Crikwik

The gentleman I didn’t know until fifteen years later

In 1960, Corentyne High School (CHS) and Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) were engaged in two sporting activities, cricket and table tennis. There was a particular gentleman whose timely intervention prevented a young table tennis player from displaying unsportsmanlike behavior. Hours later, in the cricket match, the gentleman again made his presence felt in resolving a matter which was beginning to look ugly…

Yet for all I didn’t know who that gentleman was until fifteen years later. I might as well tell you that the first instance when the gentleman stepped in the table tennis match, I got the impression that he was the Games Master or some other official of the school, but certainly not the person I later discovered to be.

Under brilliant sunshine, and a strong wind that was blowing across the Port Mourant Community Centre cricket ground, our skipper Nazir Khan and Ivor Liverpool, a former Berbice High School (BHS) student opened the BEI innings. Interestingly enough, Nazir had just started to teach at BEI, and the first ball he faced from medium-pacer Matadial he was adjudged LBW and showed his displeasure by walking around the ground, but would not return to the pavilion. This was an act no BEI player would have thought of, much less perform! Nazir would not budge, come Hell and high water! While observing from the pavilion a ‘mischievous’ thought crossed my mind. Might as well, get a TD 18 International tractor from one of the sugar estates to drag him off the pitch. Even then that might not suffice! Ten minutes had elapsed, going on to fifteen… Out strode a former CHS old boy and principal of BEI Alfred A. Ramlochan who was more inclined to use his ‘charm’ rather than his influence to resolve the tricky situation. Sad to say, neither did work.

The packed community centre cricket ground was beginning to get restless. They had come to witness a cricket match, not to look at a puppet show. Twenty-five minutes had gone by so quickly and then there was a big uproar from the CHS camp which caught my attention. I recall seeing the gentleman who had intervened in the table tennis match during the morning session wending his way on to the cricket ground. The gusting wind seemed to be pushing him back, but he peruse relentlessly with his right hand holding down his hat, his left hand was on his tie and the back of his jacket flopping about aimlessly. As he approached the wicket, the gentleman beckoned both umpires and the skipper of the CHS side (sadly, I don’t know his name) and in less than a minute the matter was resolved. Nazir was reinstated and continued his batting, but not for long! The gentleman was given a rousing ovation as he exit himself from the field, feeling quite satisfied for the job he had done. The last ball of the opening over saw Nazir playing across to Matadial and was comprehensively bowled. There was no dispute this time! Matadial took advantage of the prevailing wind and had the BEI players in all sorts of problem. He maintained a steady line and length and accounted for half the side which fell for under 50 runs.

I came in next with one over to tea. Left-arm spinner Roop Singh was introduced into the attack, and I played the first three deliveries with a straight ball, the next three were loose balls which I dispatched to the on side for three consecutive boundaries. This brought the crowd alive, and among those witnessing the match at the time were my boyhood hero, West Indies star batsman Basil Butcher and national off-spinner Indal Persaud who had just arrived at the ground for their usual practice session. Resuming after tea, I had to face up to Matadial, scoring two runs off the first ball, and the next I thought I had the ‘eyes’ of a Joe Solomon, attempted a cut shot on a ball which was pitched straight on the off stump, missed and had my stumps spread-eagled for 14 runs. Still on Joe, if you wake him in the middle of the night and send him out to bat, the first shot he would play is the cut shot. He was one of the best cutters the game had known. Joe Solomon who is one of the three inductees of the First CHS-JCCSS Sports Hall of Fame will be remembered for the most famous throw in cricket folklore. BEI had managed to get 75 runs, with opening batsman Ivor Liverpool carrying his bat through the innings for 21 runs. Matadial was the most outstanding bowler for CHS side taking six wickets for 32 runs.

When CHS batted it was left-handed stroke player Edmund Carpen who not only put our bowlers to the sword, but right from the start he batted with superb mastery that reduced our bowlers in a couple of overs to mediocrity While his partner was being made to look like a fumbling amateur at the other end, and Edmund cut, drove and pulled with authority. There were moments of thick edges to third man and the odd mistimed drive, in an innings otherwise marked by patience and terrific shot selection. He pulverized the attack to all parts of the ground, and so often I had to retrieve the ball after it struck the boundary board. The ebullient batsman raced to his fifty with the aid of nine blistering boundaries, and seemed all set to win the match on his own. A lofty cut to backward point, and CHS romped home to victory by eight wickets. Carpen displayed great potential and had the making of a fine batsman. So much was in stored for him, all but an auto cycle accident which cut down his life in the prime of his youth sometime in the early 1970s. What a tragic way to go! I recall doing a story on him in the Guyana Graphic. Someday I hope to retrieve the story either from the Guyana Archives or the Daily Chronicle and have it published on this website.

Earlier in the morning the table tennis competition between CHS and BEI was played in one of the adjoining buildings of the Corentyne High where the first incident occurred. Port Mourant has been known to produce outstanding table tennis players over the years, be it at schools or at the community center. The CHS had on its line-up the versatile Phillip Mohabir. Mohabir was a member of the formidable Port Mourant Community Center team which comprised of outstanding players as Latchman Doobay, Isaac Seunarine, Bragraj Rawan (whatever happened to Rawan? he was such a fine attacking player), the Ross’s brothers Selwyn and Frederick. It was a foregone conclusion that CHS would emerge winners after winning the first two games in fine style. The third and final game saw the aggressive Phillip Mohabir at his menacing best. He had his man from BEI in all sorts of problem, leaving him bewitched, bothered and bewildered. Mohabir won convincingly 21-1. The next game, Mohabir did the unthinkable! A right-handed player, Mohabir decided to switch hand, and was about to start serving with his left hand, when an immaculately dressed gentleman stepped in and put a stop to it. No sooner the nervy looking Mohabir resorted back to his usual right hand play, only this time he was less flamboyant and allowed his opponent to score a few points before clinching victory.

I well remembered the names of only three players on the CHS side. They were medium-pacer Matadial who got my wicket. Matadial, eventually rose to the top position of Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) of Guyana where he served with distinction for a number of years. Singh, the left-arm spinner whose loose balls I put away to the leg side for three consecutive boundaries, and of course, the late Edmund Carpen. Years later, I became a friend of the brothers of Edmund Carpen and Singh. Leon Carpen, the brother of Edmund was teaching at Vryman’s Erven Primary School in New Amsterdam, and I was working at Fort Canje Hospital. During lunch hour Leon would meet me at the Graphic Book Store in Charlotte Street, and from there we would go and have lunch at Danny Coddette’s restaurant. They served up the best stewed chicken and rice in town, and you can also get the best parched nuts for less than a dollar. Next door to Coddette was Chu’s Snakette for the good quality pastries and milk shakes. What Chu was to New Amsterdam, I was told Harris was to Rose Hall Town! Friday was sort of special and something we look forward to. We would go to Juman Bacchus Cook Shop in Pitt Street for the most exquisite of dishes, hassa curry and rice and then wash down with a glass of mauby.

Like Leon, I met Roop Singh at the Graphic Book store, and immediately we struck up a friendship. Quiet, unassuming, composed and reserved Roop at the time was working at the Supreme Courts in Princess Elizabeth Road, New Amsterdam, and I was still working at Fort Canje Hospital and doing what I loved best, reporting sports and writing feature stories for the Guyana Graphic. Devan Narine, another CHS old boy was also at the courts as the Registrar. I met Devan three years ago when he attended a science workshop at the New York Hall of Science. In 1958, I can see in my mind’s eyes an impressive sight of a teenager going in to bat at the Mental Hospital ground. The first shot he displayed with a flourish; a typical on drive which he dispatched to the boundary. Devan was the youngest player on the Port Mourant side which included among others, former West Indies and Guyana star batsman Robert Christiani, Rex Ramnarace, Indal Persaud, Cecil “Tamboo” Jagnanan, Basil “Smallie” Mohabir, Peter Rawana and that stylish but competent wicket-keeper/opening batsman Charlie Bissoon against a powerful Mental Hospital side in a Davson Cup final. Mental Hospital’s prolific batsman Vic Harnanan scored the only century in the match, a belligerent 120. Port Mourant’s all rounder Indal Persaud gave an incredible alround performance, scoring 65 runs and returned with the ball to secure five wickets for 65 runs. This apparently was good enough to land him a job at Mental Hospital. The Medical Superintendent Dr.Grandsoulte was so please with Persaud’s performance that he gave the approval for him to be a member of the staff. This match was described by no less an authority than the then District Commissioner Wilton A. Angoy who apparently was the first secretary of the British Guiana Cricket Board of Control (BGCBC) as the best final ever played on that ground.

Like Leon before him, Roop and I would meet every day during lunch break at the Graphic Book store. Seem as though the book store was our rendezvous! Apparently, Roop was very fond of a particular young lady who was attending Berbice High School. Roop would make it a habit and use my bicycle to take the young lady back to school. Eventually, they got married, and what I gathered recently was that Roop’s wife shook off a life threatening ailment and literally rose from death’s bed and went and peruses her dream. The good part was that she was able to acquire her PhD in Education on the one hand, while the sad part was my dear friend Roopsingh with whom I spent quality time and was a gentleman in the true sense had passed away. I will forever cherish his friendship for the number of years we knew each other, as well as that of Leon Carpen, wherever he might be.

In 1975, fifteen years later, there was a cricket match between Corentyne High School (CHS) and Comprehensive High School (CHS) in the Firestone Cup at the Fort Canje Hospital cricket ground. Comprehensive’s leg spinner and googly wizard Mahindra Madramootoo was having a field day. The CHS players were finding it extremely difficult to negotiate the googly which was responsible for wickets falling in quick succession. A number of us, including Hospital Administrator Chetram Singh, Leslie Amsterdam, President of the Berbice Cricket Board and a National selector, former Berbice and Guyana off-spinner Indal Persaud, Guyana and West Indies opening batsman Leonard Baichan, and Fort Canje Hospital middle-order batsman Lackraj Harry were seated at the upper level of the pavilion enjoying the match. There were also other students and officials from both sides looking on.

I recall the young matchstick Samuel Duke and Raymond Ahmad poking fun at an elderly gentleman, who apparently seemed to be enjoying it. I immediately accosted both boys for their behavior and told them to show some respect to their elders. “That’s my principal!” said that deadly tennis “Turk” called Duke. “What!” “Who?” “I asked?” I was flabbergasted! I remember well the two incidents which remained as fresh as the day it occurred more than fifteen years ago, and the gentleman who had officiated in both of them had not changed much; if anything at all he had aged gracefully. The feature had remained actually the same over the years, and as usual he was fully attired in his suite, tie and hat. Duke did the honors of introducing me to Mr. Chandisingh, and his first reaction was that he was reading my articles ever since in both the Berbice Times and Guyana Graphic. I knew the Chandisinghs before, three of them, the former Minister of Health in the PPP Cabinet; we were neighbors in New Amsterdam. I met him again when I was transferred to Georgetown Hospital; Ranji Chandisingh was the secretary of the PNC party who would invite me to attend “bottom house” meetings which for obvious reasons I never attended. Rohan Chandisingh and I became good friends when we were reporting for the Berbice Times. Ralph Chandisingh was a Govt. Information Officer who would share sports news with me. Mr. J.C. Chandisingh was the last of the Chandisingh dynasty I was privilege to meet- mind you, I saw him fifteen years ago, not knowing that he was the gentleman!

He was surprised more than anything else when I mentioned the two incidents he intervened in 1960 when Corentyne High took on BEI at cricket and table tennis, as no one has ever brought them up. I was curious to know what he did or said to get the match going, after the principal of BEI Alfred Ramlochan had failed in his attempt to get Nazir Khan to return to the pavilion after he was given out LBW. He said that he summoned the skipper of CHS and the two umpires and told them: “Look, it’s only a game, let’s get on with it” So the match got underway after twenty-five minutes delay. We spoke at length on the sterling contributions made by the former students of CHS to local and West Indies cricket. He was extremely proud of Ivan Madray, Basil Butcher and Joe Solomon (all three players have been inducted into CHS-JCCSS Sports Hall of Fame, and they not only proved to be great ambassadors but brought much credit to the school. At the time Corentyne High School stood out like a beacon as being the only school in the Ancient County to produce not one but three Test cricketers. I recall what the newly elected president of Guyana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, a son of the soil told us, Navin Chanderpaul, Moses Nagamootoo, Komal Chand and Mrs. Janet Jagan at a Xmas party about Guyana being recognized by her cricketers. While in opposition, Dr. Jagan toured a number of countries around the world, and there were instances where people could not cipher out Guyana, and more often than not mistook it for somewhere else. According to Dr. Jagan once he mentioned the names of certain players, Kanhai, Solomon, Butcher, Gibbs and Lloyd, they knew immediately the country he was referring to. I guess after the 1978 Jonestown tragedy, Guyana became the easiest place to find on the map. Matter of fact it was much easier to find than say Miss Phoebe and Portuguese Quarter!

Madray who died on April 23, 2010 at the age of 74 first played Test cricket against Pakistan in 1958 but had only a limited Test career. He played in just two matches. Whenever Berbice cricket is being discussed, the name Ivan Madray would feature prominently as being one of the finest, if not the finest to have emerged from the Ancient County. Madray’s movie-star good looks only accentuated his considerable popularity and with the ball he was capable of confounding even the best batsman on his day. He gave the art of leg spin bowling a new dimension in the 1950s and 1960s for which we will forever be grateful. In action he was beautiful to watch as he glides to the wicket, like a man moving on a cushion of air and then attacks the batsman with that wonderful delivery action which seems like poetry in motion, sure he was. Ivan Madray will certainly go down as a legend in Berbice cricket. They say legend never dies!

In a career spanning just over a decade, Basil Butcher, the attractive stroke player with the “twinkle-toes” established himself as one of the most dependable West Indian middle order batsman. His brilliant, if not, destructive batting, his ability to play typical West Indian cricket- was greatly appreciated in the early stages of the 1963 tour to England. He had been particularly consistent, especially in the early stages of the tour. He, time and again, pulled the West Indies team out of embarrassing situations when the other greats had failed, and his century at Lord’s-recognized as the home of cricket’s holiest of holiest- set him down as one of the few West Indian players to be personally appreciated by the English crowd on the tour. He made 1,294 runs at an average of 44.60 and his average of 47.80 in Tests made him affixture. Butcher developed a reputation as a conscientious batsman, who was notoriously difficult to get out.

Although his cricket was never as gregarious as many of his contempories, Joe Solomon could invariably be relied upon to plug any gap in the batting or bowling department, when the more extravagant players disappoint. Indeed the value of his contributions was most keenly felt after he left the Test scene, and for a couple of years there was no obvious candidate for the West Indies to turn to when stars failed to shine. Australia was set 233 to win and the result was the first tie in the history of Test cricket. This unique result could not have been achieved without Solomon’s resilient batting and extraordinary fielding in running out two Australians (Davidson and Meckiff) in their second innings although in each case he stood side ways, and had only one stump to aim at. For a long time as he lives, Solomon will be remembered for the most famous throw in cricket folklore, and his other achievements paled by comparison.

During our conversation I was deeply touched not only by Mr. Chandisingh’s soft spoken voice-his eloquence and how he articulate in selecting his words carefully-and the way in which he expressed his belief, whether he was discussing the achievements of his students-academically or otherwise-or his passion for sports, cricket in particular, but simply for his humility and grandeur. We were in conversation for the greater part of the afternoon, and the way how we knock it off is as though we had known each other for a long time. Our discussion was centered mainly on the three Test players but we played around with the plethora of outstanding players who had done CHS proud. The Baksh brothers, Amin and Zamin, Martin Appalsamy and Chando Narine had given yeoman service to both Berbice and Guyana in volley-ball, and in table tennis Phillip Mohabir, Selwyn Ross and Anan Sookram were a force to be reckoned with. Anan Sookram had the distinct honor of winning the Caribbean Junior Table Tennis Championship. Richard McKenzie did excel in athletics, and so did Derrick Kallicharran, Tyrone Etwaroo, Tyrone Ramnarine, Radhay Solomon, Jubraj Sewsankar, Ralph Armogan, AK Jagnandan, and Roy Girdharry in cricket. The versatile Reggie Etwaroo was a class all by himself in the outfield. The impression I gathered from our discussion was that Mr. Chandisingh would have preferred to have an annual Sportsman and Sportswoman Award, hereby giving due recognition to the men and women who had excelled in the field of sports during the course of the year. I’m quite certain that had he being alive today he would have been equally delighted with the introduction of the CHS-JCCSS Sports Hall of Fame, the highest sports honor and is awarded for international recognition in the field of cricket. At the end of our discussion, one could not hope to find a more charming and affluent gentleman as Mr. Chandisingh. I sensed that he was a very proud man; proud in the sense of his students; all those who have past through Corentyne High on their accomplishments and achievements. They eventually ventured out and made a great difference far and wide.

Credit: SR

Crikwik

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