Essay April 14th - Grade: A+ PDF

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The History of Cricket in the West Indies...

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Devito Wallace

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411000739 HIST 3019: History of West Indies Cricket Dr. Downes April 14th 2014

Question: Analyse the multiple links between cricket and the artistic genres of the Caribbean.

According to Rex Nettleford in his article “Cricket and the Artistic Tradition: West Indian Cricket as a Performing Art”, cricket is more that just a game. In its complexity, it can be regarded as a transcendent sport, an art. Cricket embodies the “historical experience” and the “contemporary reality” of a West Indian people (83). It tells of our trials and tribulations, a story of the colonized. C.L.R. James noted how cricket can be regarded as a ‘“dramatic spectacle”’ (85); the skill of the batsman or bowler can be viewed with grace and the likeness of a musical rendition. The aim of the writer is to analyse the links between cricket and artistic genres of the region thus allowing the reader to understand the complexities and underpinning ideologies of the game. Cricket for the average West Indian is just a matter of winning or losing. It is not internalized to the same extent that James and others have done, where he refers to the arena where cricket is played as a stage. It is here that the audience has become an integral part of the team’s performance. Nettleford suggests that without them (the audience), the cricketer becomes like a painter or poet who writers or paints only for himself soon starving himself of funds and spirit. By this, Nettleford means that the dynamic between the audience and the game is most significant, for without them; the cricketer has no means to show his skill as a performer. Cricket has become the axis around which the Caribbean rotates (85). Cricket has been compared to dance as an art form. During both performances (cricket and dance), the body is used as a medium of expression. Nettleford notes how West Indians

Wallace 2 were denigrated for not being as good as those who they imitated. The gear of the player is seen as an extension of his body. The body of the player then becomes a national and cultural object, that is, the culture of the player is exhibited in his performance. Nettleford makes the point that the body is treated as an image of society as it can be an expression of dance, theater and or sport. He notes how West Indians have developed their own style in response to being coached to mimic those “gentlemen” of the game. “They moved in a more poetic manner, the stroke seeming to begin with the toes and to move in a supple, flowing line through the legs, arched back and whiplike arms” (87). This rhythmic grace, as it is referred to, has caused the West Indian cricketer to be sometimes called a ‘“calypso cricketer’” (89). In conjunction with Nettleford, others such as Jimmy Carnegie have made the point that cricket is ‘“poetry in motion”’ (90). The point is also made that it is their movements, strides, and shots that causes the sport to be regarded as a choreographed dance work. Each player on the team carries out a specific task or role, just like the dancer in a corps de ballet. The success of the team is determined by their ability to cooperate as a group, working in unison. Mention is made of the degree of weight that is applied to each stroke, shaping the movement of the player and the uniqueness of that shot (92-94). Helen Tiffin in her article “Cricket, literature and the politics of de-colonisation: the case of C.L.R. James” makes a deeper understanding and connection to cricket through the use of poetry and literature. Tiffin interrogates cricket through the work of C.L.R. James and the survival of cricket pass the colonial period. Although blacks have sought to throw off the vestiges of colonialism, cricket – the quintessential European sport, it is still a feature today. The idea behind the survival of the sport is one where it has given West Indians the opportunity to prove themselves to their former colonial masters. The link with literature and the works of C.L.R. James is that those who once enslaved us also taught us to read and write and with that regard, we prove to them yet again that not only can we excel at sport but also

Wallace 3 at anything which ‘we put our minds to’. This is somewhat proven in James’s text “Beyond the Boundary”, as the title itself eludes to a greater point, that is, to overcome English expectations. Tiffin also analyses the work of Orlando Patterson, “The Ritual of Cricket”. Here Patterson looks at the underling significance of the meeting of two teams, namely the West Indies and England. The two teams meet for a match in Jamaica. Patterson sees the game as a “social drama in which almost all of the basic tensions and conflicts within the Society are played out symbolically” (365). By this Patterson means that cricket therefore becomes a mode of expression through which societies concerns are voiced. He contends that cricket is an Englishman’s game, a game given to us by our former colonial master, yet it is the game we have come to master. It is the game we love, because it is the only game we can master and give us some international prestige (365). For Patterson, cricket not only becomes an expression of tensions and conflicts (such as race relations and class divisions), but it becomes an avenue for the representation of English culture, a culture we have been forced to love and call our own. Patterson’s hypothesis can be regarded as negative toward West Indian culture. He sees Afro-Jamaican culture as an incoherent patchwork made of “hopeless cultural shambles…” (365). His point is that West Indian culture, especially Afro-Jamaican culture does not have the constitutional structures that European culture has, therefore it is insignificant. C.L.R. James in his article, “What is Art”, shares a similar notion with Rex Nettleford where cricket is defined as an art. He further explains, “cricket is the first and foremost a dramatic spectacle, it belongs with the theatre, ballet, opera and dance” (196), all notions which coincide with Nettleford’s stance on cricket. James regards all sports as dramatic, as they elicit messages of the individual or society at large. He makes the point that what matters in arts and also in cricket is what people can see and feel (198). Cricket is a visual art (199).

Wallace 4 Cricket has been used to inspire artist in various art forms. As mentioned before, James is of the opinion that the body can be seen as an image of expression (Cricket and the Artistic Tradition: West Indian Cricket as a Performing Art 87). In “What is Art”, the ideas of Mr. Berenson are employed where he observes how the body is rendered. He makes the point that form matters both to the spectator of the game and to the artist. For the spectator, it gives a sense of reality before him, and for the artist it “makes the painting life-giving, life enhancing, to the viewer” (200). The point here is that cricket is regarded as an artistic genre and is capable of emitting or expressing a like experience to the viewer or spectator. Cricket contains artistic elements. The fact the game is regarded as an art has somewhat taken away its fatigue of actuality. At times a certain style is associated with cricket. James has included in his article, a written work by John Arlott where he illustrates how a player’s form could be seen as graceful or event artistic. John has done this in the most eloquent manner, describing the bowling of the late Maurice Tate. He had strong, but sloping shoulders; a deep chest, fairly long arms and – essentially to the pace bowler – broad feet to take the jolt of the delivery stride and wide hips to cushion it. His run-in, eight accelerating and lengthening strides, has a hint of scramble about it at the beginning, but, by the eighth stride and well before his final leap, it seemed as if his limbs were gathered together in one glorious wheeling unity. He hoisted his left arm until it was pointing straight upwards, while his right hand, holding the ball, seemed to counter-poise it at the opposite pole. Meanwhile, his body, edge-wise on to the batsman, had swung its weight back on to the right foot: his back curved so that, from the other end, you might see the side of his head jutting out, as it were, from behind his left arm… (204).

Wallace 5 Whenever people visualize cricket, what is lease realized is the fact that people always envisage batting. John’s aim was to correct that unbalance by documenting the form/action and grace of brilliant bowlers. Gordon Rohlehr in his article “Music, Literature, and West Indian Cricket Values” uses the work of Neville Cardus to explain the link between West Indian cricket and the arts. There is a certain mystery about cricket, which has caused the creative genius (the West Indian) to see the beauty of the game. Evidence has suggested that there has been a link between cricket and the arts, especially poetry since the 17th century. The link between cricket and the arts has also been extended to society and or English civilization at large, awakening the innovative sensibilities of poets, novelists, calypsonians and artists of other forms (5556). Cricket created an avenue for a new type of music, calypso cricket. After the West Indies lost the English test in 1928, cricket enthusiast would pay close attention to the game. The achievements of the team on the field or their lack thereof, inspired calypsonians to compose songs about cricketing culture, its social and political idiosyncrasies (Rohlehr 58). Songs about improper team selection and poor performances by key players would be brought to light by calypsonians. For example, Lord Beginner would compose his song called ‘Bad Selection’, which was a protest against the failure to include major Trinidadian players during the West Indies tour to England. Beginner laments: Bad! bad! bad selection To go to England Bad! bad! bad selection To go to England They left out Mr. Wiles: they carry Rae They left out John George(sic) and give Bartlett play

Wallace 6 And even Pascall the manicou man form Maraval (57). Songs like these were the beginning of scapegoating for some, and high praise for others as the success or failure of the team was always relegated to one person. Constantine was praised for his success as a West Indian cricketer. Lord Beginner notes that he was “a more important attraction than the British Monarchy” (61). Constantine among others would be highlighted for their skill, brilliance and mastery of the game. Apart from the international scene, calypso’s also documented the happenings of inter-territorial games. Antilla the Hun, a Trinidadian calypsonian composed the events of a 1937 tournament played in Port of Spain: I went down to the Oval to see The cricket fight for supremacy I went down to the Oval to see The cricket fight for supremacy We flogged Barbados as is known by you And then we trounced Demerara too Stollmeyer, Tang Choon, Grell and Sealy Led Trinidad to glorious victory (63). This new genre of music, calypso cricket was an invention of the region’s people. It was through song that they documented the events of the West Indies, highlighting their successes and failures as a team. With regard to regional squads, these songs served as an expression of excitement or sorrow, and were based solely on the team’s performance as a collective. Kenneth Surin in his article “C.L.R. James’ materialist aesthetic of cricket” reintroduces the idea from C.L.R. James, that cricket is an expression of culture. He quotes James stating that cricket became the vehicle “for the expression of emancipatory and democratic impulses in a colonial setting…” (317). By this James simply means that cricket

Wallace 7 was able to express both social and political impulses, especially when based on the positions occupied by its players and spectators in a particular social and political setting. Surin notes that cricket is “part of a hegemonic project, a project of cultural assimilation…” (317). This assimilation could be seen where the English have given us this game ‘we’ call our own, and it has been altered to suit our needs and reflect us as a people. Furthermore, cricket is used to produce that image of a fine gentleman, thus reiterating ones inferiority and the vestiges of a colonial time (317-318). In closing, cricket has served as an inspiration for the arts in the region. In music, poetry, dance and even literature, cricket provided an avenue for persons with talents in these areas to promote their creative sensibilities and also to understand their social and political dimensions. For music, West Indians saw for the first time what was termed and branded as ‘calypso cricket’, a musical genre which was used to document the occurrences whenever the Indies played. Mention was made either of their success or defeat, individually or as a collective. Others have linked cricket to dance, and have suggested that the body is used as a medium to express culture. The gear of the player is regarded as an extension of his body and has become an object of nationalism.

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Works Cited James, C. L. R. “‘What Is Art?’” Beyond a Boundary. New York: Pantheon, 1983. 195-211. Print. Nettleford, Rex. “Cricket and the Artistic Tradition: West Indian Cricket as a Performing Art.” A Spirit of Dominance: Cricket and Nationalism in the West Indies. By Hilary Beckles and Viv Richards. Kingston, Jamaica: Canoe, University of the West Indies, 1998. 82-99. Print. Rohlehr, Gordon. “Music, Literature, and West Indian Cricket Values.” An Area of Conquest: Popular Democracy and West Indies Cricket Supremacy. By Hilary Beckles. Kingston, Jamaica: I. Randle, 1994. 55-102. Print. Surin, Kenneth. “C.L.R James' Materialist Aesthetic of Cricket.” Liberation Cricket: West Indies Cricket Culture. By Hilary Beckles and Brian Stoddart. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1995. 313-41. Print. Tiffin, Helen. “Cricket, Literature and the Politics of De-colonisation: The Case of C.L.R. James.” Liberation Cricket: West Indies Cricket Culture. By Hilary Beckles and Brian Stoddart. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1995. 356-69. Print....