Biographical Information

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, a hero is "a man noted or admired for nobility,
courage, outstanding achievements ... a man of superhuman qualities, favoured by the gods".
One need only a glimpse of his career to note how aptly these terms apply to sports superstar
!ir "arfield !obers who, for #$ years, bestrode the cric%eting world li%e a colossus, leaving
millions gaping in ama&ement and admiration.
Destiny seemed to have chosen him from very early for great things, endowing him with the
capacity to play with great s%ill almost any sport involving a ball, particularly cric%et, football and
bas%etball.
'e was the fifth of six children born to !hamont and (helma !obers of )alcott Avenue, *ay
+and, !t. ,ichael.
"ordon *ell, author of "!ir "arfield !obers", records that "arfield and his similarly talented
brother "erald helped their *ay !treet *oys- !chool team to win the primary school .nter!chool
Cric%et championship for three consecutive years.
*y age /0, "arfield had caught the attention of "arnet Ashby, captain of the *arbados Cric%et
+eague 1*C+2, !t. 3hilip team, 4ent, and Denis At%inson who played for the *arbados Cric%et
Association 1*CA2 team, )anderers, 1then located at *ay +and2 and for the )est .ndies.
Ashby, who recruited him to play for 4ent in the *C+ competition, gave him his first opportunity to
play cric%et with "the big boys".
(he opportunity to further hone his s%ills came by providing )anderers cric%eters, including
At%inson, with practice in the nets off of his seemingly effortless left arm spin bowling. .t was there
that captain of the 3olice team, .nspector )ilfred 5armer 1a former )anderers player and later
3olice Commissioner2, saw him in action and shortly afterwards offered him a chance to play for
3olice.
*y age /6, the prodigy was in the 3olice 5irst Division team. (hat same year he was called to the
*arbados trials for the /78#80 tour by .ndia to the )est .ndies. 'e made the team as /#th man,
an honour for a lad in his first season of first class cric%et, then getting his chance to play for
*arbados when 5ran% 4ing, )est .ndies fast bowler for the (est series, was forced to rest for the
colony game.
At /9 years old, he made his international debut for the )est .ndies in the fifth and final (est
against the touring :nglish side in ;amaica in ,arch /78<.
5rom such an auspicious beginning "arfield !obers- #$year cric%eting career, too% him to
unforeseen heights, inspiring almost poetic praise from writers, broadcasters and his peers.
.n ,ichael ,anley-s "A 'istory of )est .ndies Cric%et", the author describes "arfield as "the first
complete Caribbean fol% hero after "eorge 'eadley". Australian fast bowler 4eith ,iller describes
him as "a batting wi&ard" and "the complete cric%eter", while renowned cric%et writer :.).
!wanton in his boo% "!ort of a Cric%et 3erson" writes= "(here is a tradition of good sportsmanship
in )est .ndies cric%et, long established, which has never wea%ened. "ary !obers is its perfect
expression."
:ngland-s (revor *ailey, who became a lasting friend of "arfield and who wrote a biography
entitled "!ir "ary", said= "'e could mishit and still score a six." 5inally, renowned Caribbean writer
C.+. >. ;ames called him "this superb product of the modern age".
!ir "arfield-s records, some of which still stand, include scoring in /78? at the age of #/, an
incredible 068 runs 1not out2 which stood for 06 years as the highest individual (est score ever
made. .t was erased in Antigua in /77< by current )est .ndies captain *rian +ara who scored
098.
Another record is his sixth wic%et stand at +ord-s, in /766, against devastating :ngland bowling.
'e and David 'olford responded to the attac% by establishing a record partnership 1posting /60
and /$8 not out respectively2. 'e was also the first batsman to score six sixes in a sixball over in
a first class match.
!obers captained the )est .ndies cric%et team for 07 matches between /768 and /79#, the
*arbados team in /766 and /769, @ottinghamshire from /76?/79/ and the >est of the )orld for
two tours one of :ngland and the other of Australia.
Altogether, he played cric%et for *arbados for #/ seasons, :nglish +eague cric%et eight seasons,
for @ottinghamshire seven seasons and for !outh Australia three seasons in their !heffield !hield
Competition.
"arfield was among the first personalities trying to integrate apartheid countries through sport by
coaching blac% youths and playing in racist >hodesia 1now Aimbabwe2 in /767.
'e was seriously criticised, mainly in the )est .ndies, for his actions. *ut his subsequent apology
is all the more significant now that many players, including )est .ndians, have made a living
doing the same thing in !outh Africa even before the end of apartheid.
>etiring in /79< after his %nee cartilage finally gave out, "arfield featured in another precedent
when, in /798, Bueen :li&abeth .. overturned tradition by dubbing him a 4night in an openair
ceremony at the "arrison !avannah instead of at *uc%ingham 3alace.
.n "/$$ Cears of Organised Cric%et in *arbados", historians 4eith !andiford and >onnie 'ughes
accurately sum up this magnificent career.
(hey write= ")hen the cric%et world discusses the greatest batsmen of all time the name of !ir
"arfield !obers features prominently in the debate. 'e is in that shortlist which includes
*radman, "eorge 'eadley and ;ac% 'obbs. )hen the greatest allrounders are being discussed
the debate is really about who should ran% second behind "ary !obers."
(hey rightly observe that !ir "arfield !obers is "the star personality in the history of )est .ndies
cric%et" and that "he helped to ma%e *arbados the strongest cric%eting country in the Caribbean
during its early period of .ndependence".
"'e has inspired a host of youngsters to play the game and his influence can clearly be seen in
the approach and mannerisms of his many imitators. As an international star lifting himself to the
top by the magnificence of his cric%et, !obers has served as a role model to thousands of lower
income *arbadian boys."
(he authors continue= "'e has been the role model also for millions of youngsters beyond the
shores of *arbados. 'e is the single most popular of all *arbadians and he has ta%en our name
to all parts of the world and covered it with glory."
(his then is the significance of !ir "arfield-s contribution to his country, a contribution that moves
him from the realm of cric%etingDsporting hero to that of national hero.
.n the words of !andiford and 'ughes= "'e is the embodiment of cric%et excellence, and, as such,
is one of our truly great national symbols. As a representative of the *C+, 3olice, *arbados,
>adcliffe in the Central +ancashire +eague, !outh Australia, the )est .ndies and the >est of the
)orld, !obers made enormous contributions to the growth and popularity of cric%et. 'e richly
deserved the engraving of his picture on a *arbados .ndependence 3ostage !tamp in /766, the
%nighthood which 'er ,aEesty Bueen :li&abeth .. saw fit to bestow upon him in /798 and the
placing of his name on the 3layers- 3avilion at 4ensington Oval.
"(he name of "arfield !t. Auburn !obers will live forever in the fond memory of *arbadians and
cric%eters everywhere
Sobers first played first-class cricket for Barbados at the age of 16,
playing for Barbados against India. He played his first test match in
195 against !ngland in "ingston, #amaica getting $ickets. He
sho$ed promise d%ring a 195& !nglish 'o%r, b%t it $as d%ring the
195&-5( to%r of )akistan $here he set the highest test score of the
time by scoring *65no.
+%stralia,s 'est captain Ste-e .a%gh and former .est Indies skipper /arfield Sobers
recei-ed 0rder of +%stralia a$ards in the 1%een,s Birthday Hono%rs list p%blished on
2onday. Both $ere made 0fficers in the /eneral 3i-ision 4+05 of the 0rder of
+%stralia for ser-ices to cricket and the comm%nity
Four distinguished nationals of the Caribbean Community will be accorded the highest
regional award in the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) at the opening of the
X1X Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Goernment of the Caribbean Community
at the !ational Cultural Centre" Castries" #aint $ucia% &he Meeting ta'es place from ()
*une +, *uly 1--.%
&he award will be conferred on former /rime Minister and now /resident of &rinidad and
&obago" His 01cellency 2rthur !apoleon 3aymond 3obinson4 former /rime Minister of
2ntigua and 5arbuda" 6ere Cornwall 5ird (snr)4 *amaican academic and historian" #ir
/hillip Manderson #herloc' and 5arbadian cric'et great" #ir Garfield #t% 2uburn #obers
contribution to the development of the Caribbean Region%
&he statistical record of his achieements is impressie and reflects his complete mastery
of the game of cric'et% He was an accomplished batsman" a bowler of great ersatility" a
fieldsman to be feared and an ambitious captain% He is reered the world oer for his
sportsmanship% He has been described in the Guinness Cric'et 0ncyclopedia as simply
the greatest all+rounder eer to hae played cric'et% He has become the standard by which
all other cric'eters are and will be 7udged% 8r% Francisco #linger (#parrow) has eulogised
him as the greatest cric'eter on 0arth or Mars% He is Garfield #t% 2uburn #obers" born in
5arbados 9: years ago and an icon for generations of Caribbean citi;ens%

For almost two decades" this gifted 5arbadian epitomised what the game of cric'et is all
about% His was a household name whereer the game was played% &o the thousands of
purists and enthusiasts who thronged to see him or listened to his e1ploits on the radio" he
was their e1ample of what cric'et really was and how it should be played% 2nd to the
ery young <est =ndians" he sered to e1pand their ambitious hori;ons by adding> = want
to be a cric'eter li'e #obers> to their other career choices% <hat is ama;ing about this
special person we are honouring today is that had he decided to concentrate on football or
bas'etball or een golf" his would still hae been a great success story%

Sir /arfield Sobers $as born the si6th of se-en children #%ly 7(, 19*6 in Bay 8and, St. 2ichael )arish,
Barbados. +t the age of si6 Sobers lost his father a merchant seaman $hen /ermans torpedoed his ship.
Sobers $o%ld then 9oin the 8ancashire 8eag%e, playing for :ottinghamshire $here he de-eloped an
e6tremely fast bo$l. He $o%ld then bo$l for So%th +%stralia setting records completing an %nprecedented
feat d%ring his first season their a do%ble; 1<<< r%ns and 5< $ickets t$ice in an +%stralian season.
Something that no one else $as able to complete e-en once. So%th +%stralia $o%ld go on to $in the
Sheffield Shield.