By Horace Harragin
Trinidad Guardian
February 11, 1998
Page 25
Ever since West Indies became a Test playing country no batsman from Trinidad and Tobago has reigned as the Caribbean's best until the emergence of the magnificent Brian Lara in 1994.
That has been in terms of natural greatness, expressive, creative batsmanship to match the most supreme in the game's history.
In statistics and achievements, however, Trinidad and Tobago provided the most reliable practitioner at the wicket when Charlie Davis played in the middle order and frequently rescued the West Indies from the swirling pool of failure.
Even without the remarkable gifts of Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai and Lawrence Rowe, the Trinidad and Tobago player proved a superb contemporary of these superstars. Twice in as many series, against India (1970-71) and New Zealand (1971-72) he shot up in the batting averages ahead of them.
Davis had to wait his turn before representing West Indies because the batting line-up was embellished with names like Sobers, Kanhai, Rowe, Seymour Nurse, Clive Lloyd, Joey Carew, Joe Solomon and basil Butcher.
When some of these top players left the game, the door was opened to Davis who slipped through and became a true Test class performer.
But just as swiftly he was discarded at the height of his powers because the cockeyed selectors perceived him as simply a defensive product that didn't seem, to them, complementary to the team's success. Yet, the side continued to fail after his departure.
It was something the Davis brothers had to endure in their Test careers. Elder brother, Brian, after proving just the man to partner Conrad Hunte as an opener for West Indies against Australia in the 1964-65 home series, was never selected again as a Test player. Perhaps it was just an examination of Trinidadians' patience when we recall Andy Ganteaume's fate years earlier!
Born at Belmont on January 1, 1944, Charlie Allan Davis had an awakening into the world of some significance. He more often than not was first in his cricketing career as when he came into this world on the first day of the year.
His was a great boyhood as he learned to play sport along the roadway and on every bare acre of land possible. By the time he had entered St Mary's
College he knew the fundamentals of most games and developed admirably at each level.
As a youngster of 15 he began scoring centuries at school and was a true wonder-boy with the bat. Not since Kenny Trestrail had a schoolboy in domestic cricket humbled experienced bowlers throughout the land.
At school with Davis was another gem of a batsman, Andy Aleong, even more naturally endowed than Charlie, and the two smashed all sorts of schoolboy records along the way.
At 17, Davis hit a superb 115 against the touring E.W. Swanton team at Queen's park Oval. He had a century in the annual North-South Beaumont Cup game. He scored over 1,000 runs in his last year at school in 1961 and was in the Trinidad and Tobago side later that year when he made 127 and 97 against Guyana at Bourda Oval; a team that had the great Lance Gibbs as their strike bowler.
Even while standing on the threshold of a West Indies team selection, being quite the best young batsman in the Caribbean by the mid 1960s, Davis could not get into the team, not even to tour.
But he kept on scoring runs, destroying the bowling attacks of regional and touring teams and pacing Queen's park to championships in the domestic competition.
When the tour to Australia in 1968-69 arrived, however, Davis could no longer be left out and he made the 17 to visit "Down Under" for the five-Test rubber. He played only in the second at Melbourne, mainly as a bowler who was unkindly put at number eight in the batting order and failed with bat and ball.
But he returned smartly for the three-Test series in England in 1969, hit a century at Lord's and was at last a regular Test player in a team, led by Sobers.
The India team of 1970-71 arrived with their remarkable spinners, Bedi, Venkat and Prasanna, ready to expose the West Indies batsmen to inefficiencies. They succeeded except against Sobers and Davis.
It was Charlie's magnificent technique against the greatest spin attack ever to play against West Indies that softened the blow from a side that out-played the home team more often than not. He averaged 135.00 against such tremendous spin and if that didn't prove his rare class as a Test batsman nothing else would have done so.
The following season he played one of the greatest Test innings by a West Indian batsman, his 183 against New Zealand transforming a losing game for the home team into a precious draw.
Lawrence Rowe matched 214 and 100 not out on his Test debut at Sabina Park in ideal conditions may have been the gem of the collection but in relation to courage, technique, self-affirmation, unique judgement and reliability, Davis' innings stood alone and will always be regarded as an outstanding contribution to West Indies cricket.
He averaged 58.25 in the series and was ready for the Australians the next season. But early form deserted him and despite his being the great prop in the batting lineup, Davis was left out until a Trinidad protest at Queen's park Oval brought him a pick in the fourth and fifth Tests.
It was not a successful series for him, however, but one believed he would remain in the side. That was not to be and a West Indies selection panel wiped Davis off the slate.
He continued to play at domestic level but with his Test career at an end he made his business a priority as an advertising executive.
But fate played Davis a bad hand once more when at the end of his cricket career he contracted a rare disease and today he struggles on slowly, but as always, with a straight bat.
His steps are less energetic, his moves not as bright, but Charlie Davis still rings with enthusiasm and with memories of his greatest days.
He was also a fine footballer at school, in goal, as a defenceman and also as a forward. He was also a doubles table tennis champion of Trinidad and Tobago in partnership with the brilliant Winston 'Reds' Mulligan and his love for history (especially the Second World War) is unique.
Many batsmen will come and go but Charlie Davis will always remain a special sort which, to be sure, West Indies could do with today, no matter how many great stroke-players they boast of.