Photo Credit: Cricket West Indies
Amid glowing tributes paid to the cricketing excellence of West Indies legend Sir Everton Weekes, Prime Ministers Mia Mottley of Barbados and Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines have drawn attention to his brilliance and how he was able to rise above hardship to become one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Mottley said Sir Everton, who died on Wednesday at the age of 95, was “one of the most brilliant men that I have met as a Barbadian, with a turn of phrase and humour second to none”. Dr Gonsalves hailed Sir Everton as “a splendid example of the best in our Caribbean civilization”.
“His life story represents the best of the Bajan journey – committed and confident, stylish and classy, dignified and urbane to the very end; a global citizen with Bajan roots,” she said.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, I salute Sir Everton as a true representation of the Barbadian can-do spirit; as a perfect example of perseverance over adversity; the embodiment of what our country requires today to beat back the bouncers of COVID-19, climate change and the economic inequality that we face day after day from rich and powerful nations.”
The cricketing great who was knighted in 1995, represented Barbados from 1944 until 1964, the West Indies from 1948 until 1958, and recorded a distinguished career of league cricket in England.
Dr. Gonsalves noted that while remembering him as “one of the titans of batsmanship and cricket in the post-war period”, he also said the Barbadian was “an exemplar as a human being, a gentleman”.
“Sir Everton possessed a fine, analytic mind…. I would remember him as perhaps the best between-overs commentator in Test cricket. He spoke things in simple, clear language. He saw far more than normal human beings could see at the game. You listen to him, and it was a joy as great as watching the cricket itself. He would bring history, science, art and technical knowledge with a Barbadian earthiness – always grounded in our Caribbean civilization,” he said. “We are not going to see another like him for another generation or two; they come once in a blue moon. We had three of them – the 3Ws – born within a small radius of each other…. For a small country, a small island, Barbados to produce such extraordinary talent, you can’t conjure this up in fiction.”
