match, 400 not out, will have a “piece” of the Queen’s Park Oval named after him within a decade, whether it is a gate or stand. President of the day-to-day operations at the Queen’s Park Cricket Club, Roger Henderson, told Newsday yesterday that he was sure ten years from now, something in this Oval is going to be named after Brian Lara.

With two of the club’s executive managers out of the island, Henderson said it was difficult to say what are club’s final plans for Lara will be following his record breaking innings, but he certainly believes that in time to come, Lara is going to be a shoo-in as a member of their Hall of Fame. He then added: “And it may not be beyond the realms of possibility that there is some piece of the Oval that might be named after him. I can’t say for sure, but I’m very certain that something will come up like that. I’m not saying too that it can’t happen before that, but these things do take a little time to materialise.”

Henderson also said they would like to have a reception for Lara when he gets back, if he has a free night, in order that the members can tell him thanks. That depends on his schedule. “When the management committee meets, we will discuss our different ideas but the general feeling in the club is one of elation. I think as a member of the club, Brian has done a fantastic job as a batsman and as Parkites we all share in his celebrations, in his moment of glory and we are all glad that he is associated with our club, being a member here,” Henderson said. Lara has been a full member of the Queen’s Park Cricket Club since May 1993, but a colt member a few years before that. Meanwhile, former West Indies player and club member Brian Davis said he felt wonderful for Lara and Monday’s achievement because of what he went through in the first three Test matches where Lara himself had not yet made a 50 in the series. “So having failed and being humiliated by England and to come in the last Test match of the series and do so wonderfully well by getting the team to make over 750 runs for five, I think is a fantastic achievement team-wise.

“As far as the individual is concerned, I think it’s unbelievable, truly incredible that same individual could first break that world’s batting record for Test cricket twice,” said Davis, who felt that to even break the record once was a monumental achievement, but to do it a second time, it needs so much skill, character, strength and physical ability. Davis said: “I don’t think any other man would ever achieve that. I thought it was impossible for Brian Lara to get the world batting record a second time. I really thought so. I don’t think any man was capable of it because it’s really a difficult achievement and for him to do it I thought it was fantastic, almost beyond human capacity. That’s how I feel. To score 400 runs in a Test match is not an easy thing. To make a hundred is difficult, even to make 50 is sometimes difficult.”

Davis recalled back in the 1980s when Lara attended Fatima College, stating that Richard Abraham, who was the school coach, told him of a youngster who they had from Harvard and that he’d like him (Davis) to have a look at. Davis said he went into the junior net where Lara was, even though that was not normally done unless there is a fantastic person that is playing who coaches feel good about and as soon as he saw him, Davis said he knew there was something different. “This was class. He had all the footwork, he had all the right swing of the bat, he had the timing, the coordination. He had everything at 12 years of age so I knew that once he loved the sport enough and was willing to work at it, if he had the ambition he would go as far as he wanted to go, and he would go right up to the top, and that’s where he is now and has been for years,” said Davis.