Clifford Roach

Clifford Roach
Personal information
Full name
Clifford Archibald Roach
Born(1904-03-13)13 March 1904
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Died16 April 1988(1988-04-16) (aged 84)
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
BattingRight-handed
BowlingLeg break
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 9)23 June 1928 v England
Last Test8 January 1935 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1923–1938Trinidad
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 16 98
Runs scored 952 4,851
Batting average 30.70 28.04
100s/50s 2/6 5/25
Top score 209 209
Balls bowled 222 958
Wickets 2 5
Bowling average 51.50 105.20
5 wickets in innings 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 1/18 1/18
Catches/stumpings 5/– 43/–
Source: Cricket Archive, 27 October 2010

Clifford Archibald Roach (13 March 1904 – 16 April 1988) was a West Indian cricketer who played in West Indies' first Test match in 1928. Two years later, he scored the West Indies' first century in Test matches, followed two matches later by the team's first double century. Roach played for Trinidad, but before having any great success at first-class level, he was chosen to tour England with a West Indies team in 1928 and scored over 1,000 runs. When England played in the West Indies in 1930, he recorded his ground-breaking centuries but had intermittent success at Test level afterwards. He toured Australia in 1930–31 and returned to England in 1933, when he once more passed 1,000 runs, but was dropped from the team in 1935. Within three years, he lost his place in the Trinidad team. Roach was generally inconsistent, but batted in an attacking and attractive style. Outside of cricket, he worked as a solicitor. Later in his life, he suffered from diabetes which necessitated the amputation of both his legs.