Former Barbados and West Indies fast bowler Sir Charles Griffith was the toast of the town on Monday evening as a statue of the legendary cricketer was unveiled at Kensington Oval, with Prime Minister Mia Mottley saying it should serve as inspiration for the rest of the population.
Speaking at a ceremony at the place that is also the location of a statue of National Hero Sir Garfield Sobers, Mottley said: “These statues that are here outside of Kensington will forever stand as an inspiration for the rest of us to know that if all of us do the same thing that a cricket team does on a playing field, playing together as a team, bringing together the opportunities for our people, I have every confidence that we will be looking back and wondering where are we going to put all of these statues for all of these people that have dominated this game.”
“What we are seeing here is only just the beginning,” she added.
Sir Charles, speaking at the ceremony in his honour, said the key to his success had been hard work.
“I am an ordinary poor boy from St Lucy but because of hard work and diligence, I was able to achieve my dreams. My success has led me to believe that anyone can accomplish anything that they set out to do,” Sir Charles told his audience which also included Chief Justice Sir Pattenson Cheltenham, former Chief Justice Sir David Simmons, Cameron Cammie Smith, the oldest living West Indian cricketer, Sir Wes Hall, Joel Garner, Minister of Sports Charles Griffith, Minister of Housing Dwight Sutherland, and Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne.
The 85-year-old thanked his parents for the discipline they instilled in him when he was a child and praised his headmaster at St Clements Boys School, the late Ignatius Byer, for the role he played in his development as a cricketer as a student. St Clements Boys School was renamed the Ignatius Byer Primary School.
“It has produced two West Indies fast bowlers – Charles Griffith and Kemar Roach. I am looking forward to the day when the school will produce great West Indies batsmen,” Sir Charles joked.
The former feared fast bowler said he was delighted to be a member of the West Indies team that toured England under the leadership of Sir Frank Worrell in 1963. He said his stint with the Lanchester League in the 1960s enhanced his development as a cricketer.
Sir Charles, who became a successful businessman after he retired from international cricket, recalled the struggles he and his partners, the late Rawle Brancker, Peter Lashley and Amory Philips faced when they founded the Barbados Lumber Company in the early 1970s.
“The Barbados Lumber Company at that time was the only black-owned lumber company in the island, and some people resented the fact that a group of black people had started a lumber company. The founding of the Barbados Lumber Company was one of my most difficult times off the cricket field. My partners and I accepted the challenge, and the Barbados Lumber Company became a success. Sadly, it is no longer around,” Sir Charles reminisced.
He thanked the Barbados Cricket Association, the Barbados Cricket League and the club he was associated with throughout the years for giving him the opportunity to serve them.
When Sir Charles arrived at Kensington Oval at 4:30 p.m, he was greeted with a melody of Spouge songs played by the Barbados Police Service Band under the baton of the director of music Senior Superintendent Andrew Lynch.
(DH)
