Lord's landmark without peer

London-The West Indies start their 123rd Test match against England this morning against the happy coincidence of a backdrop of history and tradition.

Lord's is the venue, and the most famous ground in all cricket hosts its 100th Test, the first to reach such a milestone.

Almost to the day, it will also be the 50th anniversary of the West Indies victory there in 1950, their first on English soil after three series, the 100th year since the West Indies undertook their first tour of England in 1900 and 25 years since Clive Lloyd's team beat Australia, at Lord's, to win the first World Cup.

The inaugural Lord's Test was against Australia in 1884, the first for the West Indies in 1928, since when the teams have met there 15 times.

The West Indies have a 5-4 win advantage, their most renowned the breakthrough of 1950.

Yet the most exciting was the draw of 1963, when, with England nine wickets down and six to win in the final over, Colin Cowdrey had to resume his innings with his hand, broken earlier by a ball from Wes Hall, in plaster.

Cowdrey took up his position at the non-striker's end and, amidst tension that had gripped the crowd all day, watched David Allen kept Hall's last delivery out with a straight-batted defensive shot.

Lord's will stage its own celebrations to mark its centenary of Tests.

Those surrounding the West Indian anniversaries began yesterday.

A service at St. Martin's-in-the-Field in London's Trafalgar Square in the afternoon marked the first tour, a pioneering venture on which the West Indies matches were not even granted first-class status but on which they proved their worth to their doubting hosts.

The retired Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend David Sheppard, a former England batsman, who played in the 1950 series, and Hall, the bowler who sent down the final over in 1963, now also an ordained reverend, gave addresses.

The leader of the Greater London Authority, Trevor Phillips, West Indian by birth, delivered the tribute to the 1900 team and especially to Charles Olivierre, the batsman from St.Vincent who became the first West Indian professional in county cricket, with Derbyshire, as a result of his performances on the tour.

Several prominent members of the Afro-Caribbean community in England and West Indian diplomats attended the service.

It was followed last night by the annual eve-of-Test dinner of the Lord's Taverners in the grand ballroom of the Hilton Hotel at which the 1950 Test was the main theme.

Five of the six surviving West Indians from the 1950 team - in batting order Alan Rae, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Clyde Walcott, Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine - were special guests of honour, flown to England by Virgin Atlantic for the occasion.

The only other living member, Robert Christiani, resides in Toronto and was unable to travel.

Seven of the 25 Englishmen who played in the four Tests of the series were also there.

Batsman Hubert Doggart and spinner Bob Berry actually played in the Lord's Test. The others, Rt. Rev. Sheppard, John Dewes, Doug Insole, Trevor Bailey and Reg Simpson, played in the other matches as did Sir Alec Bedser, who was unable to attend but was represented by his identical twin brother, Eric.

As he did at the church service earlier, but in somewhat different vein, Rev. Hall was one of the main speakers at the dinner.

The Lord's Taverners, a charity organisation whose membership is mainly sportsmen, entertainers and politicians, is itself marking its 50th birthday this year.

It was all a prelude to the Test itself that has always been a magnet to the international cricketing fraternity. For West Indians, the lore of history makes it extra special this year.