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| Michael Holding |
Michael
Holding: is one of the best cricketers Jamaica has produced,
and has the distinction of being one of the best fast bowlers in Test Cricket. Holding
was at the height of his career during the 70’s and 80’s, when he played for
Jamaica, the West Indies, Canterbury, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Tasmania. He
was also a member of the International Cricket Council until his resignation
over a change in a match result, with which he disagreed.
Currently, he is part of the Sky Sports cricket commentary team. Holding
has always been frank and outspoken, hence his popularity as a commentator.
Half-Way-Tree:
is reputed to have been named after a huge cotton tree that was planted before
1655 when the British chased the Spanish from Jamaica. The tree marked the
half-way point between Greenwich, St. Andrew (a military base), to a fort in
Spanish Town. Today, it marks the mid-point between downtown Kingston and the
upscale communities of upper St. Andrew. Half-Way-Tree is now filled with
shopping malls and businesses.
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| St. Andrew Parish Church |
The St. Andrew Parish Church (AD1655) and the
clock are well-known landmarks. I’ve included the clock on the cover of my book.
(An aside here...Don’t Get Mad...Get Even is now FREE on Amazon. If you’d like
to learn a little more about the Jamaican lifestyle, download a copy here.
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| Source |
To Hamper denotes being restricted or
restrained. In Jamaican terms, a hamper stands for several things. In sporting
terms, it’s a gift basket for winners. In household terms, it has to do with a
laundry receptacle, and in farming terms, it’s a basket that’s placed on a
donkey for transporting produce to market. Once loaded, the donkey can only
carry produce, so the ‘rider’ has to walk. Not sure how many people still use
this mode of transport today, but I’m sure in some remote villages...
There are many different uses for the word hamper! I think of it as a laundry tool as well.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah. Here, the first thought is the laundry basket since the hamper on a donkey is old fashioned.
DeleteWhenever I see Holdings name always remember the commentary when West Indies were playing England. The commentator said, "The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey."
ReplyDeleteHi, Bob, I came across that comment this morning. :)
DeleteI love the Jamaican spin on things like "hamper." Wonderful stuff!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by, Nancy.
DeleteI've heard my mom use the word "hamper" to describe a dirty laundry receptacle. She was from Japan and not Jamaica. Both places start with a "J" though.
ReplyDeleteYou say was. I hope she's still with you.
DeleteI didn't know about any of these H people, books or places...except for the clothes hamper. You taught me quite a bit today. Thanks:)
ReplyDeleteAlways happy to share things Jamaican, Deana.
DeleteThe Half Way Tree! Wow! How cool. This is why I love popping around to blogs. How would you ever learn about these things otherwise?
ReplyDeleteCatherine, we do have some unique place names on this island.
DeleteReally cool H words. Someday I would like to watch a cricket game. How cool!
ReplyDeleteClarissa, funny, half of us have no appreciation for cricket - myself included. :(
DeleteI think it was a cool idea to put the clock on the cover of your book!
ReplyDelete(Oh, and I love the photo cube on your sidebar, BTW. So much fun to play around with.)
Hi, as long as it's shiny and new I like to play with it. :) I used the background as I wanted the book to reflect something Jamaican.
DeleteThanks for letting us know Don't Get Mad...Get Even is free! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the clock picture, and I've never seen a cricket game before.
Thanks for coming by, Cherie! I'm not a fan of cricket myself.
DeleteJoy, thanks for reminding me of things Jamaican. I recently watched a documentary about the cricket team.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, Peaches. It's a pleasure.
Deletethanks for taking the time to include so much about Jamaica. I love visiting there. Hope to return this year, well maybe next year. I could visit every year. thanks for the book too.
ReplyDeletehope you get the chance to come, Sidne. No problem on the book.
DeleteInteresting stuff here. I've been to Jamaica for one day as part of my honeymoon cruise, but didn't know about Holding or the Half-way Tree (but then I am no cricket fan).
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how the donkey "hampers" the farmer by making him walk! Hamper to me usually just means a gift basket, I didn't know about the sporting connection, or a picnic hamper.
I'll check out your book. Is it fiction stories?
Hi, Nick, happy you find this stuff interesting.
DeleteYes the book is fiction.
I would love to have seen the original half-way tree :-)
ReplyDeleteI imagine the cotton tree that marked the place would have been massive.
DeleteThe Half-way Tree - what an intriguing name! And it's so interesting how many different meanings the word "hamper" has. I only know it as the laundry basket!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Julie, and we have stranger place names yet. :)
DeleteLots of great H related topics! Strange how the Dominican Republic is so into American Baseball, and Jamaica is so into Cricket.
ReplyDeleteI guess maybe it's because the British did the longest stint here. They captured the island in 1655 and we were a colony up to 1962.
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