Lancashire League West Indians

[oldcolner]

A great BBC 4 programme features Leary Constantine Nelson, Wes Hall Accrington, Charlie Griffiths Burnley and Viv Richards Rishton talking about how different things were a good how East Lancs stole their hearts.
Great shots of cricket at these grounds and towns then and now including in Europe showing the Turf.
Well worth a watch on iPlayer
I remember it well ( my dad told me about Constantine! )

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...ast-lancashire

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Clive Lloyd at Haslingden was something else! The surrounding neighbourhood at Bentgate was not safe when he was batting!

An awesome hitter and a great guy to boot.

[exilecanada]

Costantine and Collie Smith were before my time, but do remember the other West Indians mentioned. I didn’t see Conrad Hunte mentioned, or did I miss something?

I have fond memories of the Lancs League, travelling round the various grounds, watching cricket, supping a few pints. If memory serves, Charlie Griffith had to shorted his run up, Turf wasn’t big enough for his normal run up. Plus, I would think the amateur batsmen were sh*t scared of him

[oldcolner]

Yes Hunte was at Enfield I think, but he wasn't mentioned nor were a few others - Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes were around Wes Halls time as well. I remember he started his run up at the sight-screen. Apparently the amateurs booked holidays when the top pros came!
Collie Smith was a lot later than Constantine who came before the war and I think after Wes Halls time so maybe you missed him.
Lots of stories of folk never having seen a black person before, so some folk felt they were superior.Constantine wanted to go back after his year was up, but his wife liked it and didn't want to go back so he ended up here for over 20 years and became Lord Constantine of Nelson.
Crowds of 7000 at Rishton contrasted with pictures of three men and a dog now.

[sinkov]

I can remember Charlie Griffiths saying in the LET when he first arrived, that he wouldn't be bowling bouncers to amateur batsmen, it was too dangerous for them. Some of the amateur batsmen were better than Charlie thought, he was soon enough bowling bouncers at them.
Conrad Hunt was at Enfield, he occasionally turned up to bowl at us Accy Grammar lads in the nets on Queens Rd West, only a couple of
hundred yards from Enfield's ground on Dill Hall Lane. He once agreed to play in a Sunday charity game at Great Harwood. My cousin opened the bowling in those days for Harwood, he dug in a short one at Conrad, not the thing to do in such a game, and broke his finger, which forced Enfield to find a substitute pro for a couple of games. Cousin Jim was not flavour of the month for a long while after that.
I spent most of the summers back then watching Accrington, and when Wes Hall was pro I once tried to copy one of his favourite tricks. Walking back to his mark he would toss the ball in the air and head it back into his hand. How he did it I don't know, his forehead must have been like iron, I did it once and ended up with a huge lump on my forehead and a splitting headache, I never tried it again.

[alfinyalcabo]

Wasn't he known as Chucker Griffiths ? Sure he used to throw it instead of bowl it ..

[oldcolner]

I didn’t realise Sobers was driving when Collie Smith was killed in 1959 age 26

http://www.cricketcountry.com/articl...t-career-30733