Although neither match was won, the West Indians needed to take only one more wicket to win the first match when it ended drawn, and lost the second by a single wicket. He played a few further games after the war with little success. [101][102] Crab Nethersole, the Jamaican manager for the tour, reported that injuries to key players and the poor attitude of the crowd made the tour difficult, although Headley's captaincy was universally praised. [13], A change in the location of his job meant that Headley moved to the Lucas Cricket Club in 1929. [48] Jamaica made an uncertain start,[48] losing five wickets by the time their score reached 215 but Headley had scored 130. [38] His quick footwork enabled him to alter his position if necessary to play the ball on the off side. [116], Headley scored 16 and 1 in the match, his final Test appearance. While West Indies played their inaugural Test series during that tour, Headley continued to play for St Catherine's. 22. Find out more in our, vs England at Kensington Oval, Jan 11, 1930. [note 1][20] The first Test was played in Barbados and Headley was selected, making his debut for the West Indies on 11 February 1930—to the disapproval of some Barbadians who thought his place should have gone to a local player. Of Headley's meeting with the king of England in 1939, the West Indian writer Frank Birbalsingh said: "That one of us—a black man—could shake the hand of a king introduced possibilities formerly undreamt of in our colonial backwater of racial inferiority, psychological subordination and political powerlessness. [27][28] When Headley was stumped, he had made what was at the time the fourth highest individual score in all Test cricket and the highest in a second innings. [1][2] His mother returned to Cuba, but regularly exchanged letters with her son. Although the game was drawn, he had recorded Jamaica's highest score in a match between the Caribbean islands. [9][90], The second Test was drawn, after being badly affected by rain. He aggregated over 2,000 Test runs at a remarkable average. Individual “Twin Centuries” Statistics. [113] The Test selectors had seen enough to include Headley in the team for the first Test. Rain helped England to draw the match. [28][77] The rain-affected third Test was drawn, with Headley's 53 his side's top score. GEORGE HEADLEY 1909-1983. [28][44][45] Grant, the West Indies captain, declared the innings closed after rain had fallen to make the pitch more difficult for batting. Test record: 22 matches, 2,190 runs, average 60.83, 10 centuries. [59] When the innings ended, Headley was still not out and the crowd gave him an excellent reception. However, it took a further four Tests until West Indian Clyde Walcott scored the next hundred, 220 in 1954. [50] The success of two home batsmen led to celebrations in Jamaica and praise from the English bowlers for Headley's batting. George Headley (West Indies) 32. Although some critics expected his selection for the West Indies tour of England in 1928, Headley was not chosen. [102], For reasons related to class and race, it had been unthinkable before the war for the West Indies to appoint a black Test captain, but the postwar world saw social and political changes in the Caribbean. In Australia at the time, overs consisted of eight balls rather than the six balls used in the West Indies and England. [100] Another American tour followed, in which Headley was accompanied by promising young players, before he led the Jamaican team to British Guiana in October 1947. [147] In 1969, a bronze sculpture of his head was unveiled in Jamaica's National Stadium, and in 1973 the Norman Manley Foundation gave him the Award for Excellence in Sports. In the first innings, Headley scored 131 out of 212, regarded by one critic as one of the best centuries scored on the ground, and top-scored again with 34 in the second innings. [9] He used his experience to influence the captain, Jeff Stollmeyer, advising him not to enforce the follow on and to use leg theory bowling to slow down the tourists' scoring. Once the cricket season ended, he embarked on another trip to America to play exhibition matches, visiting his parents on the journey. In the second innings, opening again, he made 155 not out to guide West Indies to their victory target of 363. Inns. George Alphonso Headley, born on May 30 1909, is regarded by many as next only to Bradman for his stupendous batting exploits. [35] In the final match before the Test series began, against South Australia, Headley had problems playing the Australian bowlers, particularly the leg spin of Clarrie Grimmett. This time, Headley batted for 390 minutes, faced 385 balls and hit 28 fours while scoring 223. Later, he continued his education at Kingston High School. "[134] The white upper classes were proud of his achievements as a West Indian, but Manley writes "it was to the black masses that Headley had the deepest significance ... [He] became the focus for longing of an entire people for proof: proof of their own self-worth, their own capacity. At this time, he discovered the future West Indian Test player Roy Gilchrist and future Jamaican cricketer Henry Sewell. [9][101] He played only two innings in the two matches, scoring 36 and 4 not out. [5], On leaving school, Headley was appointed as a temporary clerk in a magistrate's court; this enabled him to play competitive cricket for the St Andrew's Police side in 1926, in a cup competition. [126][129] Headley usually batted at number three and as the opening batsmen were often dismissed quickly, he frequently began his innings early. [69], The MCC went to Jamaica for the final leg of their tour. "[80] In total, he batted for 495 minutes and hit 30 fours,[28] recording the highest score by a West Indian batsman. [52] In the final match, Headley scored his third century of the series after returning to number three, accumulating 140 of Jamaica's total of 561. George was the only proper batsman in the West Indian team. The firm were enthusiastic cricket patrons, allowing employees time off to play in matches, so that Headley was able to attend practice with the Jamaica team on a regular basis. In addition to his regular practice, Headley began a programme of running and swimming to improve his overall fitness. In 1930 the Marylebone Cricket Club(MCC) undertook a tour of the West Indies which included four Test matches—the first Tests to be played in the West Indies. [3] Taking part in all-day cricket matches at the local Crabhole Park, Headley began to attract local attention,[4] and aged 16, he joined Raetown Cricket Club. Australia were then bowled out for 224, 126 runs behind West Indies. The war prevented him playing in 1940, so his last season with Haslingden was 1938. [105] Headley was scheduled to captain the first and fourth Test matches, played in Barbados and Jamaica, and the white players Gerry Gomez and John Goddard were given the captaincy of the second and third matches. However, England were able to bat long enough to secure a draw. [35][36], At the beginning of the first Test, West Indies were bowled out 296 as Grimmett took seven wickets, including Headley first ball. He and Karl Nunes added 227 for the second wicket. This affected his availability for cricket as he was no longer able to take leave when playing for a team; if he did not work, he received no wages. George Headley vs England (1930) Prior to Miandad holding the record, the distinction of the being the youngest-ever double centurion in Tests belonged to West Indies’ George Headley for 46 years. However, Norman Preston, the editor of Wisden, wrote: "the match provided a personal triumph for Headley",[87] as he became only the second cricketer after Herbert Sutcliffe to make two hundreds in the same Test match on two separate occasions, having previously done so against England in 1930. [9] The teams went into the fourth and final Test with the series still level at one win apiece. [9] The touring county considered Headley the key batsman,[82] and targeted him by bowling defensively in an attempt to frustrate him. [130] Wisden noted in 1933 that his timing and placement of the ball was perfect. On most MCC tours of the lesser Test playing countries, leading players often chose not to tour, opting to rest at home. [7] That year, Headley began working for Keeling–Lindo Estates, in St Catherine. [89] However, he scored runs from any loose bowling and batted in all for 230 minutes, hitting eight fours. 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