Broadhalfpenny Down Patron Sobers dies aged 89

West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, one of the greatest cricketers of all time and a Patron of Broadhalfpenny Down, has died aged 89.

A brilliant, record-breaking batsman, bowler of finger spin, wrist spin and seam, and an outstanding fielder in all positions, he was the premier architect of a resurgence in West Indian cricket.

The fifth of six children to Shamont and Thelma Sobers, his father died in action during the Second World War in 1942 when his son was just five years old.

Sobers was the owner of an extra finger on each hand at birth, soon removed and no detriment to his burgeoning cricket career.

It was his left-arm bowling which initially predominated over the left-hand batting for which he would ultimately become most renowned.

On his first-class debut as a spinner at just 16 for Barbados against the Indian tourists, he duly excelled with a seven-wicket match haul.

He was picked to face England in the final Test in Jamaica in March 1954, taking four first-innings wickets as a replacement for the poorly Alf Valentine in a heavy defeat.

It was in the following year that he began to show the world his capabilities as a batsman when, pressed into service as an emergency opener ahead of the Windies’ renowned middle-order trio Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott, he dispatched Australia great Keith Miller for a string of early boundaries.

After steadier progression came that remarkable, unbeaten 365 as Sobers’ maiden Test century rewrote the record books. There were no sixes in 21-year-old Sobers’ triple century, the first of 26 hundreds in a 20-year Test career which would bring him an average of 57.78 as well as 235 wickets at 34.03.

Before his knighthood was accorded in 1975, or he was named National Hero of Barbados in 1998.

During Sobers’ time playing league cricket in north-west England, one tragic incident was most significant. In 1959 he was the driver in a car crash which would claim the life of friend Collie Smith and bring him a period of personal turmoil in which alcohol was intermittently an outlet.

He managed, however, to channel the upset as partial motivation to superlative effect back on the field. Don Bradman, brokered Sobers’ successful stint with South Australia and was then among those moved to high praise for his 254 at the MCG as captain of the Rest of the World against the hosts in the Supertest series of 1971.

By then, Sobers had already made sure of further folklore – specifically to the people of Wales and Nottinghamshire, in his first of seven county seasons – thanks to his brutal feat of six sixes in an over on the August Bank Holiday of 1968.

The profile of his then unprecedented achievement was helped by the chance presence of BBC cameras and tales have abounded since of how far the final six was smashed out of the St Helens ground.

Despite a respectable career as a left-arm seamer, Nash never lived the occasion down, inevitably augmenting his stooge status down the years with his own vexed recollections.

“The captain asked me if I fancied having a go at bowling some slow-left armers,” he said.

“Sobers came along and quickly ended my slow-bowling career. It was a pretty short experiment.”

For Sobers, it was simply a case of see ball (very well) and hit ball (very far).

“I wasn’t bothered if I was out or not,” he said.

Sobers, who married Australian Pru Kirby in 1969 but divorced in 1990, leaves two sons, Matthew and Daniel, and an adopted daughter Genevieve.

Sobers in Numbers

With Tom White's help at the Press Association, here are some of his career highlights in numbers.

365 not out – Sobers’ maiden Test century, against Pakistan at Sabina Park in 1958, was a record individual score until beaten by fellow West Indian Brian Lara in 1994 and still stands sixth on the all-time list.

6 – an equally memorable feat saw Sobers become the first player to hit six sixes in an over, for Nottinghamshire against the unfortunate Malcolm Nash of Glamorgan in the County Championship at Swansea in August 1968.

16 – Sobers’ age when he made his first-class debut, as a spinner for Barbados against the Indian tourists – he took seven wickets in the match.

2 – first-class matches before his Test debut against England in 1954.

5 – Sobers is one of only five all-rounders in Test history to score more than 5,000 runs and take over 200 wickets – 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78 and 235 wickets at 34.03. Jacques Kallis, Ian Botham, Ben Stokes and Kapil Dev are the other members of the exclusive club.

109 – an outstanding fielder to boot, Sobers added 109 catches.

93 – Test appearances for the West Indies, in additional to a solitary one-day international.

103.14 – Sobers’ remarkable batting average in the Windies’ Test series win over England in 1966.

Credit: Press Association