From the Chronicle Christmas Annual 1966 - A Special for the year of Guyana's independence.
By Cecil P. Kippins
In the early days of West Indian cricket, Guyana did not have the opportunity of playing a big part in the composition of West Indian teams, at home and abroad. But today it is entirely a different matter. Gone are the days when we had to consider ourselves fortunate to have one representative on a West Indian touring side whenever a team was selected. The choices at times never met with wide approval, and there have been many heartaches and heartburns over the non-selection of our heroes. Some of our representatives have done well, while others found the going hard, generally because of their inability to adapt themselves to foreign conditions, or, in some cases, to selectorial faults.
The West Indies teams of 1900 and 1906 which toured England did not have many Guyanese included. The most successful member from Guyana was J. Burton, a professional fast bowler from the Georgetown Cricket Club. In 1900 he took 72 wickets on tour, but he was a dismal failure in 1906. When the first West Indian Eleven met an England Eleven at Bridgetown, Barbados, in 1902, Burton and C. H. King, a batsman, were included. King was a right-hand batsman who had made centuries in first class games against Trinidad. Actually on his debut in first class cricket he scored a century against Trinidad in 1894-95, so his inclusion was merited. His batting against Barbados and Trinidad in the Intercolonial series was of the highest calibre.
Another Guyanese who did well was E. R D. Moulder. He was selected to play against the MCC in 1912-13 at Bourda, and in the second innings had the distinction of batting right through the entire West Indies second innings of 264. Moulder hit 104 not out, but with the intervention of World War One, he did not get another chance at higher stakes.
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