 Sir Garfield St. Auburn Sobers, cricketer extraordinaire, is unquestionably the greatest sportsman ever to hail from the shores of Barbados, and quite possibly the island's greatest ambassador as well.
Known affectionately as Sir Gary - even before the official title was royally bestowed in 1975 - he was the fifth of six children born to Shamont and Thelma Sobers and grew up in the working-class district of Bayland, St. Michael. His father, a merchant seaman, died at sea during WWII when Sir Gary was just five years old, and this left his mother to raise their large family alone.
Interesting to note is that though Sir Gary would rise to become one of the finest all-rounders of all times, and one of the games most valuable fielders, at birth his hands bore the odd deformity of having six digits each, instead of five. (The extra fingers were surgically removed in his early boyhood).
By the time Sir Gary became a teenager his amazing natural talent as a cricketer was astonishingly undeniable. At 13 years old he was chosen to represent two First Division teams, Kent in one league and the Police Club in another, and three years later - when just 16 years old - he was called to be a member of the senior national side as they faced off against a touring team from India.
He impressed the regional cricketing arena with debut figures of 22 overs, 5 maidens, 50 runs for 4 wickets in the first innings, and from that day began his overpowering domination of the sport across the world.
At 17 years old he was selected by the West Indies to represent the region in their 1954 Test series against England. Again he impressed - this time the world - when at Sabina Park in Jamaica, he copped 4 wickets for 75 runs. Few could have guessed that Sabina Park would again be graced with his astounding prowess 4 years later, this time in the form of his batting.
For in 1958 Sir Gary rewrote history when he scored 365 not out against touring Pakistan. At still a youthful 21 years old, it was his first triple-digit test score, and it surpassed the previous record of 364 amassed by the legendary Sir Leonard Hutton. But what made it an even greater feat was the fact that it took Sir Gary 3 hours less time than it had taken Sir Leonard to establish the record some 20 years prior.
Over a twenty-year career that spanned more that 90 Tests - including a record 85 consecutive test matches - Sir Gary did more than just amass mind-boggling statistics for the annals. As a player of the "gentleman's game", he was a giant whose very presence commanded respect, and whose genius as a cricketer won him the admiration of fans and players worldwide. Even his graceful, almost lazy walk and his ever-present and knowing smile are recorded as part of his legend.
For the world will arguably never see a cricketer of his magnificence again.
Article written in 2003 and compliments of "Ins and Outs of Barbados" Magazine
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