On this occasion when you are gathered to pay tribute to past students of K.C. who have represented not only Jamaica, but also the West Indies at cricket, please allow me to say a few words on behalf of Gordon O’Neil “Collie” Smith in particular.
This does not mean that I am ignoring the other gentlemen.
Before doing so however, I am sending greetings on behalf of all six of us K.C. Old boys here in Montreal. Unfortunately, none of us could make it here tonight to congratulate the New York Chapter on their 25th Anniversary .
Let me take you back in time to 1947, some 60 years ago and, for all I can recall, it was probably in this same month of May.
It is a Saturday morning at K.C. when you bribe Christie Francis our esteemed groundsman to loan us some wickets, a cricket ball , and some slightly damaged bats in order to indulge in a game of bowl-for-bat. This usually took place on the southern end of the grounds near to Blake Road. Don't you remember bowl-for-bat? You would toss a coin to decide on the first two batsmen and after that you successively lost your turn at bat if you got caught or got bowled by someone who was fielding. Bowl-for-bat bames sometimes went on for hours .
Well, at some point during this particular Saturday morning, “a little boy” managed to get his turn at bat and this “little boy” in short pants defied all the bowling and fielding for several hours while defending his wicket against all comers, including some elite members of the Sunlight team. Bowl-for-bat was also an opportunity to show your competence in order to get on to either a House team or onto the school team.
During the week that followed, as captain of the Hardie House Junior cricket team, I had to pick my team to play against Nuttall. I was quite literally forced to include this “little boy” who I was told was in Hardie House. I did not know him at all but had only heard a lot of talk about his performance on the previous Saturday in facing up to the elite of the Sunlight team among others. I was simply told that I had to put him on the junior team. I thereupon picked and published the names of the Hardie House team.
For the game I batted at about number 6 or 7 and the “little boy” was placed after me. I didn’t know better of course, and at this point we were desperate for runs in replying to Nuttall's score. I was at bat when the “little boy” who I now got to know was Collie came in to bat. The outgoing batsman handed him a long-handle "Jim Lillywhite" bat for his turn to bat. The bat was much too big for him, so I gave him my short handle "Wally Hammond." Together we then punished the Nuttall bowling, in the course of which I made my highest score ever of 36, and I believe Collie even passed my score. Suffice it to say, we beat Nuttall in large measure due to Collie helping me in our partnership. I seem to recall and will stand corrected if I am wrong, that based partly on this second performance, “Foggy” Burrowes who captained the Sunlight team had no choice under pressure but to put Collie on the school team as number 11 for either the next Sunlight match or the one after that.
I left school in 1947 and I recall that Collie years later went on to play for Boy’s Town in the West end (Father Sherlock’s boys).
We would meet occasionally, but I clearly recall our last encounter. It was outside the Hanna store at 49 King Street (there was the
49 Hanna and the 79-1/2 Hanna store) . By this time, 1955, he had come to be recognized in Senior Cup cricket as a promising cricketer , envied by most clubs of the time. He was at the time employed by the Gleaner Company and, as we spoke, he told me that it was his feeling and conviction that if cricket was to be a career choice which could help him earn a better living, then he was prepared to do so even if it meant leaving Jamaica to go to England and play County cricket.
I did not see him again because I left Jamaica that same year in 1955. Years later in Montreal I was saddened to hear of his untimely passing in England while travelling in a car with Garfield Sobers. To know that as a “little boy” myself, my nickname was “mouse” which took on variations of Muss-Muss and finally Mussie as most of you know me today, and to know that Collie became known as “Mighty Mouse,” this meant a lot to me knowing that I was his first captain at "competitive" school cricket.
My only regret tonight is that I am unable to deliver this tribute to him publicly and in person, and also on a special occasion such as this to be recognized in the company of other K.C. cricket stalwarts.
Wherever you may be Collie, even if it happens to be in cyberspace, I am sure you are still playing a great innings and, for all I may know, doing so on the same team as "J.K." and "Foggy."
Sincerely,
Neville “Mussie” Gray ( 1940 – 1947 )
May 12th, 2007 Anno Domini.
P.S.
Some of you may still be reminiscing about J.K's feat of 162 not outvs 156 (wrongly given out) against Wolmers at Clovelly.
