Sir Clyde laid to rest

Sir Clyde, one third of the famous Ws triumvirate that also includes Sir Everton Weekes and the late Sir Frank Worrell, died in a Bridgetown hospital last Saturday at the age of 80.

He was laid to rest opposite Sir Frank on the Walk of Fame that adorns the eastern side of the Three Ws Oval which is undergoing a facelift to host warm-up matches prior to the 2007 ICC World Cup in the West Indies. A literal who’s who of the game in Barbados and West Indies came out to the historic St Mary’s Anglican Church in the heart of the capital to pay their final respects to the former batting icon.

“The life of Sir Clyde should be seen in the context of the time in which he lived and played the game,” remarked former Anglican Bishop of Barbados, Rev Rufus Brome, in a sermon.

“After the Second World War, he and the other two members of the Ws tried to get rid of the old attitude of stereotypes, and it is a great testament to their character that they overcame this, and allowed the bat and the ball to speak for them.”

Bishop Brome added that the contribution of Sir Clyde and the other two Ws showed what Caribbean people are capable of achieving.

“The indomitable spirit of Caribbean people has pulled all of us through the crises of life,” he said. “That’s why cricket has never been for us just another game, so I urge the current generation not to dishonour the legacy that Sir Clyde and others have bequeathed to us.”

Professor Hillary Beckles, principal of the UWI Cave Hill, paid tribute to Sir Clyde and noted that his emergence, as well as Sir Frank’s and Sir Everton’s at the forefront of West Indies batting was a sign that galvanised the whole movement of self-governance in the Caribbean.

“From that moment, the battle for West Indian self determination found centre stage on the cricket field with Weekes at three, Worrell at four, and Walcott at five,” he said.

“Sir Frank captured the vision that our society had for the creative arts because he caressed the ball like a painter would a paintbrush across a canvas.

“Sir Everton knew why it was - and he was wise to realise - the necessity for mathematics and science in a society that totally despises them, and he stroked the ball as if life was a scientific experiment that demanded organisation and order,” he added.

“There were also great things to be said about the fellow, who seemed to be in a hurry with history, and whose impatience inexorably led him to adopt the attitude which said, ‘Lost the ball and done the game’.

“Colonialism was no game, but in Sir Clyde we saw the irrepressible confidence that was needed to ‘lost the ball and done that game’.

Sir Everton Weekes, the lone surviving member of the Ws triumvirate that also included Sir Clyde and the late Sir Frank, as well as legendary former West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers headed the list of former players that attended the funeral service at the St Mary’s Church in the heart of the Barbados capital.

Others like Rev. Wes Hall, Seymour Nurse, David Holford, Wayne Daniel, Robin Bynoe and Alvin Greenidge also attended.

West Indies captain Brian Lara and left-arm medium fast bowler Ian Bradshaw represented the present generation of West Indies stars.

Ken Gordon, president of the WICB; Capt. Peter Short, former WICB president; Tony Marshall, president of the Barbados Cricket Association; Chetram Singh, president of the Guyana Cricket Board; and Lennox John, president of the Windward Islands Cricket Association, were some of the well-known administrators of the game that attended.

Barbados’ Governor General Sir Clifford Husbands and Prime Minister Owen Arthur, both avid lovers of the game, also paid their last respects.

(CMC)