John Goddard (cricketer) facts for kids
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John Goddard in 1956
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| Full name |
John Douglas Claude Goddard
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| Born | 21 April 1919 St Michael, Barbados |
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| Died | 26 August 1987 (aged 68) London, England |
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| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium Right-arm off-break |
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| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 56) | 21 January 1948 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 24 August 1957 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1936/37 – 1957/58 | Barbados | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 30 May 2019
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John Douglas Claude Goddard (born April 21, 1919, died August 26, 1987) was a famous cricketer from Barbados. He was a great leader who captained the West Indies in 22 of his 27 Test matches. He led the team between 1948 and 1957. He was also awarded the OBE, which is a special honor from the British Empire.
Contents
John Goddard's Early Life and Cricket Career
Growing Up in Barbados
John Goddard was born in Fontabelle, Saint Michael, Barbados. His family owned a very important trading company in Barbados. He was the younger brother of Neville Goddard, who was a well-known writer and speaker.
John went to The Lodge School in Barbados. There, he was excellent at many sports. He was especially good at cricket, soccer, and athletics.
Playing for Barbados
Goddard played cricket for the Barbados team from 1936 to 1958. He was a middle-order batsman, which means he usually batted in the middle of the team's lineup.
He scored five "centuries" in his career. A century means scoring 100 runs or more in one game. All of these centuries were for Barbados between 1942 and 1947. During this time, he scored 1,219 runs.
His highest score was 218 runs, which was "not out." This means he was still batting when the game ended. He achieved this against Trinidad in 1943. In that game, he and Frank Worrell made a huge partnership of 502 runs.
Goddard became the captain of the Barbados team in 1946. He remained captain until he stopped playing. He led the team in 13 matches. They only lost one game during his captaincy.
John Goddard's Test Cricket Career Before 1950
First Test Matches and Captaincy
Goddard played his first Test match after World War II. This was when England toured the West Indies in 1947–48. Goddard played in all four matches of the series.
He became the captain for the third and fourth Test matches. His medium-paced bowling was very successful. In the third Test, he took 5 wickets for only 31 runs.
While his batting was good, his captaincy really stood out. The first two matches were draws. But under Goddard's leadership, the West Indies easily won the last two games.
Leading the West Indies to Victory
After the third Test, Wisden, a famous cricket publication, praised Goddard. They said West Indies had "discovered a really efficient captain." After the fourth Test, they called his leadership "inspiring."
Goddard then led the West Indies on their first tour of India in 1948–49. They won the five-match series 1–0. Wisden again noted his "sound judgment and circumspection." They said he was a "talented player and expert tactician."
The 1950 tour of England was a huge success for the West Indies. They had never won a Test match in England before. But this time, they won the series 3–1.
Wisden commented on Goddard's strong leadership. They said he was able to control his players both on and off the field. They believed his "shrewdness and leadership" helped cricket grow in the Caribbean. By this point, Goddard had captained West Indies in 11 Tests. He had won six of them and lost only one.
John Goddard's Test Cricket Career After 1950
Challenges and Later Successes
In 1951, Goddard was awarded the OBE for his services to sport in Barbados.
However, the tour of Australia in 1951–52 was tough. Australia won the series 4–1. The West Indies then won a short series in New Zealand 1–0. Goddard played in six Test matches during these tours.
During this time, some players started to disagree with his captaincy. In a close match in Australia, Goddard argued with other senior players about who should bowl. This led to some disagreements within the team.
Return to the Team
Goddard did not play in the home series against India (1952–53), England (1953–54), or Australia (1954–55). During these years, Jeff Stollmeyer was the captain.
Goddard returned to the team as a player-manager for the tour of New Zealand in 1955–56. Denis Atkinson was the captain for this tour. Goddard played in the first three matches of the four-match series.
He scored 147 runs without being out in those games. His highest Test score was 83 not out in the second Test at Christchurch. In that game, he and Atkinson made a partnership of 143 runs. West Indies won all three Tests Goddard played in.
Final Tour and Legacy
Goddard's final tour was to England in 1957. The West Indies lost the five-match series 3–0. Goddard himself scored 112 runs and took 2 wickets.
He helped the team draw the first and third Tests with his strong batting. In the third Test, he scored 61 runs in a long partnership with Collie Smith. This left England with too little time to win the game.
In total, Goddard captained West Indies in 22 Test matches. He won eight, lost seven, and drew seven. Besides his captaincy, batting, and bowling, he was also a great fielder. He was especially good at catching balls close to the wicket.
John Goddard's Life After Cricket
After his cricket career, John Goddard worked as a company accountant. He was also a director at Goddard Enterprises Limited. This was a trading company started by his father in Barbados in 1921.
He was also involved in cricket administration. He served on the Barbados Cricket Association board from 1952 to 1965. For the last five years, he was the vice-president. He also helped choose the Barbados teams in the 1960s.
John Goddard passed away suddenly in London in 1987. He was visiting for celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the MCC.
