Sobers and Hadlee draw crowds to Caribbean Festival
by Alan Rowley, 31st May 2004

Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Richard Hadlee were guests of honour at the hugely successful Dunstall Caribbean Festival, which featured an exhibition game with former Test and county players from England and the West Indies. With stars such as Alvin Kallicaharran, Jimmy Adams, Roland Butcher, Gladstone Small and the ever popular Derek Randall playing, the event was guaranteed to draw large Bank Holiday crowds.

Sir Richard Hadlee

Sir Garfield Sobers

On a glorious afternoon, several hundred guests gathered in the marquee next to the pavilion to enjoy a Sunday lunch with a difference. With a menu boasting food with a distinct Caribbean feel, washed down with an endless flow of wine and entertainment from a steel band, the 'Hooray Henrys' were out in force. With Royal Ascot and Wimbledon just around the corner, it was an ideal opportunity to exercise the stiff little finger and raise a glass to the Queen.

For the ordinary punters gathered outside the marquee, there was an unmissable opportunity to grab a few autographs and take snaps for the photo album. And what an opportunity it was as World famous Test cricketers from the last 20 years mingled with club members, local dignitaries and Bank Holiday day-trippers.

The event was organised to finance a second ground for use by the third XI and three Youth teams. Dunstall President Barry Morgan said: "Development of a thriving Youth section has always been a priority, with qualified coaches providing specialist tuition. Sadly, significant grant aid is unlikely to be available."

Crowds at the Dunstall Caribbean Festival

Following a rum punch reception provided by National Club Cricket sponsors Cockspur Rum, guests settled down to enjoy the lunch followed by speeches from the guests of honour. Sobers was first up and he chatted to master of ceremonies Duncan McKenzie. Reminiscing about his Test days and mentioning the West Indies struggle to get the better of Bangladesh, Sobers was in good form.

Hadlee took the stage next. Always a great speaker, the former New Zealand star entertained the crowd with a 15 minute speech recalling his Test playing days. Singling out former players in the crowd for special treatment, Hadlee took great pleasure in recalling the last ball he bowled in Test cricket which saw club pro Devon Malcolm dismissed for a duck. Bill Athey also came in for the Hadlee treatment as the New Zealander recalled dismissing the former England Test player without scoring.

Basharat Hassan, Sir Garfield Sobers, Duncan McKenzie and Sir Richard Hadlee
pose with the 5000 Test runs autographed bat

Hadlee was a pleasure to listen to and he put the guests into a relaxed mood prior to reaching for their wallets to bid in the auction. In line with the rest of the day, Dunstall had pulled out all the stops and put together a cracking selection of auction items. Autographed bats are always popular, but this bat wasn't your usual fodder. This bat was signed by batsmen who who had achieved 5000 runs in Test cricket in 1991, including Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Vivian Richards, Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar. It was knocked down for a cool £2,600.

Other items in the auction included signed prints of Sobers and Hadlee, a signed print of Frankie Dettori's Ascot seven out of seven and a private box for the Edgbaston Test including all food and liquid refreshment! However, pride of place in the auction was accommodation for two weeks in an exclusive four-bedroom villa in Barbados which went for a staggering £6,000, and this didn't include food or flights. This went a long way towards the auction total which was in excess of £15,000.

How many clubs would welcome an influx of funds of this magnitude? One event of this size would set the majority of clubs up for years.

The raffle prizes were also a little out of the ordinary. Not your run of the mill bottle of wine and tickets at £1 a strip, but a first prize of a magnificent 20" digital LCD television, and a second prize of a crate of champagne. Dunstall certainly have some very generous sponsors!

Cockspur Rum West Indies XI skipper Jimmy Adams is pictured above giving a few pre-match tips to Barwood England XI skipper Devon Malcolm.

At events like this, the sporting action can sometimes be a distraction for the assembled guests, but for the followers of the game, this was a perfect occasion to view some of the greats. The Cockspur Rum West Indies XI took to the crease first and it was Alvin Kalliicharran who showed glimpses of the brilliance that saw him hit 12 centuries in a 66 match Test career. Currently playing for Dunnington in the York Senior League, the 55 year old Guyanan left-hander still showed incredible timing in his unbeaten 47 run innings.

Former Windies skipper Jimmy Adams was also in good form in a brief cameo knock of an unbeaten 14. Now a pro for St Annes in the Northern Premier, Adams was very popular with the crowd and was followed everywhere by the autograph hunters.

Alvin Kallicharran

Jimmy Adams

Also a popular target for the fans was former England star Chris Lewis. Now playing for Clifton in the Derbyshire Premier, Lewis is still a fans favourite at events like this. Playing for the Barwood England XI, Lewis demonstrated an ability that took him to 32 Test matches. His all-round skills with bat and ball are still a joy to watch.

Arguably one of the most popular former England Test players is Nottinghamshire's Derek Randall. 'Rags' thrilled the crowd bringing back memories of his first class career which produced 28,000 runs and his three year still as Dunstall's skipper. Randall's enthusiasm for the game is admirable and the 53 year old shows little signs of slowing up.

Randall was joined by Roland Butcher to steer the England XI on to victory. Immigrant Butcher was the first black player to represent England in 1981 and he appropriately made his England debut at Bridgetown. Although he only played three Tests, Butcher's ability saw him guide Middlesex to many victories in his County career.

John Morris

Derek Randall

Other stars out for the day included John Morris, Devon Malcolm, Neil Smith, Collis King, Otis Gibson, Andrew Jackman and Tim Munton. Co-ordinating the day was former Nottinghamshire star Basharat Hassan. It was a memorable day for followers of the game and this reporter is now the delighted owner of a souvenir programme signed by my youthful heroes Sobers and Hadlee.

For the record the scores in the 20 over game were:
Cockspur Rum West Indies XI 136 for 6 (Kallicharran 47no, Adams 14no, Malcolm 2-14)
Barwood England XI 141 for 2 (Randall 40no, Lewis 32, Butcher 30no, Morris 27)
Barwood England XI won by 8 wickets