Latest update January 6th, 2025 4:00 AM
Gibbs gives back to DCC
…challenges beneficiaries to aim high
FORMER Guyana and West Indies off spinner Lancelot Richard Gibbs, who is more known to the cricketing fraternity as Lance Gibbs, on Thursday afternoon last, donated a number of cricket equipment to members of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC), his home club.
Thanks a lot Lance! These must be the words going through the mind of DCC President Alfred Mentore, who accepts one of the bags from former Windies player Lance Gibbs, while other officials and club members share the moment.
Also receiving cricket gear in their absence, were two players each from Malteenoes Sports Club, Georgetown Cricket Club and Everest Cricket Club, who were chosen by DCC’s president Alfred Mentore and the club’s head coach Gavin Nedd.
Some of the recipients from DCC included Guyana Amazon Warriors duo Christopher Barnwell and Trevon Griffith and their national teammate Paul Wintz, Kemol Savory, Dexter George, Keanu Harry, Ashmead Nedd, Sagar Hetheramani and Jadell McAllister.
The other cricketers receiving gears are Steven Sankar and Vishal Narayan from MSC, Denesh Mangal and Darshan Persaud of Everest and Renaldo Mohammed and Devon Lord of GCC. The players were urged by Gibbs to make good use of the donation and to aim high in their cricketing endeavors.
Gibbs donation included jerseys, pants, wicketkeeping apparel, boots and scorebooks, while he described the last item as a crucial one in the development of a cricketer.
Gibbs made his national debut in 1953, having played at the club level alongside the late Berkeley Gaskin, Fred Wills, brothers Haniff and Saccoor Mohammed and Colin Wiltshire.
Gibbs who once held the record for being the leading wicket taker in Test cricket gained selection on the West Indies side after some good performances on the first class circuit (including 4-68 in the final of the Quadrangular Tournament against Barbados in 1956–57) when the regional team hosted Pakistan the following season.
He made his debut in the second Test at Port-of-Spain, taking four wickets in the match, and retained his place for the rest of the five-match series; his first five-wicket haul came when he claimed 5-80 in the fourth Test at Bourda.
He went on the tour to India in 1957–58, but played in only one Test, in which he went wicketless. The tour of Pakistan that immediately followed was a little more fruitful, with eight wickets in three games.
However, it was the 1960–61 tour of Australia that was to prove a turning point in his international career, wherein he played only in the last three Tests, but took 19 wickets at 20.78-8 at Sydney, 5 at Adelaide -including a hat-trick- and six at Melbourne.
The 78 year old Gibbs, who was the first of three West Indian bowlers to hold the record for most wickets in a test match, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh being the other two, regaled his audience that included Alfred, Nedd, Terry Cadogan and Ian John, on how he would prepare for the next day’s play in a three day encounter, while being a member of DCC.
“At the end of the day’s play, I would head home, wash my pants and in the morning before I leave, my sister would press it and make sure I am looking clean and good for the day’s play.
With that in mind, I am making this generous donation to the respective players and I wish for them, all the best in their future endeavors while at the same time I would like to encourage them to aim high and achieve world records,” said Gibbs.
DCC would be commencing their fourth Summer Camp today and the grey haired Gibbs, who got his then record breaking haul at an average of 29.09 from the 27, 115 deliveries he sent down in his 79 test match career that commenced on 5th February 1958 and culminated on the same day 18 years later, believes the camp is a good thing for the club.
“The Summer Camp would certainly serve the club’s nursery well, since the players would be coming through the ranks at a later date and going on to represent the club, County, country and if selected, the West Indies, for which some of them can look back and say, it all started here at DCC” posited Gibbs.
Alfred, himself a former national batsman applauded Gibbs – who also autographed the shoes he used during his playing days for the West Indies – for the timely gesture, saying some of the extra gears he presented, would be distributed to outstanding participants at the end of the upcoming Summer Camp.
“Certainly, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Gibbs for this fine and timely gesture, which I am sure will go a long way in helping the recipients realize their dreams of playing the game at the highest level, following which one day they can look back and say he was inspirational in helping them reach this far.”
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