BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – NEWS coming out of Barbados states that West Indies fast bowling icon of the 1960s, the Reverend Wesley Winfield Hall was give a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his sterling contribution to sport and community.
And what better Father's Day gift could have been presented to this iconic former West Indian fast bowler.
According to Barbados Nation, this announcement was made by the Barbados government on Friday, June 15, 2012 and he had topped the list of nine Barbadians recognised by the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year.
Now formally known as Sir Wesley, the 74-year-old, 191 cm tall, powerfully built man, according to CMC, was hailed as an ‘unwavering servant of cricket” by West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President Julian Hunte.
“There are few in West Indies cricket who could be more deserving of such an illustrious honour as Wes Hall. Wes has been a true unwavering servant of cricket who fought for equality for West Indies on and off the field.
“He laboured for our game and our people because of his love for cricket and West Indians, and so diverse are his talents and skills that he has also served Barbados and the region in politics, religion and as a widely acclaimed and ever-popular speaker.”
The ordained Pentecostal Minister is the second former WICB President to be knighted following the late Sir Clyde Walcott. He is also the eight West Indian cricket greats to receive this distinguished appellation.
In addition to Sir Clyde, the others who were knighted for their services to cricket are the late Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte, Sir Garfield St. Aubrun ‘Garry’ Sobers, Sir Everton de Courcy Weekes and the late Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell, while Sir Learie Nicholas Constantine was knighted primarily for his work as a lawyer, politician and diplomat, and Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander ‘Viv’ Richards was created a Knight of the Order of the National Hero by the Antiguan government.
As a schoolboy, Hall cricketing career started as a wicket-keeper/batsman but converted to a bowler when the regular opener for his club failed to turn up.
According to Martin Williamson on ESPN cricinfo, “He took the new ball, six wickets, and never looked back.”
Having played only one first-class match Hall was included in the West Indies squad to tour England in 1957, but he was unimpressive as he struggled for form and with his run-up. He was however again called into the side to tour India and Pakistan in 1958-59.
On that tour, the genuine fast bowler made his Test debut against India and took 46 wickets in eight Tests, including a hat-trick against Pakistan, making him the first West Indian to achieve that feat.
Hall had played 48 Test matches during his 11-year career, and while opening bowling with fellow Barbadian Charles Christopher Griffith, the duo had terrified batsmen the world over with their pace attack, which had significantly assisted the West Indies in dominating this outdoor sport discipline.
Sir Wesley had featured in a number of memorable Tests and in what Williamson termed a “classic Tied Test” in 1961 at Brisbane, Hall captured nine wickets for 203 runs. He had bowled the last over with Australia needing six runs for victory with three wickets in hand.
Hall took one wicket, dropped a crucial catch and there were two run-outs.
Another epic finish was at Lord’s when he bowled unchanged for three and a half hours and took four for 93, breaking Colin Cowdrey’s arm in the process.
West Indies won their first Test series against Australia in the 1964-65 tour in which Hall’s 16-wicket haul was instrumental in that historic event.
In his 48 Tests of 92 innings, Hall bowled 10 421 balls and claimed 192 scalps for 5 066 runs at an average of 26.38. And in First-class, he was featured in 170 matches, bowled 28 095 balls and took 546 wickets for 14 273 runs at an average of 26.14.
Following his tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1968-69, Wes Hall retired from the game and became an Ordained Minister in 1990.
Hall was also actively involved in Barbados’ politics and served in both of that island’s Senate and House of Assembly. He also served as Minister of Tourism and Sport during the the Erskine Sandiford administration in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was credited for developing the sport tourism industry in that country.
Sir Wesley Winfield Hall had earned many accolades and commendations as a public speaker at public and private functions, and had also served West Indies cricket as administrator, from selector to team manager and ultimately as president of the West Indies Cricket Board from 2001 to 2003.
