Hartford’s Cricket Hall of Fame took time out to welcome West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh Jr. to the city of Hartford and recognized him for the outstanding services that he gave to the Jamaica and West Indies cricket teams, at a reception held at its Main Street facility on Wednesday, July 15. Baugh was in Hartford on a visit to his brother Kevin, who plays for the Sportmen’s Athletic Club’s team in the Connecticut Cricket League’s competition.
West Indian wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr., right, is presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by Cricket Hall of Fame’s Program Coordinator Pauline Davis.
Dr. Dolton James, PhD, Director of the Cricket Hall of Fame, paid tribute to Baugh for his accomplishments with the teams, and called on West Indians to adopt the traditions of U.S. sport fans, which honor and treasure their sports stars. He said that although Baugh has struggled to become a regular member of the West Indian team, based on his performances, we considered it appropriate to honor him. Many people consider Baugh as the top wicketkeeper in the West Indies, but in an age when wicketkeepers are expected to be above-average batsmen, that aspect of the game has so far held him back, Dr. James added.
At the reception Baugh was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Hall of Fame’s Program Coordinator Pauline Davis, and a bat for the outstanding services that he has given to the teams.
Prior to the presentation, representatives from the League and members of some of the teams who participate in the local competition, praised and thanked him for his accomplishments while playing with the teams. Some even said that they hoped that he will somehow make it back into the teams.
Responding to questions posed to him, Baugh admitted that the standard in the region has dropped very much and said that it will take some time for the West Indies’ team to get back to the levels that they once were. “We are not playing enough Cricket in the West Indies,” he said. “We need more teams. We still have a lot of talented players available, however, so if the selectors were to adopt the approaches used by most of the other countries, we stand a good chance of getting back to that high level once again,” he said.
Of the three formats in which the game is now played, he said that he prefers Test matches, because unlike the others, it not only brings out your intelligence and calls for great deal of concentration, but shows off your character and ability as a player.
Baugh, a tidy wicketkeeper, first got a look-in in the West Indies squad when he wasn’t even a regular behind the stumps for Jamaica. His wicketkeeping and explosive lower-order batting earned him a spot in the West Indies squad for the first Test of 2002-03 series against Australia.
After impressive displays for the West Indies B Team, Baugh grabbed the selectors’ attention with a quick-fire hundred against domestic champions Barbados. And just to prove it was no fluke, a few weeks later he smashed another hundred – this time against Australia for a Guyana Board XI – carting Stuart MacGill for 16 in one over. Thereafter, a combination of poor batting form kept him out of the international teams.