This paper was completed by Gary Neil as part of the Bachelors Degree requirement in Caribbean History while he was an undergraduate at the University of the West Indies . Beginning this month we will be printing the paper in serialized form .
Gary attended KC from 1979-1986 and represented the school in cricket at all levels, U14, U16 and Sunlight Cup; and Jamaica at the Youth level (U19). His father, Gladstone Neil , and his younger brother, Roger , also represented KC in cricket. His father had the distinction of being captain of the school's first double winning team in 1962.
Gary represented Melbourne Cricket Club in Minor and Junior cup 1982-1984 and Senior Cup 1984-1987. He graduated UWI in 1996.
He is presently a franchise distributor for Nestle Foods International.
CHAPTER 1
1925-1950
The doors of Kingston College were formally opened on April 16, 1925 in
". a quite simple ceremony, in the presence of the Director of Education ., the Headmasters of Jamaica College, St. George's College and Calabar High School, and a group of well wishers after which the Headmaster had outlined the purpose of the School and the aims of its founder ". 1
Evan Morris , a Kingston College past-student and recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in 1945, also explains that,
" The late Dr. DeCarteret , Bishop of Jamaica ., founded Kingston College in 1925. It had been suggested that it was a great pity that the Church of England had no secondary school of its own and the Bishop, whose interest in education was well known, wished to establish one ". 2
Another writer further suggests in an article or outline of the history of Kingston College between 1925 and 1975, that a purpose of the School was to,
". produce leaders, and citizens worthy of Jamaica and a school which would enhance the reputation of the Anglican Church ".3
It is, therefore, no surprise that cricket was to play a central role in the development of such a school, when one recalls arguments forwarded by writers such as Mangan, Sandiford and Stoddart, all of whom in varying manners argue that cricket was systematically employed as an agency of inculcation of values upon young gentlemen (and quite an effective agency, even more so than the classroom, as suggested by C.L.R. James) which were viewed as vitally important for leaders of the future. Sandiford's exposure of the connection between the Church of England and sport in general, cricket in particular, through the idea of "Muscular Christianity" which was dominant in late Victorian society, is specifically recalled. 4 One can see these ideas being carried forward by the Church up to the second quarter of the twentieth century in schools such as Kingston College in the colonized West Indies.
Though the School was founded by Bishop DeCarteret , it is important to note that the original conception was from a brilliant young preacher and scholar, who at the time was the curate of St. George's Church in Kingston , Jamaica , named The Reverend Percival William Gibson, who was named as Headmaster by Bishop DeCarteret when the School was opened in 1925.
At this point, the staff consisted of four persons, ". the Reverend P.W. Gibson , . two theological students lent for the purpose and a young clergyman who gave part-time assistance ". 5 The staff therefore consisted of young men rooted within the Church. Over the years, Kingston College was staffed by vibrant clergy and non-clergy men alike, some of whom were Englishmen as was Bishop DeCarteret . Nothing is said of the social background of the staff. It is my suspicion that, especially in the case of the British teachers, and of what is known of Douglas Forrest who joined the staff in 1926 and succeeded Bishop Gibson as Principal, they were of predominantly working to middle class descent. As a result, it can be accepted that with the presence of the British tutors and the awe inspiring respect for Bishop DeCarteret , the students would have been grounded firmly in the principles, practices and culture of the British, in which cricket was a major part.
In fact, there is a suggestion that not only in schools, but in homes, the Victorian attitudes of the day were inculcated in youngsters through the example of their elders. An instance in 1937 is related wherein upon the arrival of the first female staff member to Kingston College , Miss Joyce Baxter , (who incidentally, along with Mr. Douglas Forrest [in a teaching capacity], were still at Kingston College upon my arrival there in 1979) was introduced to the School in general but not individually to a certain " Rex " Evans . " How the Headmaster could have committed this breach of etiquette was more than one could imagine. But if this chap was snobbed by the head, he had no intention of allowing Miss Baxter to teach with his presence unnoticed. In due course, she entered his form, ..
To a sensitive mind, trained in a somewhat straight laced home, complete with Victorian Aunts and George IV Grandmothers , this sort of thing was never done. The male members of the family were always introduced individually to any eligible Miss. Miss Baxter was not at work very long, therefore, before she heard a voice:
" Please. Mam, are you the new mistress? "
" Yes, " she replied.
" Is your name Miss Baxter ? "
" Yes, " she replied again looking very innocently puzzled.
" Oh! " he mentioned, " I'm Evans . They call me Rex . "
Miss Baxter was thus formally introduced. " 6
I simply could not resist the inclusion of this anecdote which is indicative of the Victorian nature of the behaviour of this boy; a pattern which I suspect would have been no less in evidence on the cricket field. Not being properly introduced could have been seen as "just not cricket".
The student population of Kingston College in 1925 was 49 students and grew rapidly at first to 100 by 1927, then steadily to 525 in 1949. The social background of the students seemed to have been diverse. Though the School was definitely not founded with any views of creating an elitist enclave, the evidence suggests that elites were not at all discouraged from attending this Anglican School . A picture of the School population in its first term bears evidence of students with the full range of colour between black and white being represented. Their class differentiation cannot be ascertained, but in an era of racial and class stratification, a wide cross-section was to be found at Kingston College , which no doubt, also manifested itself on the cricket field.
The role of cricket within Kingston College has been earlier referred to as an agent for the transmission of what were considered to be important values for young men to possess; namely, to mention a few, the value of fair play, abiding by rules, sportsmanship, honour, the ability to win and lose graciously, the importance of attiring oneself properly, the ability to readily acknowledge the achievements of one's opponents through terms such as well played, well bowled, good knock and so on. In addition to all this, cricket at Kingston College played a role in fortifying school pride and loyalty through the successes it brought to the School. Mr. Crick , in fact, begins his article on cricket at Kingston College by stating that, "The achievements of Kingston College on the cricket field will bear ample testimony to the place which the `old game` has occupied in the life of the School." 7
It is also important to mention here, the reminiscence of G.R.W. "Roy" McLean a past-student and captain of cricket at Kingston College , and present staff-member, in addition to being cricket coach for the past fourteen years at Kingston College . He recalls that before each game, Bishop Gibson would speak with the team, reminding them of their responsibility to the School, to conduct themselves in a manner befitting the high ideals of the school. He recalls in fact that in 1942-3 the Bishop barred a number of players from competing in a match and fielded a second eleven which lost. This action was taken because of the absence from organized practice of the players, inclusive of none other than J.K. Holt. 8 Cricket , therefore, was very central to the life of Kingston College and was actively encouraged to always be treated as such by the students, through enforcement from the administration. Before moving on from the perspective of values present in the game of cricket at Kingston College , there are two quotations which I shall furnish; quotations which I believe give tremendous insight into these values which were being fostered and encouraged. Firstly, in his article "The School In My Day, 1930-35" , Mr. H. St. C. Whitehorne states that, " Our Motto is `Fortis Cadere Cedere Non Potest` [The Brave May Fall But Never Yield] and from the first it was instilled in us that we must never give up until all was over, and then if we had to lose, it was our right to lose like good sportsmen and like gentlemen." 9 Similarly, Mr. Leslie Henriques recalls that, " . after losing both Sunlight and Manning Cups [cricket and football-1940], the Headmaster in a very stirring speech consoled the boys with the fact that we had played with honour, and after all it is better to have honour without trophy than trophy without honour." 10
The organization of the game was the responsibility of the Sportsmaster who administered all sports in the School. Before 1932, cricket was pursued through practice sessions at Clovelly Park courtesy of the now defunct Clovelly Cricket Club. Before 1934, when on April 12, the present site of the School at 2a North Street was declared open, the School was situated on a small lot with no playing field on East Street , Kingston . In 1932 however, Clovelly Park was leased, at first for seven years, and the grounds could be used for the School's sporting activity. The introduction of the House system in that year was added impetus to the cricket program, along with all other sporting programs within the School, as House competitions were introduced, and a broader base of keen competition through which much talent emerged resulted.
Kingston College fielded two cricket teams, one solely for students and the other, an amalgamation of students, masters and past students. The former aggregation competed in inter-secondary school competition for the Sunlight Cup while the latter amalgamated team competed for the Geddes Cup which was eventually replaced by the Minor Cup competition, the very first match being against Calabar High School . Kingston College won its first trophy in 1936, four years after securing its own playing field.
Having won the Geddes Cup, the School went on to win the Sunlight Cup for the first time in 1941. In this year, the services of Mr. Kenneth " Bam Bam " Weekes, a former West Indies Test cricketer were secured as cricket coach, and interestingly the School dominated the decade in cricket by being holders of the Sunlight Cup in the years 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949 and 1950. As early as 1932 however, a Kingston College student, E.S. Barber was awarded the Sunlight medal for achieving the highest batting average in that year. In addition to 1936, the Geddes Cup was also retained in 1938 and 1939 while being runner up in 1937. As mentioned before, staff and past-students were also involved in cricket at the School and mention must be made of the outstanding hard hitting clergyman, cricketer, master, the Reverend R.O.C. King who actively participated both in administration and representation of Kingston College on the cricket field.
Kingston College was fortunate to have secured its own facilities for sport in 1932. Evidence of the effect of facilities on cricket is shown in the School's performance in competitions for the remainder of the era with which we are concerned (up to 1950) and in fact, to the present day when the School invariably wins or is runner up in competitions entered. As far as expenditure on such facilities was concerned, the evidence is that Bishop Hardie secured a loan of some 5,500 pounds to the School "so that properly equipped buildings and playing fields might be procured." 11
Kingston College, as far as linkages, whether formal or informal, with cricket clubs would have to first be linked with the formerly existing Clovelly Cricket Club whose grounds it first had access to, and subsequently bought, and is situated upon to this day. The Clovelly Cricket Club, similar to the Lucas Cricket Club would have attracted a lower middle class and working class membership. 12 It is not surprising then that Kingston College became an informal "feeder" for the Lucas Cricket Club; as the coach, Kenneth "Bam Bam" Weekes was a member, and the social stratification of the School and the Club were for the most part similar. This is evidenced by the number of outstanding Kingston College student cricketers who were members of the Lucas Cricket Club, inclusive of all three Prescod brothers (and a son subsequently), J.K. Holt and Easton "Bull" McMorris. All these men, with the exception of probably one of the Prescods, went on to represent Jamaica , with Holt and McMorris becoming national captains and going on to represent the West Indies . McMorris in fact was captain of the first Jamaican team ever to win the regional competition then known as the Shell Shield in 1969. Interestingly, Wolmers , Jamaica College and Munro College seemed to be "feeders" for the ultra elite Kingston Cricket Club, and one would be hard pressed to identify many, if any, Kingston College students up to 1940 who became Kingston Cricket Club members.
Some outstanding performers for Kingston College were as follows :
BATTING
1932 E.C. Barber awarded the Sunlight Medal for the highest batting average.
1936 L. Gordon and C. White selected on All Schools XI to play the Yorkshire team. Gordon 33 not out White 19 and 18 in two innings
1941 J.L. Prescod 101 vs Jamaica College
L.L. Williams 108 not out vs Jamaica College
1942 J.K. Holt 105 not out for All Schools XI vs Kingston
J.K. Holt 126 vs Wolmers
J.L. Prescod 136 vs B&S
1948 R.K. Berry 105 not out vs Calabar
BOWLING
1940 F. Lawrence 6 for 19 vs. Jamaica College
• Lawrence 5 for 8 vs. Calabar
J.A. Prescod 5 for 23 vs. St. Georges College
J.A. Prescod 5 for 30 vs. Wolmers
1941 G.A. Prescod won All Schools bowling average with 30 wickets at 7.4 runs each. Lawrence was runner up with 29 wickets at 7.5 runs each.
1942 G.A. Prescod 6 for 9 vs. Jamaica College
G.A. Prescod 4 for 5 vs. B&S
1945 A.G. Excell 10 for 35 vs. Munro
1947 E. Comrie 7 for 11 vs. Wolmers
1948 St. A. Hay 3 for 0 vs. St. Georges College
1949 D.P. Beckford 5 for 8 vs. St. Georges College 13
Curiously enough, it seems as if brilliant bowling performances outnumbered by far the corresponding batting performances.
The influence of cricket on the loyalty and conduct of students manifests itself in many forms. At Kingston College an example can be found in the School's ascension, at a relatively young age to the hierarchy of cricket performances among schools, and its presence there among schools established generations before, then and ever since. This no doubt contributed to the tremendous feelings of pride in, and loyalty to the School which blossomed into what is popularly respected, held in awe and known as the "K.C. Spirit". Conduct has also been influenced by values inculcated through cricket on students. Examples of the kind of values have been earlier mentioned.
Importantly, these values taught by association with cricket in school, prepares the student for situations which they invariably encounter in adult life. For instance, many students have their first exposure to the system of democracy through voting in school for leaders of their cricket teams, and campaigning for them also. Mr. H.G. Whitehorne makes reference to this in an earlier mentioned article, 14 but he is not alone, as C.L.R. James makes similar references in the chapter, " Against The Current ", in his classic publication "Beyond A Boundary" . In the same book, in the following chapter entitled " The Old School Tie " , James refers to the same feelings of loyalty and pride being engendered when one's school is victorious. This is not, therefore, a Kingston College or Jamaican reality solely, but extends outward, at least to the wider West Indies and indeed all over the World. It therefore is a universal human response. In fact, one need only examine our own reactions as West Indians to the fortunes of our cricket team in testing the validity of this assertion. An admirable indicator of the influence of cricket on conduct and loyalty of students or players is to be found in a letter to Bishop Gibson from J.K. Holt on leaving for England to honour a cricket contract to play in the Central Lancashire League in April 1949. Holt expresses gratitude to Bishop Gibson and the Kingston College family by stating among other things,
"I must also embrace this opportunity of saying thanks to you for your kindness, help and encouragement in the past. I am indeed proud to have been a scholar of Kingston College , and to you and the school I owe a great debt which cannot be expressed in words.
In conclusion, I must assure you that in my new sphere, I shall endeavor to play the game and uphold the high qualities of true Jamaican sportsmanship.
I remain,
Rev. and Dear sir,
Sincerely Yours,
J.K. Holt (Jnr.)" 15
These words provide a fitting end to this chapter which focused on the significance and development of cricket within Kingston College in the period 1925-1950.
