In this week’s edition of In Search of West Indies Cricket Roger Seymour examines the controversy surrounding the infamous declaration by Sobers in a Test match in Trinidad in 1968, and poses the question, did Sobers really declare?
It was past midnight, early Wednesday, 20th March, 1968 – the typical English pub scene. Most of the patrons – British, of course – in the packed establishment had a little too much to drink but no one was leaving. Everyone was singing. Laughter echoed around the pub. Beer and champagne were par for the course. Pub fare was everywhere: Shepherd’s Pies, Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips. The bartender was constantly ringing the bell. It’s a bit of a duck story, really. The Pelican Pub, though English, is in the Caribbean and home to a rugby side — the Caribs.
The tale begins in England, at London’s Heathrow Airport, at 11.45 am on Wednesday, 27th December, 1967, with 16 English cricketers, led by Captain Colin Cowdrey and Manager Les Ames, heading to the West Indies. Eight hours later, the BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) flight arrived at Seawell Airport, Barbados. As the players descended the stairs, they were greeted with the sounds of the Speedbird Steelband.
