The last two white West Indians to play for them in Test cricket

The last two white West Indians to play for them in Test cricket were C A Davis and G A Greenidge. Davis, from the Trinidad and Tobago club, was born on 1 January 1944, and gained 15 caps in all, the last two coming against Australia in the 1972-73 series.Greenidge played three matches in that same rubber, the final of his five overall appearances. Who and when was the last white West Indian to represent his country at cricket?A. Madison Square Garden, situated in New York with its tough gambling laws, enjoys none of these benefits.No single venue in Las Vegas can now be regarded as a Mecca for boxing, as the Garden once was, but the arena that comes closest to assuming that title is undoubtedly the MGM Hotel complex – the scene of the aforementioned Tyson promotion – followed by Caesars Palace.As an historic venue, the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles is perhaps the one which stands out as still hosting quality boxing bills – Patrick Hicks, BournemouthA The “Batley” of world boxing – Richard Scruton, NorthallertonQ. The overwhelming factor in the Garden’s decline as a boxing arena has been money.The casinos and hotels, together with the open gambling available in Las Vegas (and, to a lesser extent, Atlantic City) generate a vast influx of dollars – the only way to support extravaganzas such as Mike Tyson’s $25m comeback last weekend.

From the Thirties to the late Seventies Madison Square Garden was regarded as the “Mecca of Boxing”. What is it now? Las Vegas and Atlantic City appear to be the main arenas.A. Undoubtedly Las Vegas has taken over as the main centre for big-money world title fights, although Madison Square Garden still plays host to much major American sport, including ice hockey and basketball, as well as continuing as a concert venue. “We’ve talked, and his future depends on how he stays with the pace and whether he gets restless if he loses his place in the team.”Whatever Waddle’s future – and a move into management now seems more a matter of when than if – the man himself is behind what Pleat is trying to do at the club “He wants people to have courage,” Waddle said. “He doesn’t want us to go round wishing that we’d tried something we hadn’t.” That might have happened to Pleat himself,until he decided to something about it.. Q.

Has the man who waves the chequered flag ever been hit by a racing car?

A. In the Sixties, before the traffic-lights starts of the modern era, when Grand Prix races were begun by an official starter dropping the flag of the host nation, the Monaco Grand Prix was started by the former driver Louis Chiron, himself a Monegasque and winner of the race in 1931.
While the eccentric Chiron was the Race Director and Clerk of the Course, there were several near-misses at the start of the race, notably in 1967, when he was a split-second away from being mown down by the eventual winner, Denny Hulme.Chiron’s flamboyance and unpredictability with the flag often confused the drivers, who never quite knew when the flag would be dropped Chiron was replaced, presumably on safety grounds, in 1969 – Adrian Brodkin, London N2Q. And in Marc Degryse, the Belgian international bought from Anderlecht for pounds 1.5m, Pleat has someone “with a sharp brain” who when he gets into the team – he has missed both the matches so far because of an ankle injury – is likely to play just behind the front two, “or perhaps the front one”.Which leaves the question of Chris Waddle, whose 34-year-old legs aren’t getting any younger “Chris is a humble and sensible professional,” Pleat said. John Pembridge, a midfielder, came from Derby County for pounds 900,000 and is described by Pleat as someone who “sets himself very high standards and gets disappointed when he fails to meet them”.

You’ll never find a manager who’ll say he’s happy with everything.”Pleat says there is money at the club, although his two summer signings smacked more of shrewdness than extravagance. “And they got two transfer fees out of me.”So is Pleat doing anything differently now? “I’ve always wanted to play passing football,” he said. “I’d hate to see our midfield players running up and down the field without making contact and becoming an attritional, physical team I think we can play football with what we’ve got here We have a few problems We lack left-sided players We may lack a bit of legs We might have a bit too much age in certain areas But every club has areas it can improve. Pleat says his relationship with Luton is still good, and if there are those who think he let them down he will defend himself saying that the 15 years he had there represents considerable loyalty. “I wasn’t prepared to divorce myself from the winning and losing,” Pleat said.Wednesday, though, represented “the perfect opportunity”, although Luton’s compensation claims soured the move somewhat. I’m under the microscope.” It might have happened last season when Tottenham Hotspur were lining him up to replace Ossie Ardiles But the role was not hands-on enough.