With sport on hold for the moment, The Leader is looking back at some of the significant events in our sporting history. Today we reflect on the day the West Indies came to Gunnedah.
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For many of them it was to be a once in a lifetime opportunity - the chance to play against some of finest cricketers of the day and players who would go on to augment a place as greats of the game.
But for the combined North West/Far North West side it was a dream that would never eventuate.
On Tuesday February 11, 1969 they were set to play the touring West Indies at Gunnedah's Kitchener Oval But the weather gods had other ideas.
As John Kilborn, who was secretary of the Gunnedah District Cricket Association at the time, recalled it had drizzled with rain for pretty much the preceding week.
"We had covers but in those days they were just tarpaulins we'd get from local carriers," he said.
"Of course the one we had had a hole in it and there was a wet patch when we uncovered it."
The first 'international' game to be played in Gunnedah, they decided to move it to Wolselely Park, and for four hours a merry band of volunteers worked tirelessly to get the ground prepared.
"The umpires inspected the wicket at about 11 (which was the scheduled time for play to commence).
"They said we'll leave it another hour and do another inspection," Kilborn said.
But about quarter of an hour before the second inspection "this dirty big black cloud came over the horizon and deposited about an inch of rain on the ground" and washed away any hopes of the game going ahead.
It left hundreds of disappointed spectators however West Indies fast bowler Wes Hall provided some of the local schoolchildren an experience they will never forget. Dubbed the "genial giant", Hall, who in 1959 became the first West Indian cricketer to take a test hat-trick and was knighted in 2012, spent a couple of hours playing with them in an impromptu practice session.
It wasn't just the game the weather played havoc with. The West Indian team was supposed to arrive around one o'clock on the Monday afternoon on a special chartered aircraft, but it was suspected to be struck by lightning en route from Albury to Sydney to pick the players up.
The plane underwent routine tests in Sydney and was cleared for take-off but the West Indian's refused to board the plane, instead deciding to come up to Gunnedah by hire car.
Along with Hall, the side included luminaries such as Clive Lloyd, who was then in the early stages of his decorated career, Lance Gibbs, Jackie Hendriks and Basil Butcher, and was captained by Rohan Kanhai. Garfield Sobers was captaining the touring party but wasn't named to play that day.
Accordingly there was a lot of hype around the game with cricket enthusiasts travelling from far and wide. Even the stock agents brought the local sheep sale forward an hour.
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Expecting a crowd of around 4000, the association had erected tiered seating for 1000 around Kitchener Oval.
They also banned cars from the ground to optimise the space for spectators.
The 'local' side was captained by Gunnedah native Peter Bruce and was regarded as one of the strongest representative sides seen in the area for a number of years. Managed by the late Bob Hickson it comprised Bruce, Bill Bucknell (Barraba, vice-captain), Errol Coleman (Tamworth), Mick Hussey (Gunnedah), Tim Grosser (Gunnedah), Jim Williams (Garah), Greg Jones (Moree), Tony Conlan (Quirindi), John Mulready (Coonamble), Roland (Ro) Shelton (Mungindi), Trevor Newell (Tamworth) and Ken Shine (Narrabri).
Then 24, Grosser was at the time plying his trade in Sydney with Balmain and had played a couple of Sheffield Shield games for NSW.
"It would have been terrific (to play the West Indies) no doubt about that," he reflected.
"Unfortunately it didn't happen and it won't happen again."
He lamented that first class cricket doesn't come to the bush any more.
Back in those days it wasn't uncommon for top class sides to play in the country.
Grosser recalled another occasion when the NSW side played in Gunnedah en route to Brisbane.
"We had the state side here in 1954," he said.
"Which was the likes of Keith Miller, Richie Benaud, Bob Simpson. Simpson was only about 17-years old then."
"There was another game in Narrabri in 1960 where a Northern NSW side played a NSW side, they were on their way to Queensland again."
The wash out wasn't all gloom for the local association. They had taken out an insurance policy against rain, and as more than the required 10 points of rain fell between 10am and midday, collected on the insurance.
