ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Legendary Antigua and Barbuda cricketer, Sir Sydney Walling has died.
He was 102 years old and passed away Thursday night.
Among those paying tribute to Sir Sydney was National Hero Sir Vivian Richards who captained the West Indies between 1985 and 1991.
“When I was a young individual I think between the age of 13 and 14, the late Sir Frank Worrell came to Antigua on a coaching clinic and apparently he got in contact at the time with Sydney Walling who was looking after some of the youths then,” Sir Vivian recalled.
“I can remember he did have some discussions with Sir Frank Worrell at the time and he was one of the first to acknowledge what he would have seen at the time with me as a young individual trying to make my mark and he did express that one day some of the things that I did achieve later in life these things would be accomplished and I’ll always give him credit for that.”
Sir Sydney made his mark as outstanding cricketer in the 1930s and 1940s when he captained the Antigua national team. However, he never made the West Indies Cricket team and many commentators have argued that while his cricket was good enough for him to have been selected, the fact that he was from a small island could have contributed to him being overlooked.
In 2006, Sir Sydney was honored by Antigua and Barbuda when a section of a roadway in the capital was renamed the Sir Sidney Walling Highway.
