Legendary Cricketer Sir Griffith honoured in Kensington Oval, statue unveiled

Former West Indies and Barbados fast bowler Sir Charles Griffith was celebrated on Monday at Kensington Oval by unveiling the statue of the legendary cricketer. The statue was unveiled in the presence of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, and the acclaimed cricketer himself.

Prime Minister Mottley said the statue would symbolize inspiration for the masses and would also glorify the well-deserved cricketer 'Charlie'. Sir Charles Griffith was greeted by Spouge songs played by the Barbados Police Service Band under the direction of Director of Music Senior Superintendent Andrew Lynch.

The statue portrays the cricketer in a ball-delivering pose, and his zeal and focus on the game can be visualized clearly through the statue. The statue successfully mimicked the sportsmanship of the legendary cricketer.

The famed cricketer had a remarkably good score record during the span of his gaming career. He took 94 wickets in 28 test matches and around 332 wickets in 96 first-class matches.

Prime Minister Mottley commented that the statues in Kensington Oval will forever stand as a symbol of inspiration and great sportsmanship shown on the field, and if the same is followed by the rising cricketers, there will be a shortage of space as the number of people who have dominated the game will be on par with the limited space.

Afterwards, Sir Charles addressed the crowd and gave them credit for his success and hard work. He remembered his journey from being an average boy from St Lucy to being one of the most celebrated sportsman of the contemporary times. He went on to add that seeing himself achieve such remarkable success makes him believe that one can achieve anything they set their minds upon.

The 85-year-old cricketer highlighted the value of discipline in the game and went on to thank his parents and his headmaster for incorporating it in him. He remembered the Lanchester league in the 1960s, which turned out to be his turning point in developing his game.

Apart from cricket, Sir Charles also started the Barbados Lumber Company. However, it is not in operation at the moment, but it was the first lumber company started by a group of Black people at that time, which in itself was a revolutionary step in those times. Considering his work, it would not be wrong to state that Sir Charles has been a legend on the field as well as off the field.