Edgbaston continued its Windrush 75th anniversary celebrations by hosting a dominoes and cricket event that brought together pioneering players from the region’s historic Commonwealth League.
The event saw 25 players compete in a dominoes competition while taking in Warwickshire’s LV= Insurance County Championship match against Middlesex.
Several of the guests were founding members of the Birmingham Commonwealth Cricket League which formed in the 1970s and featured 10 West Midlands teams comprising players of Caribbean and West Indies heritage.
Former Commonwealth League player Denzil McCarthy, who first visited Edgbaston in 1966 as a schoolboy for the England vs West Indies Test, helped organise the event.
He said: “These guys are great dominoes players but back in the day they were seriously good cricketers.
“As members of the cricket playing fraternity arrived in the UK from the Caribbean they were keen to establish clubs and play competitive cricket. Some had played against West Indies Test players so the standard was excellent.
“It was great to see several familiar faces from the Commonwealth League back together, sharing stories, enjoying the cricket and playing a fun, but competitive dominoes competition. The players also got the opportunity to take a picture with The Hundred trophy.
“Everyone loved the day, it was a nice way to mark the Windrush anniversary, and there’s talk of now making it an annual event.”
Last month, Edgbaston hosted a Windrush Celebration Lunch where a panel including Denzil, Warwickshire CCC Indoor Centre Manager Errol Simms, and former Guyanese international cricketer Colwin Cort recalled tales from their playing days.
