Arise, Sir Reverend Wesley

By Dave Bracegirdle

One of the greatest servants of West Indies’ cricket has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Diamond Jubilee Honours List.

Wes Hall, the former fast bowler who terrorised opposing batsmen during the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, was the most high-profile of the nine Barbadians to be given an award.

Hall, who claimed 192 Test wickets from his 48 appearances, was the first West Indian to take a hat-trick in Test cricket and later became president of the West Indies Cricket Board.

Born in 1937, Hall first represented the West Indies in India in 1958 and bowled the final over of the famous tied Test in Brisbane, two years later.

He was renowned for being able to bowl very long spells, at great pace, despite coming in off a very long run. For much of his international career he shared the new ball with fellow-Barbadian Charlie Griffith and the pair have a stand jointly named after them at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

After retiring, Hall served the West Indies Cricket board in a number of roles, including tour manager and selector, but he also entered politics, becoming his country’s Minister of Tourism in 1987 and served in the Barbados Senate and House of Assembly.

Hall was later ordained as a minister in the Christian Pentecostal Church and it is for his contribution to his community and sport that he has had this award bestowed upon him.

One of the truly fearsome fast bowlers of world cricket will now be known as Sir Reverend Wesley Winfield Hall.
 

Date: 16/06/2012 12:00:00 by Dave Bracegirdle
In: Today | England |