Roy Gilchrist
Encyclopedia
Roy Gilchrist was a West Indian cricketer who played 13 Tests
for the West Indies in the 1950s. He was born in Saint Thomas
, Jamaica
and died of Parkinson's disease
in St Catherine
, Jamaica at the age of 67.
Gilchrist's Test career might have been longer had he not been sent home halfway through West Indies' 1958-59 tour of the Indian subcontinent after disagreements with captain Gerry Alexander
. One cause of this was Gilchrist's "penchant for bowling beamer
s from 18 yards" as Cricinfo has put it, as well as off-field arguments.
This involved deliberately overstepping the bowling mark by four yards in order to come closer to the batsman and intimidate him. In the Fourth Test at Nagpur
, after Indian batsman AG Kripal Singh had struck three consecutive boundaries and taunted him, Gilchrist deliberately overstepped the bowling mark by six metres and delivered a bouncer
which hit the Sikh batsman on the head and dislodged his turban.
In the following match, against North Zone
, he unleashed a barrage of beamers against Swaranjit Singh
, whom Alexander had known at Cambridge. He ignored his captain's instruction to cease this form of attack. During the lunch interval Alexander substituted him, and he was subsequently sent home, while the other players proceeded to Pakistan for the remainder of the tour. Alexander told him: “You will leave by the next flight. Good afternoon.” This marked the end of his Test career. There were suggestions that he had pulled a knife on Alexander.
He later attracted attention while playing in the Lancashire League by removing a stump
from the playing arena and striking an opposition batsman in the head.
Gilchrist is considered to be one of only four bowlers ever, to have actually hit the sightscreen after first bounce on the pitch, on the full.
After the end of his Test career he spent many years playing in the English
Lancashire League. He was successful there, reaching 100 wickets each season until 1979, but there were continued stories of his violent temper. In 1967, Gilchrist was sentenced to three months' probation
after attacking his wife Novlyn during an argument. The judge in the case said: "I hate to think English sport has sunk so far that brutes will be tolerated because they are good at games."
He returned to India in 1962-3, playing for Hyderabad
and South Zone
.
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
for the West Indies in the 1950s. He was born in Saint Thomas
Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica
Saint Thomas is a suburban parish that is situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, in the county of Surrey. It is the birth place of The right Honorable Paul Bogle, one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and died of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in St Catherine
Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
St Catherine is a parish located in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parish because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Jamaica, Spanish Town, originally known as San Jago de la...
, Jamaica at the age of 67.
Gilchrist's Test career might have been longer had he not been sent home halfway through West Indies' 1958-59 tour of the Indian subcontinent after disagreements with captain Gerry Alexander
Gerry Alexander
Franz Copeland Murray "Gerry" Alexander was a Jamaican cricketer who played 25 Tests for the West Indies...
. One cause of this was Gilchrist's "penchant for bowling beamer
Beamer (cricket)
In the terminology of the game of cricket, a beamer is a type of delivery in which the ball , without bouncing, passes above the batsman's waist height. Such a ball is often dangerously close to the batsman's head, due to the lack of control a bowler has over high full tosses...
s from 18 yards" as Cricinfo has put it, as well as off-field arguments.
This involved deliberately overstepping the bowling mark by four yards in order to come closer to the batsman and intimidate him. In the Fourth Test at Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
, after Indian batsman AG Kripal Singh had struck three consecutive boundaries and taunted him, Gilchrist deliberately overstepped the bowling mark by six metres and delivered a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
which hit the Sikh batsman on the head and dislodged his turban.
In the following match, against North Zone
North Zone cricket team
The North Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents northern India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of players from six first-class Indian teams from northern India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and...
, he unleashed a barrage of beamers against Swaranjit Singh
Swaranjit Singh
Swaranjit Singh is a former Indian first class cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman and played with Eastern Punjab in India as well as Warwickshire in England during the 1950s.-External links:*...
, whom Alexander had known at Cambridge. He ignored his captain's instruction to cease this form of attack. During the lunch interval Alexander substituted him, and he was subsequently sent home, while the other players proceeded to Pakistan for the remainder of the tour. Alexander told him: “You will leave by the next flight. Good afternoon.” This marked the end of his Test career. There were suggestions that he had pulled a knife on Alexander.
He later attracted attention while playing in the Lancashire League by removing a stump
Stump (cricket)
Stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three different meanings:# part of the wicket# a manner of dismissing a batsman# the end of the day's play .-Part of the wicket:...
from the playing arena and striking an opposition batsman in the head.
Gilchrist is considered to be one of only four bowlers ever, to have actually hit the sightscreen after first bounce on the pitch, on the full.
After the end of his Test career he spent many years playing in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Lancashire League. He was successful there, reaching 100 wickets each season until 1979, but there were continued stories of his violent temper. In 1967, Gilchrist was sentenced to three months' probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
after attacking his wife Novlyn during an argument. The judge in the case said: "I hate to think English sport has sunk so far that brutes will be tolerated because they are good at games."
He returned to India in 1962-3, playing for Hyderabad
Hyderabad cricket team
The Hyderabad cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the city of Hyderabad. It is part of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group and has seen scattered success over its many years in the Ranji Trophy circuit. It falls into the South Zone in the Duleep Trophy and is one of two teams from Andhra...
and South Zone
South Zone cricket team
The South Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents southern India in the Duleep Trophy. It is a composite team of players from six first-class Indian teams from southern India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu...
.