The end of a 73-year wait

Edgar Gilbert had to wait 73 years and eight days before he could actually go to a ground to watch a Test match. Gilbert, a former first-class cricketer, was one of many who flocked to Warner Park yesterday, to watch the first day of Test cricket at the world's youngest venue. Some need to wait several years to play Test cricket, others spend a lifetime just waiting to watch it.

It was no doubt an emotional moment. Gilbert, who played for St Kitts and the Combined Islands in the '60s, was reputed to have been a more-than-useful allrounder. He recalls the days when there was no television, when radio and newspapers were his only windows to the cricketing world. Gilbert speaks about how difficult it was to motivate oneself without actually getting to watch - "There was no-one to model yourself on, no-one to get inspired by." The only cricket he saw when he grew up was the tournament played between communities, and the first first-class match he ever saw was the one he played in.

Unlike a few others from St Kitts, who traveled to other islands to watch Test match cricket, Gilbert never got the chance. Fours years ago, he fell victim to a serious diabetes problem, one which forced both his legs to be amputated. Sitting on his wheelchair, he gets teary-eyed as he talks about his first experience of a Test. He's most satisfied with the amount of youngsters that have come to watch the game. "I have seen many talented youngsters take up basketball once they leave school. Now that international cricket has come to St Kitts, I hope there is a shift in attitude." St Kitts has never produced an international cricketer but Gilbert firmly believes that it may not be too long before the floodgates are opened.