Calypso `Collie' - too young to die

by A. C. de Silva

Remember that outstanding West Indian cricketer Collie Smith? He came by his end due to spine fracture in a car crash at the prime of his life. He was 27 years old - too young to die!

Two other West Indian cricketers who were injured in the same crash - Garfield Sobers and Tom Dewdney came through the accident and has recovered. The car in which they were driving came in collision with a 10-ton cattle wagon on that fateful day near Stone Staffordshire.

According to reports the three of them were on their way to London to play in a charity match when the collision had taken place.

Collie Smith's friend Garfield Sobers was at the wheel of the car and the other cricketer Tom Dewdney too was in the vehicle when met head-on on that fateful day in September 1959 in London.

Collie Smith was 26 years old then. His full name was O'Neill Gordon Smith, was meted for his infectious enthusiasm.

Along with Sobers, he helped the West Indies to go a long way towards building a side to be feared as much as were the Caribbeans when Weekes, Worrell and Walcott - the famous Ws - were on the cricket scene.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica on May 5th, 1933, Smith was `Collie' to all, a name he traces back to the day when his grandmother changed his nickname of "Garl" to "Carlie" to distinguish him from his best friend.

Collie Smith was one of the outstanding West Indian cricket personalities. He was a punishing right handed batsman, a scintillating stroke maker and a splendid field.

Smith made 44 and 104 in his first Test against Australia. He was also a useful off-break bowler. Then earlier, he hit Lindwall, Miller, Johnstone and Benaud for 169 in the opening match of the Australian tour.

He completed the `double' by scoring 161 at Birmingham in 1957 off an England attack that included Statham, Trueman, Bailey, Laker and Lock. Smith played in all five Tests against England that year topping the averages with 396 runs, average 30.60 and Englishmen expected him to add further to their worries on the coming tour.

He played 26 Tests, made 1,331 runs (Avg. 31.69) and took 48 wickets for 1,625 runs (Avg. 33.85).

He had not yet reached his prime when he met with the accident in the car driven by his great friend Gary Sobers. Smith's body was taken back to Jamaica where over 60,000 people attended the funeral.

Outstanding cricketers

Garfield Sobers - his erstwhile friend says: "I did not drink a lot.

But this sudden sad episode changed my life for some time and forced me to drink." he was three years elder to me and potentially one of the most outstanding cricketers the country has produced," says Sobers.

During the 1957 tour of England, he showed his class, we used to call him "The mighty mouse" "The wayside Preacher" because he liked reading the lesson in Church", added Sobers.

Collie Smith was a admirer of England's opening batsman David Sheppard who went into the Church and became the Bishop of Liverpool. Collie Smith was such a great pal of Sobers that the duo shared a room on tours in England and also in Pakistan.

On the night of 6th of September, "I picked him and Tow Dewdney up to travel through the right to a charity match the next day in London. Tom Dewdney was a big Jamaican - a fast bowler who played a Tests between 1955 and 1958," said Sobers.

The West Indian star all-rounder Sobers said that he was "blinded" by the crash but none of them lost consciousness. Collie Smith was such a nice guy and he promptly said: "Don't worry about me. Look after the big fellow," he told Sobers, referring to Tom Dewdney.

Sobers had a cut eye and a severed nerve in a finger on his left hand. In hospital when Sobers inquired about Collie Smith, the doctors and nurses said that Smith was coming along fine-his spinal cord was damaged. Three days later, however, Collie Smith died.

Sobers was stunned and said that he had lost a good friend in a passing farewell message, Sobers said: "Collie provided the stabilising influence in my life. Now that Collie has gone, I have nothing else to do."