Sonny Ramadhin
Encyclopedia
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian
cricketer
, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first (of many) West Indian cricketers of India
n origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
in 1951.
in 1929. His birth certificate had no first name, simply the descriptive "Boy". This easily turned into Sonny, giving rise to his "official" name. He was introduced to cricket at the Canadian Mission School in Duncan Village, Trinidad but did not bowl while in school. He later played for the Palmiste Club and the Trinidad Leaseholds team where he showed remarkable bowling prowess. His trials for the West Indian team were two first-class matches bowling for Trinidad versus Jamaica where he took 12 wickets at an average of 19.25 http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1940S/1949-50/WI_LOCAL/JAM_TRINIDAD_02-08FEB1950.html, http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1940S/1949-50/WI_LOCAL/JAM_TRINIDAD_02-08FEB1950.html. This amazing performance led to his selection for the 1950 tour to England at the age of 20.
His debut series was in 1950 in England. He and fellow spinner Alf Valentine
dominated the English batting, taking 59 wickets between them. West Indies won this series by three matches to one, which was their first series victory in England. When England returned to the West Indies in early 1954, Ramadhin took 13 wickets in the first two Tests and was instrumental in West Indies' victory.
The 1950 triumph by the West Indies led Lord Beginner
to write the first in a deluge of calypso
s celebrating West Indian cricketers, giving rise to calypso cricket.
Though a wrist-spinner, his leg-break hardly turned; hence the description of him as an "off-spinner".
He has lived in England since coming over to play league cricket in the 1950s. In 1964/65 he played for Lancashire
, terminating his contract abruptly when he lost form. From 1968 until 1972, he represented Lincolnshire in the Minor Counties Championship
. His grandson, Kyle Hogg
, is a right-arm medium-fast bowler who has played for Lancashire
since 2001.
In June 1988 Ramadhin was celebrated on the 75c Trinidad and Tobago stamp alongside the Barbados Cricket Buckle
.
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first (of many) West Indian cricketers of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season"...
in 1951.
Biography and career
Ramadhin was born in Esperance Village, Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
in 1929. His birth certificate had no first name, simply the descriptive "Boy". This easily turned into Sonny, giving rise to his "official" name. He was introduced to cricket at the Canadian Mission School in Duncan Village, Trinidad but did not bowl while in school. He later played for the Palmiste Club and the Trinidad Leaseholds team where he showed remarkable bowling prowess. His trials for the West Indian team were two first-class matches bowling for Trinidad versus Jamaica where he took 12 wickets at an average of 19.25 http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1940S/1949-50/WI_LOCAL/JAM_TRINIDAD_02-08FEB1950.html, http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1940S/1949-50/WI_LOCAL/JAM_TRINIDAD_02-08FEB1950.html. This amazing performance led to his selection for the 1950 tour to England at the age of 20.
His debut series was in 1950 in England. He and fellow spinner Alf Valentine
Alf Valentine
Alfred Louis Valentine, April 28, 1930–11 May 2004 , was a West Indian cricketer in the 1950s and 1960s. He is most famous for his performance in the West Indies' 1950 tour of England, which was immortalised in the Victory Calypso.-The 1950 tour:...
dominated the English batting, taking 59 wickets between them. West Indies won this series by three matches to one, which was their first series victory in England. When England returned to the West Indies in early 1954, Ramadhin took 13 wickets in the first two Tests and was instrumental in West Indies' victory.
The 1950 triumph by the West Indies led Lord Beginner
Lord Beginner
Lord Beginner from Port-of-Spain in Trinidad was a popular exponent of the Caribbean musical form Calypso.-Person:...
to write the first in a deluge of calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
s celebrating West Indian cricketers, giving rise to calypso cricket.
Though a wrist-spinner, his leg-break hardly turned; hence the description of him as an "off-spinner".
He has lived in England since coming over to play league cricket in the 1950s. In 1964/65 he played for Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
, terminating his contract abruptly when he lost form. From 1968 until 1972, he represented Lincolnshire in the Minor Counties Championship
Minor Counties Cricket Championship
The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England that is contested by those county cricket clubs that do not have first-class status...
. His grandson, Kyle Hogg
Kyle Hogg
Kyle William Hogg is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who has played for Lancashire since 2001. Between 2000/01 and 2002 Hogg represented the England under-19s in six youth Tests and 11 One Day Internationals...
, is a right-arm medium-fast bowler who has played for Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
since 2001.
In June 1988 Ramadhin was celebrated on the 75c Trinidad and Tobago stamp alongside the Barbados Cricket Buckle
Barbados Cricket Buckle
The Barbados Cricket Buckle is a repoussé engraving on a belt buckle of a slave playing cricket in Barbados circa 1780-1810.It is believed to be the only known image of a slave playing cricket and the oldest known image depicting cricket outside the British Isles."That the belt buckle depicts the...
.