GIBBS, GLENDON LIONEL
D.O.B: December 27, 1925
TEAMS: British Guiana, West Indies
Glendon Gibbs was a left-handed opening batsman who played a solitary Test match for the West Indies against Australia at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1955 .
On the local scene he played for Malteenoes Cricket Club and was a regular member of the British Guiana team in the 1950s especially in the Inter-colonial tournaments.
In the 1951-1952 season he shared a record-breaking opening stand of 390 with Leslie Wight against Barbados at Bourda. He compiled a magnificent 216-his highest first-class score-while Wight was left unbeaten on a superb 262.
The huge partnership enabled Guyana to total a mammoth 692 for nine wickets declared and charge to a resounding innings and ten runs victory.
Gibbs played 28 first-class games between 1950-1963 and accumulated 1 730 runs at 36.80 per innings and in the process recorded five centuries. He reached triple figures twice against both Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago and once in a game against Jamaica.
He was a gritty player with a sound defence who believed in the principles that an opener’s fundamental function was to see the shine off the ball, wear down the bowlers, and set a firm foundation so that the middle-order could dominate.
He was also an occasional left-arm orthrodox spinner who snarled 23 first-class wickets at 53.70 runs apiece. His best bowling performance was six for 80 playing against Barbados at the Kensington Oval in 1955 where his victims included Gary Sobers, Cammie Smith and the late Conrad Hunte.
A year earlier he had taken four for 122 in an MCC total of 607 when they played British Guiana at Bourda.
In his only Test in 1955, he opened the batting with John Kenneth Holt after Australia amassed 515 for nine wickets declared in their first innings. He was trapped leg before wicket by the right-arm medium-fast bowler Ron Archer for 12 as West Indies fell for 259.
Following-on 256 runs behind, the West Indies were dismissed for 275 setting the visitors a paltry 20 runs for victory which they achieved for the loss of one wicket. For his part, Gibbs was bowled by the fast-medium left-armer Bill Johnston for a 36 minute duck.
His effort was not enough for him to retain his place for the remainder of the five-match series and subsequently he was never selected again.
When his playing days were over he served in several capacities on the Guyana Cricket Board and was its secretary and representative on the West Indies Cricket Board when he died on February 21, 1979.
He was also the assistant manager of the successful West Indies team to England under Rohan Kanhai in 1973.
RECORD
TESTS: 1 (1955) vs Australia, Sabina Park                    RUNS: 12
AVG: 6                                                                           HS: 12
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