Walking with giants

As promised a few photo's from the Barbados gig, and where better to start than with the top man.  The four of us featured in the photo, have one thing in common which  I suspect nobody else at the presentation party had. All four of us were at Lord's cricket ground in the Summer of 1963. Two of us were trying to knock Ted Dexter's head off, one was egging them on from silly mid-on, and the other one was sat in the stand with his Dad watching his first ever live test match.

Three of them are now knighted and it was a real privilege that they sat to allow me to have this photo shoot. Sir Wes Hall can't move around too much these days so the pose was for his benefit really. Sir Charlie Griffiths and Sir Gary Sobers are much more sprightly and have a few yarns to spin. The three of them remind me of my chums in the S Club and how we meet up a few times each year and talk the same rubbish we have talked about for nigh on 50 years.

Gordon Greenidge was playing in my handicap group and was good enough to have his photo taken, the shadows were a bit tricky though. That said Sandy Lane was in top shape again this year, it was just a pity not to do it justice.

But finally,  the Caribbean would not be complete without a wonderful sunset, so, thats all folks!

Andrea Corr

Phew that's finished. A long four days ended yesterday at Sandy Lane and I came 61st overall out of 140 medal competitors. I beat Gordon Greenidge and Brian Lara but not Otis Gibson or Wayne Baptiste
One of our fourball hit a gross 80 yesterday which was very impressive.

Sandy Lane as a golf course layout was a bit disappointing. It was wide open off the tee and only protected by lightening fast greens. I was undone by the par 3 holes on the front nine, dropping 8 shots to par. That said the rest of the round was pretty solid.

The course has hosted a World Golf Championship event and is the second such I've played after the Victoria course in Portugal. It is the second course at Sandy Lane. The main one, the Green Monkey, is for hotel guests only and is still $4000 a tee time. There was nobody on it yesterday!!

The hotel is owned by J P McManus, John Magnier and Dermott Desmond, part of the hugely wealthy Irish racing community, Tiger Woods married there and Simon Cowell and Rihanna, amongst others, have homes on the estate.

Gordon Greenidge

He used to be half of the great West Indies opening pair with Desmond Haynes  I saw them bat together many times at Lords, and, more recently in Oxton when they batted together for Lashings, an invitation celebrity side.

Today he is playing with me in The Sir Gary Sobers golf festival. Desmond was due to play too, but along with Dwight York, he has scratched. I had a much better day today. A 7am start meant the heat was less oppressive than yesterday. Two lads from Queens in New York and one from Hertfordshire meant we had a bit of cross pond banter, and the golf responded accordingly.

Apes Hill is the new kid on the block and has aspirations to rival Royal Westmoreland. Its holes though were a bit samey off the tee, but the greens were tricky targets. 12,13 and 14 were the standout holes with the obligatory par theee over a lake, the pick of the front nine. I still had my three poor holes but managed to make a few more pars today to move up to eleventh, very much mid table.
A good round at Sandy Lane tomorrow and I could squeeze into the top  six. Managed to keep my lunch away from the monkey's today.

Apes Hill is the centre of the island polo activity and the Williams family who own it, are good friends with Prince Charles and the boys. Chukka anyone?

Reggae,reggae

Today was an island trip sort of day. We got a reggae bus about lunchtime and travelled to Holetown and it cost 2 bajan $ each. That's a 30 minute trip from the SE of the island to the NW for 60p!

Our first sight to visit was a Barbados National Trust open house. They do one every week and this one was called Fairways and bordered the third tee on the Sandy Lane old nine. It was a five bed new build bungalow on the site of an old one. It was up for sale at B$7m and the agent was using the open day as a marketing opportunity.
Four of the bedrooms were in a separate wing and were identical in design and decoration. The master bedroom and living accommodation were very well played out, but The kitchen, large as it was, did not fit the needs of a busy household. One standard cooker  An island work surface which too big, and no bbq pit or rotisserie.

There was a big pool and bar area but all in all it did not float our boat.

We then popped over to the Sandy Lane hotel, as you do, just in time for afternoon tea. Cakes, scones and sandwiches all very well presented and washed down with a drop of fizz.

Sandy Lane is owned by the Irish mafia, J P McManus, Michael Tabor and John Magnier They own the Coolmore stud and used to own a majority stake in Manchester United before they fell out with Fergie over his part in the race horse, Rock of Gibraltor. I doubt they own the hotel to make money, it's probably just a plaything, and somewhere to entertain. It was not as posh as we thought it would be, but the first guest we spoke to lived in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham! Say no more.

The day was rounded off with a few beers in Holetown followed by a steel band concert on the beach. It's their festival this week which celebrates their independence. Next year will be their 50th. They have parades, a tattoo and festival village. All good fun and a world away from the Sandy Lane residents.

Back to our hotel on the reggae bus and all tucked up for tomorrow.