George Headley

George Alphonso Headley OD, MBE (30 May 1909 – 30 November 1983) was a Jamaican cricketer who appeared in 22 Test matches, the bulk of them before World War II. Regarded as one of the finest batsmen ever to represent the West Indies and among the greatest cricketers in history, Headley also turned out for Jamaica and played professional club cricket in England. Throughout most of his career, the West Indies team was not particularly strong; Headley was their only truly world-class player, shouldering a huge burden as the side leaned heavily on his runs. He typically batted at number three, accumulating 2,190 Test runs at an average of 60.83, and 9,921 runs in all first-class matches at an average of 69.86. In 1934, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

Headley was born in Panama but grew up in Jamaica, where he quickly built a reputation as a batsman. He soon earned a spot in the Jamaican side and came very close to being selected for the West Indies tour of England in 1928. His Test debut came in 1930 against England in Barbados, and he made an immediate impact. He continued to excel in series against Australia and in three more against England, dominating West Indian batting during that era. After touring England in 1933, Headley signed as a professional for Haslingden in the Lancashire League, where he played until war broke out in 1939.

The war interrupted his career; though he returned to Tests in 1948, injuries limited his effectiveness and he never regained his earlier form. Even so, he was appointed West Indies captain in 1948 against England, becoming the first black player to hold that position, though injuries and politics meant he led the team in only one Test. He did not play Tests between 1949 and 1953, but continued in English league cricket, first in Lancashire and later in the Birmingham League. His playing days ended in 1954 when he returned to Jamaica after a public subscription covered his fare from England. After retiring, he worked as a cricket coach for the Jamaican government until 1962. He lived until 1983; his son Ron and grandson Dean each played Test cricket, for West Indies and England respectively.

**Early life**

Headley was born in Colón, Panama, on 30 May 1909, to DeCourcy Headley and Irene Roberts. His father came from Barbados and his mother from Jamaica; they had moved to Panama while DeCourcy worked on the Panama Canal. By the time Headley was five, the canal was finished, and the family moved to Cuba looking for work. In 1919, worried about how much Spanish her son was speaking, his mother took him to Jamaica so he could attend an English-speaking school.

He moved in with his mother’s sister-in-law, Mrs Clarence Smith, in Rae Town, Kingston, and stayed with her until her death in 1933. His mother returned to Cuba but wrote to him regularly. He attended Calabar Elementary School, where he played for the school cricket team as a wicket-keeper, though a tight sporting budget meant he had to do so without gloves. He later continued his education at Kingston High School. Playing all-day matches at local Crabhole Park, he began to draw attention, and at 16 he joined Raetown Cricket Club. In 1925, batting at number three, he scored his first century for Raetown against Clovelly.

After leaving school, Headley worked as a temporary clerk in a magistrate’s court, which allowed him to play competitive cricket for the St Andrew’s Police side in 1926 in a cup competition. Strong performances there earned him an invitation to practice with the Jamaica Colts team, but his job prevented him from attending, and he was not considered for the Jamaican side against Lord Tennyson’s touring English team in 1927. That year, he started working for Keeling–Lindo Estates in St Catherine. The firm supported cricket enthusiastically, giving employees time off to play, so Headley could regularly attend Jamaica team practice. He also moved to St Catherine Cricket Club, captained by his direct supervisor at Keeling–Lindo. To earn more, he took a second job with the Jamaica Fruit and Shipping Company, but he wanted a stable career and planned to move to America to study dentistry. However, a delay in receiving the application forms for his American work permit allowed him to make his first-class debut for Jamaica against another Lord Tennyson touring side.

**Early career**

Headley made his Jamaica debut against Lord Tennyson’s XI at Sabina Park on 9 February 1928, a match the home team won easily. Batting at number three, he scored 16 in the first innings and 71 in the second, reaching fifty in as many minutes. In the second game against the same team, starting in Kingston on 18 February, he recorded his maiden first-class century. After finishing the first day on 22 not out, he reached 50 by playing cautiously but then opened up. He hit Alan Hilder for four consecutive fours and twice struck Lord Tennyson for three fours in a row; at one point, thirteen of his scoring shots in a row went for four. He was eventually out for 211, at that time the highest score by a West Indian batsman against an English team. After the innings, Tennyson compared Headley to Victor Trumper and Charlie Macartney, both considered among the game’s all-time greats. Headley finished the series against Tennyson’s team with innings of 40 and 71, giving him 409 runs at an average of 81.80. He also took his first first-class wicket.