The Barbados Experience Cricket, of course, remains top dog: Saturdays see hundreds of young men (and now women’s teams) on cricket fields across the island. Cricket was our great sporting heritage, and the famous trio of the three Ws, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Frank Walcott brought the West Indies team great glory, followed by our famous pacers Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith, and the extraordinary Right Excellent Sir Garfield (Garry) Sobers, our only living national hero. Sir Garry continues to inspire both our youngsters and the rest of us! Polo now dominates the lives of those who can afford the horses and the life styles of the rich and famous, and our polo fields play host to royalty and the ravishing beauties who follow the horses and their riders! Horse racing used to take place at several pastures on plantations, but for over a hundred years the historic Garrison Savannah, the old parade pasture of the army, has been the historic home of the Barbados Turf Club. Race meetings are held several times a year, with racing on Saturdays and public holidays. The Sandy Lane Gold Cup is now a star international attraction, although the first Gold Cup race was held in 1921 and won by Lady Lucille, owned by the famous turfite, planter and parliamentarian Mr. Frederick Fitzherbert Cornelius Gill. Brian “deAction Man” Talma, like Sir Garry Sobers, has been an amazing sporting ambassador for Barbados. I can’t describe this Olympian and world beater better than with this extract from the web: “Born and raised in Barbados, West Indies, Brian represents all that is Caribbean. His distinctive West Indian appearance and warmth garnered him instant popularity among his peers and the fans. And practically from the start of his professional career, Brian's sincerity and positive outlook gained him international sports celebrity status a mere handful of windsurfers enjoy today.” Similarly, Suki King, draughts King of the World, has won many honours for Barbados, although perhaps with less flair than Brian Talma and less honours than Sir Garry. And with world class body builders and chess players to add to the heroes’ gallery we have to ask what it is that produces so many world class acts! HARRISON’S CAVE – the beautiful complex of subterranean caverns and waterfalls in the centre of the island – is in a category all its own. The coral limestone cap of Barbados is intersected and permeated by gullies and underground streams, which have created a huge network of caves. Harrison’s is the most extensive and spectacular of these cave systems. It was first described by a visitor, Dr. George Pinckard in 1796 and was more or less forgotten, while Cole’s Cave, not far away, was much better known and explored by locals. The Danish speleologist Ole Sorensen rediscovered it in 1970 through a hole in the floor
The beautiful subterranean caverns and waterfalls of Harrison’s Cave Photo: Andrew Hulsmeier
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The Ins & Outs of Barbados