IT was approaching noon yesterday and several descendants of late West Indies batsman George Headley were touring Sabina Park.
Inevitably, there was a stop by the imposing statue of the legendary Headley planted outside the venue, towards one of the entrances by South Camp Road.
Thereafter the group, numbering eight, headed inside Sabina and set eyes on the George Headley Stand, constructed in honour of the batting great in the 1980s.
Jamaica's Olympian Lyndie Headley, one of George's sons, would later explain that some of the latter's grandchildren were making their first trip to Sabina Park.
As luck would have it, the family ran into contemporary West Indies star Christopher Gayle, as he was about to leave Sabina Park after a work-out session.
Ironically, Gayle is a member of George Headley's old club Lucas CC.
Headley scored 2,190 runs at an average 60.83 in 22 Tests for the West Indies and is said to have joined Lucas in the 1920s.
At the end of the pleasantries and photo opportunities between Gayle and the Headleys, the Jamaica Observer had a quick chat with Ron Headley, another of George's son.
An obvious question centred on the attributes of the 35-year-old Gayle. And one would expect that Ron, a former West Indies batsman who also played for Worcestershire in English County cricket for a number of years, should have a keen eye for a fellow left-handed opener.
"Chris is a super, super player," Ron Headley, 75, said with a knowing nod as he sat down at the Kingston Cricket Club.
"I saw Chris when he was 17 playing in a club cricket final at Melbourne [Oval] and I remember saying to [renowned cricket scribe] Tony Becca, 'who's that?'
"Chris was opening the batting, left-handed and he was slim then. I could see he had something different. I said 'he can play'; you could see it."
But Gayle is not the only one Ron Headley has admiration for. The right-handed middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels, 33, has also caught his attention.
"Yes, Chris would have to be one of my favourites and Marlon Samuels is a good player. He's a super player and a lot of the West Indies guys can play. The key is their beautiful balance and that's why they hit the ball so hard. Balance equals timing," he said.
Ron Headley, whose two Test matches came against hosts England in 1973 with a top score of 42, said he is surprised Gayle is no longer the regional team captain, given his temperament and personality. According to the former left-handed batsman, he saw Gayle as a leader way before he was appointed skipper of the team.
"I saw him years ago in Birmingham and I actually said to Chris, 'Have you ever thought about captaincy?'
"You know how he smiles, and he said 'no' and I said, 'you should think about it'.
"Chris is a good captain, he's calm, he's composed and that's how you want your captain to be and I'm surprised he didn't continue being the captain," said Ron Headley.
Gayle has scored 7,214 runs in 103 Tests at 42.18.
FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE JAMAICA OBSERVER
