Bits and Pieces from Guyanese History: Seven Cases

From 9A

wear, ‘frecks’ etc. by carrying an overload if it had not been for the prying ‘PC” and when they adopted the ruse of passing him at a tremendous speed and pretending to be deaf to the shrill sound of his whistle ordering them to stop the Police began to set traps and to ‘rope in’ the culprits for speeding – the charge before the Magistrate was usually stated to be ’driving in a manner which was dangerous to the public.’ One chauffeur was so smart in outwitting the Police in this respect that he came to be known as the ‘Midnight Man’, his exploits being somewhat similar to a character in a popular serial film shown at the theatre at the time…

On some occasions bus men insisted in soliciting their fares shorty after a passenger joined the bus, or at a convenient point decided upon by the driver, with the result that before passengers reached their destination the bus broke down, and return of the fare was refused and passengers were ‘robbed’ by having to walk the balance of their journey.

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MR HUBERT CRITCHLOW OFFERED APPOINTMENT AS CRICKET PRO. IN AUSTRALIA

(Daily Chronicle, August 21, 1930)

According to a letter received from him by a friend a few days ago, Mr H Critchlow, Secretary-Treasurer of the British Guiana Labour Union and well-known local cricketer, has been offered an attractive appointment as a cricket “pro” of a prominent club in Australia.

The offer is said to have resulted from the fact that a few days before the commencement of the fourth AngloAustralian Test match on July 25, at Manchester, Mr Critchlow had the opportunity of bowling at the nets to the “master” Hobbs and also at a few of the “big” Australian batsmen, and they were all so impressed with his slow googlie-like “stuff” – off-break, swerve in and out swings, and that they expressed surprise as to why a bowler of his class should be kept so quiet in the West Indies. The offer was made soon afterwards. But, Mr Critchlow, in his letter states: ‘I don’t think I can accept the offer.’…

It might be recalled that Mr Critchlow, who has been playing first class cricket for a number of years, first for the now defunct Churchmen’s Union CC and latterly for the MSC, has always been regarded as a very promising all-rounder who would certainly have won his way into Intercolonial if not International cricket but for the fact that the duties of his office prevented him from paying much attention to the game.