The West Indies play an ICC World XI at Lord’s on May 31 to aid ground repairs at various Windies grounds following hurricanes last year, so we delved into the archives for this piece from the late, great Tony Cozier, who looks back on fifty years of watching West Indies at Lord’s.
This article was first published in issue 6 of The Nightwatchman in 2014. Buy a hard copy of this article today.
First published in 2014
I hadn’t come across George Medford since we were together at school in Barbados. Quite by chance, traversing Lord’s during the 1966 Test, I spotted him among a group of happy West Indians in the bar under the Grand Stand. Garry Sobers had just completed the match-saving hundred he still rates as his finest, and his cousin, David Holford, wasn’t far away from his own on the way to their unbroken stand of 274.
His immediate greeting was along the lines of, “remember I told you we’d one day make it to Lord’s.” I pointed out that our schoolboys’ dream was to “make it” as West Indies players. But here we were – a spectator from Shoreditch, and a journalist. He had settled in London on joining the post-war exodus from the Caribbean, and now timed his week off work with the Test at the ground we had always referred to as “The Mecca”. And I was covering the Test series for papers back home.
It mattered to neither of us. By now, we were settled into our careers, George in a senior position at the British Post Office, me reporting on West Indies teams wherever they went.
That night, George Medford called, crestfallen, to say he would not be watching another West Indies Test. Not even at Lord’s? Especially not at Lord’s, he replied.
He kept to his word until I persuaded him to be my guest for the 2012 Test following MCC’s decision that year to make me an honorary life member (presumably on the grounds of longevity). He was most impressed when I was invited to ring the bell from the member’s bar balcony denoting 10 minutes before the start of play. “Boy, you really done good,” he quipped.
West Indies lost again but they put up a much stronger showing than in 2000. I’m sure George treasured his first experience of the Lord’s Pavilion. It was to be his last.
A year later, I learned that he had passed on to the Lord’s in the sky where, no doubt, he’s with his mates from under the Grand Stand recalling happy times gone by.
The West Indies will play an ICC World XI at Lord’s on May 31 with commentary on Wisden.com courtesy of Guerrilla Cricket.
