CHRISTIANI, Cyril Marcel
D.O.B:  October 28, 1913
Georgetown, Guyana
Teams:  British Guiana, West Indies
Cyril Christiani was the first Guyanese to keep wicket for the West Indies in a Test match and is one of only five players from Guyana to have done so in the 82 years of West Indian Test history.
At the tender age of 19, he was a member of the West Indian touring party to England in 1933 as the understudy to the Jamaican Ivan Barrow. He did not play in any of the matches of the three-match series which England won 2-nil but acquitted himself well in other tour games.
However, when England visited the Caribbean in 1935, Christiani was the first-choice gloveman, taking over the reins from Barrow.
He played in all four Tests of the home series and consequently became the first Guyanese to play in every match of a rubber.
From all reports his keeping was excellent and he effected seven dismissals (6 catches; 1 stumping) as he helped West Indies to win a Test series for the first time, beating England 2-1. It must be noted that the stumping occurred off the bowling of speedster Learie Constantine.
In the course of this particular series, he was asked to open the batting in three of the four matches although he was principally a right-handed lower order batsman.
His elevation to the top of the order was a testimony of his textbook defence and sound technique. In fact his highest Test score of 32 not out was made as an opener in the second innings of the Georgetown match.
In the second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, he started the innings with his fellow Guyanese teammate Charles Jones. It was the first occasion two players from Guyana opened the batting for the West Indies.
In the fourth and final Test in Jamaica he partnered the recalled Barrow at the top of the order – one of the very few instances two specialist keepers performed the act.
Christiani was a fearless wicketkeeper who combined his fleet-footedness and lightning reflexes to regularly stand up to the stumps against the faster bowlers. In doing so he would hardly concede a bye or drop a catch and would often effect swift stumpings.
He was an extraordinary stumper especially down the leg-side and possessed a remarkably high percentage of stumpings over his overall dismissals in first-class cricket. In his first-class career of 28 matches (1932-1938), he effected 64 dismissals, 20 of them or a huge 31 percent stumpings.
Christiani was set to have a long and distinguished Test career as wicketkeeper but it was tragically cut short. In April, 1938 he died of malaria at the early age of 24.
Three other brothers – Ernest, Harry and Robert – also played first-class cricket for then British Guiana. Robert went on to play at the very highest level.
RECORD
TESTS: 4 (1935) DISMISSALS: 7 (6 catches; 1 stumping)
RUNS: 98 HS: 32 not out                     AVG: 19.60
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