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Charlie shows the Lawrence Rowe grip
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Joseph Charles Morris, or simply Charlie, is integral to Sabina Park. Way back in 1959, he came to the ground as a volunteer ball boy. Soon he was part of the groundstaff, earning a royal sum of five shillings a week. Thirteen years later, he was elevated to the post of curator. Where there's Charlie, there's a story. He has the memory of an elephant and the cheekiness of a squirrel.
In 1972 both Charlie and Lawrence Rowe made their Test debuts, one with a roller and the other with a bat. Charlie did his bit by giving the local hero a belter; Rowe responded by smacking 214 and 100 not out. Charlie remembers the knock, tells you how Rowe's grip was one of a kind, tells you that there was no batsman more beautiful to watch, repeats that there was no batsman more beautiful to watch. "He whistle when he cover-drove maan, we soon whistle with him."
Charlie gained fame for the sheen he managed on first-day pitches, almost producing a mirror finish. He takes me for a walk around Sabina Park. He shows the dressing-room where Bishan Bedi waved his white flag in 1976, declaring to avoid the risk of hostile fast bowling; points out where ML Jaisimha usually fielded ("He got style, great style"); marks out Michael Holding's run-up; takes me to the mound area, imitates the kind of jigs they usually perform, and continues talking.
Charlie is possessive of his pitches, and sometimes gives the impression that the result of the game is all in his hands. "I won Jamaica the Shell Shield [by preparing a pitch suitable for the home side] in the early 1980s. I have a great record for West Indies." When asked if it will rain tomorrow, he laughs and says, "All your fault maan. You brought the rain with ya. I will punish you by telling more stories."
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