BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Keith Walcott, one of Barbados’s longest serving and most respected cricket administrators of the West Indies, is dead.
Walcott, an elder brother of legendary Sir Clyde, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 82. He served cricket in many capacities, starting as a player, and later distinguishing himself as an administrator.
Walcott was former Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) vice-president, long-standing chairman of the national selection panel, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) member, West Indies team assistant manager, selector and a president of Spartan at which club pavilion is named after him and his brother.
Walcott played 15 first-class matches for Barbados between 1941 and 1951, scoring 536 runs (average 26.80). He was elected to the BCA board of management in 1959 and remained on board until 1994, serving his last eight years as second vice-president. He was also on WICB for more than 30 years and was its treasurer from 1966 to 1969. He was assistant manager of West Indies team to Australia and New Zealand in 1968, and again to Australia in 1975, a member of West Indies selection panel from 1970 to 1974, and chairman of Barbados selectors from 1976 to early 1990s.