Did you know?

Nov 30, 2014 Sports

Still highlighting our football history, Statistician Charwayne Walker asks: Did you know that seven British Guiana players were invited to trials for selection to tour the United Kingdom in 1959?
Seven members of the 1959 British Guiana Team that participated in the quadrangular football series hosted by Trinidad were invited to trials. The British Guiana invitees were Compton Julian, Lewis Weithers, Hubert Braithwaite, George Greene, Monty Hope, Herman D’Andrade and Albert Mendonca. The players were invited based on their outstanding performance for British Guiana during the quadrangular football series involving host Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados. Trinidad played unbeaten, emerging as Caribbean Champs.
Game one – British Guiana vs. Jamaica at Queens Park Oval; Result: drawn two all. Goal scorers – Patsy Peiters and a Jamaican own goal; for Jamaica Ken East and Alvin Wong. Game two, Trinidad beat Barbados two – nil: goal scorers for Trinidad were Son Baptiste and Ronnie Gray. Game three Jamaica beat Barbados three – one; Owen Parker scored a hat-trick while Michael Norville scored the lone Bajan goal.
Game four Trinidad beat British Guiana two – one; goal scorers for Trinidad were Len Leggard and Ronnie Gray, Skipper Hubert Braithwaite was the British Guiana marksman. Game five Barbados beat British Guiana two – one. Goal scorer for British Guiana was Patsy Peiters while Reggie Haynes and Norville scored for Barbados. Game six Trinidad beat Jamaica two – one; goal scorers for Trinidad were Dave Cabral and Len Leggard, while Owen Parker netted for Jamaica.
The victorious Trinidad starting eleven:
Patrick Gomez – Captain
Len Leggard
Dave Cabral
Bertrand Hills
Eddie Aleong
Noel Daniel
Doyle Griffith
Carlton Franco
Jeff Mahan
Ronald Gray
Tyrone De La Bastide
After the tournament two teams were selected for the first trial to select the West Indies Football Team to the United Kingdom; the teams were led by British Guiana, Hubert Braithwaite and Trinidadian Doyle Griffith.
Braithwaite’s Team:
Cammie Smith – Barbados
Bertrand Hills – Trinidad
Hubert Braithwaite – British Guiana
Ken Largie – Jamaica
Noel Daniel – Trinidad
George Greene – British Guiana
Len Leggard – Trinidad
Reggie Haynes – Barbados
Ken East – Jamaica
Lewis Weithers – British Guiana
Albert Mendonca – British Guiana
Doyle Griffith’s team:
Son Baptiste – Trinidad
Doyle Griffith – Captain – Trinidad
Tyrone De La Bastide – Trinidad
P. Lowe – Trinidad
Herman D’Andrade – British Guiana
Alvin Corneal – Trinidad
Compton Julian – British Guiana
L. Gittens – Grenada
R. Charter – Grenada
Dave Cabral – Trinidad
Monty Hope – British Guiana
After the first trials, three more trial matches were played before the team was selected and the British Guiana players selected were George Greene, Compton Julian, Monty Hope and Hubert Braithwaite.
Please find below the 1959 British Guiana team that participated in the quadrangular series in Trinidad –
Hubert Braithwaite – Captain
George Greene
Monty Hope
Compton Julian
Lewis Weithers
Herman D’Andrade
Baige Devonish
Harold Blenman
Patsy Peiters
Albert Mendonca
Sydney Campbell
Pico Steward
Herman Mc Gowan
‘Squeaky’ Hinds
Cossor Bourne