George Challenor

George Challenor Biography

The first great batsman of West Indies cricket, George Challenor played on either side of World War I in a First-Class career that spanned the quarter of a century. Though he was a spent force by then, it was fitting that Challenor, the first West Indian to score 5,000 Test runs, would face the first ball for them in Test cricket.

An extremely hard hitter, Challenor used his muscular shoulders to cut fast bowling into ribbons, with a preference towards leg-side. He scored 5,822 runs at 39 from 95 matches, an average that does not look too out-of-place with some contemporary opening batsmen who had access to superior facilities and practice.

Challenor went to England in 1906 with Lebrun Constantine and with Lebrun’s son Learie in 1923 and 1928. He impressed on that first tour, when he was still a student at Harrison’s College. He finished with 684 runs at 29, and impressed WG Grace in the process.

Runs came in a deluge in domestic cricket in the 1910s, but Challenor’s big season was the 1923 tour of England. He scored 1,556 runs at 52 when no other West Indian scored half as much or reached an average of 35. He scored 6 of the 8 hundreds the tourists managed. He scored hundreds in consecutive innings twice, including a run of 111*, 155*, 66*, 5, 110, and 79. And in the entire season, only Patsy Hendren and Phil Mead averaged more.

The tourists had some excellent bowlers, but Challenor was the only one who shone with bat. His performance played a crucial role in West Indies attaining Test status.

He scored two double-hundreds (the first to do so on West Indian soil), and found a place on the 1928 tour. He failed with 1,074 runs at 28. In his only 3 Tests he got 101 runs at 17, but he contributed to opening stands of 46, 48, and 91, giving the tourists at least one start in every match. Unfortunately, England won all 3 Tests by an innings.

Despite his social status as a rich white person, Challenor’s batting made him a star even among the less privileged. He was easily the most popular cricketer in West Indies till Constantine Jr came along.

He passed away in 1947, at 59. He was later honoured with a 45c stamp on the Barbados Buckle, while Kensington Oval named a stand after him.

Abhishek Mukherjee

George Challenor Batting & Fielding Averages

Career

Avg

100s

50s

Test

ODIs

T20s

World Cup

George Challenor Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
ODIs	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
T20s	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		--