Winston Davis to get fund-raising benefits

Former St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Windwards, Combined Islands and West Indies fast bowler Winston Davis will be the beneficiary of the INET International Pairs Golf Tournament, which take place on Saturday, September 24, at the Cedar Valley Golf Course in Antigua and Barbuda.{{more}}

The fund-raising activity will be an auction, held during the prize-giving cocktail.

The event is being organised by Golf Experience Caribbean, which is headed by Chief Executive Officer, Antiguan Zoral Barthley, a former West Indies Under-19 captain and opening batsman.

Davis’ former fellow cricketers, including Sir Vivian Richards, as well as celebrity guest pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, who will be part of the tournament, have donated personal items to be auctioned.

Davis was paralysed from the neck down, following a tragic accident in 1997 at Ratho Mill, here in St. Vincent, when he was injured while attempting to cut a tree.

Davis was at the time among persons of the Streams of Power Tabernacle, who were clearing land to construct a church building. The church is still incomplete.

In a recent interview with the Sunday MiD DAY, Davis stated that the accident was not the end of his life.

He said in the early days after the accident, he cried every day like a cow, but believes that God used his tears to wash away his sorrows.

Davis, 52, is a former resident of Sion Hill, but now resides in Bewdley in Worcester, England.

Davis is the beneficiary of several government assistance programmes, as well as the generosity of many, who each year organise benefit Cricket matches, to raise funds to assist the former test cricketer.

Davis appeared in 15 test matches for the West Indies, taking 45 wickets, at a cost of 32.71 per wicket. His best was his 4 for 19 against New Zealand at Sabina Park in Jamaica in 1985.

In all, Davis has played 35 One Day Internationals, taking 39 wickets at average of 33.38 runs. Davis’ best figures of 7 for 51 in the 1983 World Cup against Australia stood as the world record until 2000, when Muttiah Muralitharan took 7 for 30 against India. Another Sri Lankan, Chavinda Vaas then established the current record of 8 for 19, achieved in their 2001 home series against Zimbabwe.

Davis also has the West Indies record for the most wickets in a ODI innings.

The slender Davis also played for Glamorgan and Northamptonshire in the English County Championship; for Tasmania in the Australian Sheffield Shield and for Wellington in the New Zealand domestic competition.

And although he is wheel-chair-bound, he is actively involved as a disability activist with his local council and various committees. This and his strong faith in God keep him believing that one day, he will walk away from his wheelchair. (RT)