Who was the best of the Gomes brothers?

I am often asked  the question, who was the most talented of the Gomes cricketing brothers from Arima. There were five brothers, Lester( now deceased) Sheldon , Larry , Gregory and Randy.

Allow me to answer the question by giving a little background on each of the five I have known for 30 years as team mates and friends.

I came into contact with the Gomes brothers coming out of high school and looking for a club to display my talent as a cricketer.

One evening while at the nets in Arima, which were located just outside Princess Royal Park, and  has been re-named Larry Gomes Enclosure, I was approached by two senior members of Arima Sporting Club, Ray Oliver and his brother who asked me if I wanted to play for the club.

I was offered a scholarship which meant I paid no membership fee or ball fees before every game. I accepted and became a member of one of the most outstanding clubs in the Eastern Borough.  Amongst those who had played for the club and earned significant mention beyond it, were former National captain and all rounder Prince Bartholomew, Ramon khan, Derek Poon Young, the Hannays brothers ( Kern and Henry ) Steve Diaz, keith Johnson and many others .

Let me go  back to answering the question Let’s begin with Lester, the eldest of the five boys..Lester was good at both cricket and tennis.  Actually ‘Les’ as he was fondly called, was an above-average cricketer, a good captain and an excellent middle order batsman.

He had all the shots but did not play the ‘hook shot very often.   Lester once told me he loved tennis and was very comfortable where he is with his tennis.   I honestly believe had Les wanted to make a career in the game he would have become a national player and could have challenged for West Indian selection.  He was that good.  Lester is no longer with us having passed some years ago. I am honoured to have had the privilege to be one of his friends and team mates.

Let’s go to Sheldon Gomes.   He needs no introduction. Shelly was a ball player. He played all ball sports, enjoyed football but excelled at Cricket. Not a tall man by any means but, was one of the best cover fielders in the Caribbean and became regular emergency fieldsman for the West Indies team every time there was a  test match at the Queen’s Park Oval.

Shelly playing time for Arima Sporting Club was divided between national duty and for his Port of Spain club, Queen’s Park Cricket Club. But when he played with us he imparted invaluable knowledge of the game.  He gave us many batting and fielding tips which we put to good use.  Shelly was always pleasant, easy to approach and very humble. The records will show he played for Trinidad and Tobago and made a double century against Jamaica. 

We move to Gregory Gomes.  He was a left handed batsman and bowled right handed.  Gregory was  a gifted all rounder having all the natural tools for his trade.  However, he never liked to train.   Larry always spoke to him about.  There was no better sight to see Gregory in full flight approaching the wicket bowling to the opposition.  

He was a nightmare to many having the ability to move the ball both ways in and away from batsmen.  I often stood in awe as the wicket-keeper as he destroyed batting line-ups.  As a batsman, Gregory will get to fifty with consummate ease but seldom converted to three figures.   

His lack of fitness was the bugbear which plagued his career.  Had he made maximum use of his God-given ability Gregory would been an outstanding national and West Indies all rounder.

Now let’s move to Angelo ‘Larry’ Gomes, the most successful of the brothers. Larry’s career is well documented. He was dubbed ‘Mister Dependable’ in the very successful West Indies team under Clive Lloyd. Larry’s time at club level, (as Sheldon’s,) was divided between national and West Indies duties.   We at Arima Sporting Club (dubbed Arima Queen’s Park ) benefited from his experience and professionalism.  Larry imparted his toughness on the field of play but was a ‘sweet bread’ off the field.  Our West Indian, Arima boy, was idolised and loved by his team mates

Last , but not least is Randy Gomes. The youngest of the five. He was also an all-rounder like Shelly and Larry. He made the national youth team but never carried on to the senior national team. We gained a lot from him at Club level He made sure we enjoyed the game both in victory and defeat. He worked hard at his game in every department, batting, bowling and fielding.  In Larry’s absence, Randy shared the captaincy with Lester and Prince Bartholmew.   We played as a unit and was unbeatable for many seasons.

Randy’s ambition to take his career to the highest level was cut short due to injury. I am sure had he stayed injury-free his name would have been right up there with the many national and West Indian players who have represented their country and the region over the years.

Having presented the five Gomes brothers to you and having had the privilege to play alongside them, I put Larry aside because he is in class of his own. Larry’s career was marked by his sterling contribution to club, national and West Indies cricket.

As to the other four, my pick as the most talented of the lot will be the man we often referred to as the smiling assassin Gregory Gomes.