The Three Ws Oval (also commonly nicknamed the 3Ws Oval) is a cricket field at the entrance of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. [1] [2] Mostly known for the sculpture in the shape of three large wickets that stand tall on the incline above the field, the 3Ws Oval was one of the team warm-up venues for the 2007 Cricket World Cup finals, which were played at the nearby Kensington Oval stadium. The 3Ws has undergone a huge redevelopment over the last four years to meet ICC standards.
Situated next to the 3Ws Oval are the dormitories, the CLR James Centre for Cricket Research and the basketball courts at the University's campus entrance. Leading up the hill from the cricket ground is the West Indies Cricket Walk of Fame, which leads up to the gravesites of Sir Frank Worrell and Sir Clyde Walcott.
In the park opposite the University, there is a monument in the shape of a 'W' with busts of each of the famous 3Ws – Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Everton Weekes. These three giants of cricket were all born within a few miles of each other in Barbados and became a fearsome batting trio for the West Indies. All three were later knighted for their service to cricket. The facilities at the 3Ws Oval also include an indoor cricket school, which hosts the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre (HPC), which was opened in June 2010. The university's cricket teams also call this picturesque ground home for first-class cricket, List A cricket and local club cricket.
The Right Excellent Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, NH, AO, OCC, also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former Barbadian cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, he is widely considered to be cricket's greatest ever all-rounder and one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell, sometimes referred to by his nickname of Tae, was a Barbadian West Indies cricketer and Jamaican senator. A stylish right-handed batsman and useful left-arm seam bowler, he became famous in the 1950s as the second black captain of the West Indies cricket team. Along with Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of the West Indian cricket. He was the first batter to have been involved in two 500-run partnerships and remained the only one until Ravindra Jadeja emulated him in the 2010s.
Sir Clyde Leopold Walcott KA, GCM, OBE was a West Indian cricketer. Walcott was a member of the "three W's", the other two being Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell: all were very successful batsmen from Barbados, born within a short distance of each other in Bridgetown, Barbados in a period of 18 months from August 1924 to January 1926; all made their Test cricket debut against England in 1948. In the mid-1950s, Walcott was arguably the best batsman in the world. He was the manager of the West Indian squads which won the 1975 Cricket World Cup and the 1979 Cricket World Cup. In later life, he had an active career as a cricket administrator, and was the first non-English and non-white chairman of the International Cricket Council.
The Kensington Oval is a stadium located in the western part of Bridgetown, Barbados. It is the pre-eminent sporting facility on the island and is primarily used for cricket. It has hosted many important cricket games between local, regional, and international teams during its more than 120-year history.
Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, KCMG, GCM, OBE was a cricketer from Barbados. A right-handed batsman, he was known as one of the hardest hitters in world cricket. Weekes holds the record for the most consecutive Test hundreds, with five. Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of the West Indies cricket team. Weekes played in 48 Test matches for the West Indies cricket team from 1948 to 1958. Weekes occasionally donned the wicketkeeping gloves as well. He continued to play first-class cricket until 1964, surpassing 12,000 first-class runs in his final innings. As a coach he was in charge of the Canadian team at the 1979 Cricket World Cup, and he was also a commentator and international match referee.
The Barbados national cricket team is the national cricket team of Barbados, organised by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA). Barbados is a member of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), which is a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in its own right, and Barbadians play internationally for the West Indies cricket team.
Franz Copeland Murray Alexander OD, known as Gerry Alexander, was a Jamaican cricketer who played 25 Test matches for the West Indies. He was a wicket-keeper who had 90 dismissals in his 25 Test appearances and, though his batting average was around 30 in both Test and first class cricket, his only first-class century came in a Test on the 1960–61 tour of Australia.
Nyron Sultan Asgarali was a former West Indian international cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1957.
Combermere School is a school in Barbados, notable as one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean, established in 1695. Its alumni include several leading cricketers, David Thompson, sixth prime minister of Barbados and other politicians, several authors and the singer Rihanna. In its first 75 years, the school "provided the Barbadian community with the vast bulk of its business leaders and civil servants" and it is "perhaps the first school anywhere to offer secondary education to black children".
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1950 season to play a four-match Test series against England.
The West Indies cricket team toured England in the 1957 season to play a five-match Test series against England.
This article describes the history of West Indies cricket from 1946 to 1970.
Sports in Barbados are many and varied. The large Barbadian diaspora around the globe and wide-scale availability of International television covered on the local cable service and DirectTV has meant that Barbadians have always been up to date on international trends. Barbadians now follow a wide cross-section of sport from around the world. In recent years, the Barbadian government has implemented a policy of sport-based tourism. Including the hosting of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and various other events locally. Beyond this, the Barbadian calendar has many sporting events throughout the year.
The West Indies cricket team toured India, Pakistan and Ceylon from October 1948 to March 1949 and played a five-match Test series against the India national cricket team. West Indies won the Test series 1–0 with four matches being drawn. The West Indians played three matches in Pakistan in November and four matches in Ceylon in February.
A cricket team representing the University of the West Indies (UWI) played several matches in West Indian domestic cricket during the early 2000s, and currently plays at lower levels.
Sir Hilary McDonald Beckles KA is a Barbadian historian. He is the current vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission.
The West Indies High Performance Centre is a cricket academy and training centre based at the 3Ws Oval on the Cave Hill, Barbados, campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI). The centre was initially sponsored by the Sagicor Financial Corporation, and known as the Sagicor High Performance Centre.
Keith Arlington Patrick Sandiford GCM is a Barbadian-born Canadian historian. He has been professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba since 2002.
University of the West Indies at Cave Hill is a public research university in Cave Hill, Barbados. It is one of five general campuses in the University of the West Indies system.