We know him as Gary but to everyone in Barbados he is Sir Garfield, and is officially a national hero.

I mean of course the greatest cricketer of all time, Gary Sobers.

All manner of statistics prove this but the grace and glory of Gary’s cricket transcend lists of numbers.

Gary was one of five children and his father, a seaman, died in a shipping accident when he was five.

Cash was never plentiful and the first pair of long trousers he possessed had to be bought for him.

They were cricket flannels and at the age of 16 Gary had been selected to play for Barbados in a first class fixture against the Indian touring team.

At 17 he was playing test cricket.

He was much more than a cricketer however, representing his island at soccer, golf, basketball and dominoes.

Gary has remained a lifelong interest. Barbados produced some great cricketers.

The three ‘Ws’ are still remembered with awe and wonder.

Sir Frank Worrell is perhaps the most important being the first black man to captain the West Indies side in 1962.

Before that date their captain always had to be a white man, irrespective of ability. Sir Frank paved the way for Sobers himself and such mighty men as Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd.

One of the three ‘Ws’ is still alive.

Everton Weekes is 95 and still with us. Clyde Walcott is deceased and Sir Frank died of cancer at the age of 42.

Preforming a wedding at our hotel during our last visit was a retired Baptist minister.

Cricket lovers will remember him as fast bowler Wes Hall.

But back to Sir Garfield. In the mid 1960s Tom Graveney had been recalled to the England test side.

The match was at Lords. Tom scored over ninety before being dismissed. He had to walk near the West Indian slip fielders on his return to the pavilion. Film shows Sobers applauding and calling out ‘well played Tom’. Graveney responds with ‘thanks Gary’. That is how to play cricket.

To both men sledging was beneath them.