Andy Ganteaume facts for kids

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Andy Ganteaume

Personal information
Full name	Andrew Gordon Ganteaume
Born	(1921-01-22)22 January 1921 Belmont, Trinidad and Tobago
Died	17 February 2016(2016-02-17) (aged 95)
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper
International information
National side	West Indies
Only Test (cap 60)	11 February 1948 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1940–1963	Trinidad and Tobago
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 1 50 Runs scored 112 2,785 Batting average 112.00 34.81 100s/50s 1/0 5/17 Top score 112 159 Balls bowled 0 48 Wickets – 0 Bowling average – – 5 wickets in innings – – 10 wickets in match – – Best bowling – – Catches/stumpings 0/– 34/3
Source: Cricinfo, 31 October 2009

Andrew Gordon Ganteaume (born January 22, 1921 – died February 17, 2016) was a Trinidadian cricket player. He played just one special game called a Test match for the West Indies in 1948. In that game, he scored 112 runs. This amazing score meant he had the highest batting average in Test history for a long time. It was only beaten later by Kurtis Patterson.

Ganteaume played for Trinidad from a young age. He was picked for the Test match against England because he was batting so well. However, he scored runs quite slowly. This might have been why he never played another Test match. He did travel with the West Indies team to England in 1957. When he passed away, Andy Ganteaume was the oldest living West Indies Test cricketer.

Growing Up and Starting Cricket

Andy Ganteaume was born in Belmont, a part of Port of Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago. He didn't have special cricket training. But he still made his first-class debut for Trinidad in 1941. He was 19 years old and played as a wicketkeeper. In that first game, he scored 87 runs.

For the next few years, Ganteaume played regularly for Trinidad. He also played football for the Trinidad team. But his job in the government meant he didn't have unlimited time for sports.

At first, Ganteaume batted in the middle of the team's batting order. Later, he was asked to open the batting. This meant he would be one of the first two players to bat. Some people thought wicketkeepers would be good openers. They believed wicketkeepers got used to the field conditions while catching balls. But Ganteaume didn't agree with this idea. He also didn't really like being an opener. He scored his first big century (100 runs) in 1946. He scored another century later that same year.

Getting Called Up for a Test Match

In the 1947–48 cricket season, the England cricket team visited the West Indies. When they played in Trinidad, Ganteaume scored 101 runs and then 47 runs without being out. But some reporters said he scored too slowly. This was even though the batting conditions were easy.

In another game against the English team, he scored 5 and 90 runs. But he wasn't chosen for the Test match that followed. Ganteaume later thought his background might have played a part in him not being picked. However, one of the West Indies' opening batsmen, Jeff Stollmeyer, got hurt before the game. So, Ganteaume was called up to play in the team.

England batted first and scored 362 runs. When the West Indies batted, Ganteaume and his opening partner, George Carew, made a great start. They scored 173 runs together. Again, Ganteaume was criticized for batting slowly. But he later said he was trying to score single runs. This allowed his partner, who was batting very well, to face more of the bowling.

On the third day, Ganteaume kept batting and reached his century. It was the first century scored by a Trinidadian in a Test match played in Trinidad. His innings took about 270 minutes. He slowed down even more as he got closer to 100 runs. The West Indies' captain even sent a message asking the batsmen to score faster. Other batsmen also batted slowly. Ganteaume later said that England used tactics to slow down the scoring.

He didn't bat in the second innings. The West Indies needed to score runs quickly to try and win the game. The match ended in a draw. Rain had also stopped play earlier, reducing the time. Ganteaume's slow batting hurt the West Indies' chances of winning.

Ganteaume did not play in the next Test match. He was replaced by John Goddard. Goddard joined the team as part of a plan to change the captain. Ganteaume was chosen for a group of 24 players who might tour India and Pakistan in 1948–49. But he wasn't picked for the final team of 16 players. He was also not chosen for the 1950 tour of England. He kept playing for Trinidad sometimes in the years that followed. But he didn't play any more international cricket until 1957.

Later Cricket Years

In 1957, Ganteaume was chosen to tour England with the West Indies team. He was 36 years old then. He played 19 first-class matches on that tour. He scored 800 runs, averaging about 27.58 runs per game. He scored over 50 runs in seven games. His highest score was 92 against Glamorgan.

Norman Preston, who edited Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, said that Ganteaume and the other opening batsmen didn't play as well as expected. This meant Frank Worrell had to open the batting instead. Ganteaume never got close to playing another Test match.

After the tour, Ganteaume played only two more first-class games for Trinidad. He finished his career with 2,785 first-class runs. His average was 34.81, and he scored five centuries. Since he only batted in one Test innings, Ganteaume ended up with a Test batting average of 112. This was the highest career average for a player who had finished their career.

There are a few reasons why Ganteaume didn't play more Test cricket. One reason was his slow batting during his century. Goddard later said it would have been better for Ganteaume's career to score a quick 60 runs instead of a slow 100. Also, the West Indies had many strong batsmen at that time. So, there was a lot of competition for spots on the team.

Even so, his teammate and future West Indies captain Jeff Stollmeyer felt Ganteaume was unlucky not to be picked again. It's also possible that Ganteaume's strong opinions affected his career. Cricket writer Martin Williamson suggested that Ganteaume "probably paid as much for his anti-establishment attitude as for slow scoring." He wasn't someone who would just agree with the powerful players of that time.

In later years, Ganteaume helped pick players for the Test team. He was also the West Indies team manager in 1973–74. In 2007, he wrote a book about his life called My Story: The Other Side of the Coin. In it, he shared his thoughts about the cricket "establishment" from his playing days. He passed away on February 17, 2016, at the age of 95. When he died, he was the oldest living West Indies Test cricketer. He was also the second oldest in the world.

See Also

• One Test Wonder
• Lists of oldest cricketers