3Ws Oval a reminder of Caribbean cricket’s once glorious era

In the park outside the 3Ws Oval are the busts of three legendary cricketers — Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott and Everton Weekes. The trio, among the best batters of their generation, were born within a couple of miles of each other in the island of Barbados.

The 3Ws Oval can be found across the road, nestled in the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus. The quaint ground is named in memory of the popular Barbadians.

Impressive view

A massive statue of stumps stands guard over the green outfield. It is an impressive view that cannot escape the sight of the batters in the middle.

The exploits of the three ‘Ws’ is written in cricket folklore. The trio heralded a new era in West Indies cricket in the late 1940s, which until then had boasted of only one world-class batter in George Headley.

Worrell was the first black cricketer to captain the West Indies cricket team, and led the team in the famous 1960-61 tour to Australia.

Such was his popularity that the perpetual Frank Worrell Trophy, awarded to the winner of West Indies-Australia Test series, was commissioned at the end of that tour.

Walcott was arguably the best batter in the world in the 1950s. His numbers reached the zenith when he gave up the wicketkeeping gloves to focus purely on scoring runs.

World record

Weekes, a powerful strokeplayer, set a world record of five successive hundreds in Test innings. This still stands undefeated. The 3Ws Oval serves as a reminder of a once glorious era of Caribbean cricket.