By Tony Becca , Contributing EditorCRICKET FANS around the island will shortly be voting for Jamaica's top five cricketers in the past 75 years and yesterday at Sabina Park, Sir Garfield Sobers, the Barbadian and West Indian rated the greatest cricketer of all time, got the ball rolling with his selections.
According to the 'Great One', Jamaica's top five are batsman George Headley, fast bowler Courtney Walsh, fast bowler Michael Holding, batsman Lawrence Rowe, and left-arm spinner Alfred Valentine.
"When you think of cricket in Jamaica and the number of players who have succeeded at the highest level, it is a very difficult task, and I had to sit down and look at it over and over."
With a round of applause following each one, Sir Garfield then proceeded to name the players.
"First, and of course, is the great man himself, Sir George. I never really had the opportunity to see him play, but he was great - in every aspect of the word.
CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH
"Second is a player who has contributed so much to Jamaica cricket, to West Indies cricket, and to world cricket, who is one the finest fast bowlers to have played West Indies cricket, and that is Courtney Walsh."
The applause for Walsh was followed by more when Sobers continued: "You know, people may say that Courtney played a lot of games and that is why he took so many wickets, but that is why you must congratulate him. Today you can hardly find 11 players who can play two games.
"Third is the man they used to call 'Whispering Death'. I have seen Wes Hall in action, I have seen Frank King, who was poetry in motion, but when you saw Michael Holding you saw everything in a fast bowler."
Sobers then reeled off a number of Jamaicans Allan Rae, Franz Alexander, Jeffrey Dujon, Maurice Foster, Easton McMorris, Jackie Hendriks who he said were very good Jamaican cricketers with Hendriks being the best wicketkeeper he has ever seen.
"My fourth player, however, is a little man who I admired, who I reckoned had the greatest potential, the genius of West Indies cricket to me a man called Lawrence Rowe."
When the long applause had drifted away, Sobers went on: "Last but not least, a man who played West Indies cricket for a long time, and I am sure he will never be forgotten, he will always be remembered a man called Alfred Valentine.
"Nowadays when you hear of Ramadhin and Valentine, those two little pals of mine, Ram always seems to be the man. When you talk to the players, however, they tell you that Val was the one they admired - that Val was the man. He was, at that time, probably the best left-handed spin bowler in the world. There has never been, and I don't think there will ever be a left-arm spinner in the West Indies in the same calibre of Alfred Valentine."
