His playing style is one the most famed in the cricketing world. "It caused quite a commotion and, from that day on, even uttering women's names was forbidden in the downstairs bar.". It's owned by an Antiguan man and his English wife, and the food is great - a mixture of Carribean and Italian dishes and the atmosphere is very relaxed, very informal.". Charles Starmer-Smith is given an exclusive tour of the Caribbean by one of cricket's greatest fast bowlers. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! Instead he threw himself into sport at nearby Kingston College. Negril in the west, with its seven-mile stretch of white sand and its infamous Hedonism resort, will also be popular - as will Port Antonio in the east, where tourists can mix with a more salubrious crowd. To the west, the ghettos sprawl from the city centre - swollen by a daily stream of people arriving from outlying villages with dreams of making their fortune. There is simply nowhere else like it in the Caribbean," he tells me as we leave the stadium, driving along the dusty South Camp Road into the heart of Kingston. We sit in silence aside from the sound of hummingbirds swooping across the treetops. I can see what Dickie Bird, the Yorkshire umpire, meant when he christened Michael Holding "whispering death". It seems they enjoy that culture, which is why Barbados has the most stable economy. "Plenty of companies organise day trips to Dunns River Falls, Green Grotto Caves, the mangrove swamps, rafting on the Rio Grande river, the coral reefs on the west coast, or the Blue Mountains.".
We stop at Strawberry Hill, the luxurious restaurant-cum-hotel owned by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records - Bob Marley's former label. There are a few unspoilt areas but the country is not really tailor-made for tourists. He rarely eats at dollar-driven restaurants such as Norma's on the Terrace, in the grounds of Devon House, instead opting for the more laid-back, local places. "Almost everywhere you go in the Caribbean you will find a King's Street or a Queen's Street," says Holding, "but I don't think too many people think about the colonial days. "Whether they win, lose or draw, the British have fun - there is no doubt about that. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. "There is far too much to see in Jamaica, just to lie on the beach all week," he says. Of course I listened and stayed cooped up for two days and had a flippin' miserable time.". "Trinidad should be more developed than it is, considering its abundance of oil and money. He points out one of his favourites - the Blue Mountain Inn - as we begin to climb into the foothills north-east of Kingston.
It is to the foot of this spectacular mountain range that we are headed now. Holding's wife, Laurie-Ann, comes from here so he treads carefully in his assessment of what Antigua has to offer. This article was most recently revised and updated by. Holding, a super fast bowler, had one of the smoothest bowling actions ever; in fact, he earned the nickname “Whispering Death” because of his silent approach to the bowling crease and the venom he then released. Charles Starmer-Smith travelled with ITC Classics, which offers all-inclusive packages for the West Indies Cricket tour, March 11-May 5, costing from £1,750. Rum shops, bars and betting establishments seem to compete with churches as the most ubiquitous non-residential buildings.

You have to go to Tobago to stay in a good hotel or enjoy a decent meal.". In his eyes it has no peer. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Charles Starmer-Smith is given an exclusive tour of the Caribbean by one of cricket's greatest fast bowlers. "The other islands cannot match Jamaica's diversity. He talks fondly of the Halfway Tree area where he was brought up.

Living on Robbin Avenue, he might have been excused for dabbling in petty crime, given Kingston's yardie culture and unsustainable expansion.