Daraine Luton, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
Keith Campbell, a Jamaican-born Briton who travelled from England for the Cricket World Cup. -- Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
THERE ARE cricket fans, and there are serious cricket fans. You differentiate them by the sacrifices they would make to see the game.
Keith Campbell, a Jamaican living in Britain, who has travelled all the way for the Cricket World Cup, is a very serious cricket fan. "If it costs me a million pounds I would come. Nothing in this world could stop me. If I were married (which I am not) and my wife said I should not come or she would divorce me, I would still come," says Mr. Campbell, who was born in Fruitful Vale, Portland.
Not a good cricketer in his younger days, he has grown to become one of the most devoted fans the game has ever seen. "This is the first World Cup in the Caribbean and at my age I don't think I will ever see it in the West Indies again," the 64-year-old semi-retired man says.
Planning for five years
Mr. Campbell says he has been planning for the World Cup for the past five years. To date, he says he has spent some ?5,000 (approximately $600,000) on the World Cup alone and intends to spend more.
"This is serious. You get the World Cup in the Caribbean and you probably will not see it again," he tells The Sunday Gleaner.
So prepared is this cricket addict that he has purchased a Wisden tournament handbook and has brought along his favourite West Indies cap to enjoy the event. "There is something special about watching cricket in the Caribbean. The atmosphere is great. You don't have to know someone to chat about cricket. Where I am from, that is not the case," says Mr. Campbell, an international member of the Surrey Cricket Club for 27 years.
Watching since inception
Mr. Campbell has been following the Cricket World Cup since is inception in 1975, and remembers vividly the final at Lords when Rohan Kanhai hit the first ball from Dennis Lillee over the ropes, but stepped on his stumps and went via the hit-wicket route.
He also witnessed Courtney Brown and Ian Bradshaw hanging on at the end for the West Indies to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004. "I was there the evening. A lot of people were leaving the stadium but I refused to move," recounts Mr. Campbell, who also saw Chris Gayle hammer Matthew Hoggard for a world record six fours in an over that year.
Although living in Britain, he is backing the West Indies to win the World Cup. He has already been treated to some classy strokeplay by Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle and he can't wait to see more.
For now, however, he is enjoying the cool ocean breeze at Caribbean Terrace, Harbour View, but he cannot wait for Tuesday's first game when he will sit in Sabina Park's sun to watch the game under his West Indian cap, as he has done so often whenever the regional boys play in the Caribbean.
