Clifford Roach - first West Indian opening bat to score Test half-century

CRICKET: West Indies cricket before 1950 – now that is a long time ago. And if the question is asked as to who was the first West Indian cricketer – an opening batsman at that to score a half-century in Test cricket? Is it one of the famous ‘W’s” - Worrel, Weekes or Walcolt?

No, should be the answer. It is by a cricketer by the name of Clifford Archibald Roach who is not familiar to Sri Lankan followers.

Roach introduced himself to Test cricket by being run out for a ‘duck’ in the first-ever Test between England and West Indies at Lord’s in 1928. He did better in the second innings of this game, scoring 16 before being caught by Percy Chapman off Maurice Tate.

In the next Test, he hit 50 in the first innings, a knock which drew unstinted praise from critics who saw the effort at Manchester. Then, in the second innings, Roach, who looks the part of a duck when he walks to the wicket – waddle and all – got the second of many ducks he was to “farm” in his astonishing career.

George Headley 176

In scoring that fifty at Manchester, he became the first West Indian opening bat to notch a half-century in Test and even though the islanders were beaten by an innings in each of the Tests of that series, the chroniclers could not take their pens and minds off “....that fearless opening batsman who had no respect at all, for Harold Larwood”....! Other critics had much more to write and say about Roach when the MCC came to the Caribbean in 1930.

The Trinidadian opened the series by cracking 122 – first century in a Test by a West Indian – at Bridgetown. This, by the way was a memorable game for another “great” in West Indian and world cricket – George Headley, who scored 176 in West Indies second innings.

Came the next Test, at Port-of-Spain, on Roach’s own hunting ground, Queen’s Park Oval, Roach, b Voce O, Roach c Sandham, b Voce O! That was Clifford Roach’s contribution to his team’s innings in the only Test match England won.

Roach great knock

So, the selectors decided to omit him from the side scheduled to meet the Englishmen in the third Test at Bourda. When the hot-tempered Guianese got wind of the team – pickers’ intentions, they hotly declared: “If Roach is not playing, we’ll boycott the blooming Test.....”

So Roach was retained. He chose this occasion to play the greatest knock of his flamboyant career, belting the England attack for 209 runs and sharing in a stand with Headley (who hit the first of his two-in-a-match 100s).

As long as this recorder of cricketing achievements lives, Roach’s knock at Bourda will remain fresh in memory. Gough Calthorpe knew not where to place his men to staunch the flow of runs.

Later, one of the England players, discussing that memorable day’s play declared: “We could understand Headley; he hit the ball with power and precision and even though we could find no ready answer to his batting, it was always possible to get him out. But not Roach. He was a law unto himself. Voce, Haig, Rhodes, nobody at all could tame him...”!

Roach formed two bowlers who could tame him when he revisited Lord’s with G.C. Gant’s West Indies team in 1933. Gubby Allen bowled him for a duck and Sutchliffe caught him off Macaulay’s blowing to complete his second “Test Pair’.

As on the 1928 tour, Roach had happier hunting at Manchester, hitting 13 and 64 in a game which went down into the books as an all-in “bodyline” battle between Douglas Jardine, Learie Constantine and Emmanuel Martindale. Jardine came out winner, having hit 127 defiant runs.

The third Test, at the Oval belonged largely to England. England won by an innings.

But not all of the honours went to Marriot (who bagged 11 wickets), Bakelvell (who blazed a century) and Charles Barnelt (who belted a late – order 52). No all of the plaudits were not reserved for these match winners.

Roach in full flight

Roach, furious at being dismissed for only eight in the first innings, justifiably humiliated at West Indies paltry total of 100, marched to the middle in the second innings with vengeance in his brave heart.

The first fall he received from Nobby Clark was cuffed for one of the most vicious sixes seen in the vicinity of he Gasometer!Roach’s slaughter of the England bowlers ended when Marriot won an appeal for lbw.

For the rest of that day and for the rest of the week, nobody talked about anything else than Roach’s initial attack on the England bowlers in West Indies second innings.

Roach never settled down

In between the goings-on in the West Indies in 1930 and the England tour of 1933, West Indies went to Australia for the first time. Roach began well, scoring 56 in the opening Test at Adelaide, but never quite settled down in the other Tests.He would up his career during the MCC visit to the Caribbean in 1935, scoring a modest 9 (c Paine b Farnes) and 10 (not out). But the best of Roach was seen, not at Adelaide, Manchester or even British Guiana, where he made that astonishing 209 – nor at the Oval, where he blazed 180, including 100 before lunch, in 1933!No, Roach’s greater knocks came during Inter-Colonial Tournaments at home.

Clifford Roach is among the greatest West Indies cricketers, one of the best stroke – making opening batsmen ever to face a new ball. He blazed the tail which later traversed by other West Indian players.