Photo by Daraine Luton
Ralph Hinckson points to a wall at Kensington Park, on which photographs of great West Indies players who have represented Kensington, are displayed.

Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

CLASS, STYLE AND POWER, all made in Rollington Town.

It is not goods that are being written about in this way. Mention is being made of successive generations of West Indies batsmen, all of whom bears the Rollington Town stamp.

Class is exemplified in George Headley, style is the image of Lawrence Rowe and power is Christopher Gayle's nature. The trio, all of whom spans separate era in West Indies cricket are among the many Rollington Town superstars to have represented the West Indies.

Headley, played 22 Test matches for the West Indies between 1930 and 1954; Rowe's 30 Test matches were between 1972 and 1980. The powerfully build opener Gayle, currently the best all-rounder in One-day cricket, as expected is the man of the moment. Brian Lara had long identified him as the future of West Indies cricket and, based on his dazzling form, Gayle should feature highly in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket World Cup tourna-ment to be staged in the West Indies next year.

By car, Rollington Town is about five minutes from Sabina Park, the venue where host team West Indies will be for the preliminary round of matches. Sabina Park will also host a semi-final game.

Lucas cricket club's vice-president Brian Breese tells Sunday Gleaner that the club is planning a big exhibition before the tournament's opening ceremony in Trelawny.

Lucas' show will entail a celebrity cricket match and a display on their enviable cricket legacy - from Headley to Gayle.

Neighbouring Kensington will be used by teams for practice sessions, but it is not just the clubs that will take centerstage during the World Cup.

Ronnie Wilmot, chairman of the Rollington Town Community Development Action Committee (ROLCODAC), says the entire community will be on show. The plan is to market Rollington Town as a cricket breeding ground and hope that visitors to the tournament will share in the fun.

"We will be profiling Rollington Town as the cricket community of Jamaica," Ronnie Wilmot tells The Sunday Gleaner, noting that they have produced a vast number of West Indies representatives.

Lucas and Kensington have produced several West Indies players, chief among them being George Headley, Everton 'Bam-Bam' Weeks, Easton 'Bull' McMorris, Gayle, Wavel Hinds, Lawrence Rowe, Patrick Patterson, Allan Rae, Everton Mattis, Alfred Valentine, Kenneth Rickards, Robert Haynes, Desmond Lewis, Uton Dowe, Basil Williams, Herbert Chang, and J.K. Holt.

On one of our visits to Rollington Town, The Sunday Gleaner met a man who considered himself a bit unfortunate not to have played for Jamaica and the West Indies. Ralph 'Pablo' Hinckson, now 52, grew up playing cricket alongside Rowe and another West Indies player Herbert Chang. These days he coaches the Kensington cricket club side and may have some legitimate claim for the development of Hinds whom he coached at Camperdown High school and Kensington.

Although, stained with perspiration from preparing Kensington's outfield, Mr. Hinckson is counting down the days to the World Cup. Right now, he can't want for the West Indies to plant stumps at Kensington Park for practice sessions.

"A lot of people will come here to see the West Indies and I can't miss the practice sessions says Mr. Hinckson.

"Rollington Town has given Jamaica and the West Indies so many cricketers...this club (Kensington) has produced the most West Indies players from Jamaica. The world should come to see this place...this talent ground," Hinckson adds.

Just outside the entrance of Kensington Park is the home of Mr. Jones. As soon as the words World Cup was mentioned he uttered Gayle's name and pointed at the house, bordering Lucas, where Gayle grew up.

"This place has produced a lot of cricketers and a lot more are coming up," he tells the Sunday Gleaner.

"On any given evening you can look out for the young boys to take their bats and ball to the grounds to play...nothing has changed. They still love the game here," Mr. Jones adds. Who knows, maybe another star may emerge from the upcoming bunch, rising to become a part of the elite Rollington Town/West Indies brand.