West Indies v Nottinghamshire

 

West Indies first played at Trent Bridge in 1900 – fifty years before their first Test in Nottingham – when Billy Gunn scored a century and took seven wickets in the match as the home county won by an innings.

In 1906, George Challenor (108) became the first West Indian batter to score a century at Trent Bridge.  Wilf Payton and John Gunn scored hundreds for Notts in a drawn game.

Tom Turner, later to captain the First XI, and Charles James made Notts debuts.

It was seventeen years before they appeared again at Trent Bridge. The 1923 match was another draw, in which Sir Learie Constantine made his first appearance at Trent Bridge (his father Lebrun Constantine was in the 1900 team). He was, though, outshone by Cyril ‘Snuffy’ Browne who took 7-97 in Notts second innings.  Challenor and Percy Tarliton shared a double century stand to secure the draw.

In 1928, Arthur Carr made exactly 100 in a drawn match in which George Vernon Gunn made his First-Class debut.

During this match, King George V and Queen Mary visited the ground and were presented to both teams. This was the first occasion on which the King and Queen visited a cricket ground outside London.

Harold Larwood in 1928 also met West Indies on the Test arena, playing in the Lord’s and Oval tests. The first test – the visitors’ first in England – was at Lord’s; Larwood took one wicket as England won comfortably.

‘Tich’ Freeman and Wally Hammond made their England debuts. At The Oval (3rd Test) Larwood took 3-41 in another easy England win.

In 1933, Manny Martindale took 8-66 in Nottinghamshire’s first innings. For Notts, Stafford Castledine made the first of his five First-Class appearances in yet another draw.

 West Indies’ first win at Trent Bridge – by innings and 94 – came in 1939.  Learie Constantine starred with the ball, taking 6-50 and 3-37.  With the bat, George Headley made 234 and Derek Sealy 115 in stand of 230 as the visitors posted 510; Notts made 149 and 267.

The 1950 county game was just three weeks before Test at Trent Bridge. It resulted in another innings win for the West Indies and another double hundred – Everton Weekes making 279 out of 525-5 dec.

Notts used nine bowlers of whom two, Peter Harvey and Freddie Stocks, conceded 100+ runs. Cecil Williams and Frank Worrell each took five in an innings for West Indies.

Since those two games in 1950, West Indies have been regular visitors in Test Matches and One-Day cricket and last played vs Nottinghamshirre in 1988.

 

July 2024