Cricket has played a significant role in Britain’s cultural landscape since the 1950s. The sport was popular in towns, villages and cities, with many workplaces and social groups taking up the game. Additionally, it was also a crucial aspect of cultural imperialism, which helped convey ideas about social order. The colonial Caribbean cricket clubs were segregated on the basis of class and race. However, after the Second World War, racism forced many new Windrush arrivals to set up their cricket clubs. For the Windrush generation, the sport held great importance.
Despite widespread racism, some Caribbean cricket celebrities found favour with the political establishment. Learie Constantine became the first black person to sit in the House of Lords in 1969. Cricketers such as Bertie Clarke, who played for the West Indies before the war, were integral to prestigious social networks of cricket at the BBC. Black cricket clubs were widely formed across English cities, starting with Leeds Caribbean and quickly followed by others such as Sheffield Caribbeans, Bristol West Indians and the West Indian Cricket and Sports Club in Manchester. Moreover, the clubs and competitions became the bridge between England and home in the Caribbean; thus, cricket became an essential component of black Atlantic cultural exchange.
London Transport was a significant employer in post-war London, emphasising sport and recreation facilities in its recruitment. Migrant workers had ample opportunities to play cricket alongside their day jobs on buses and the London Underground. By the later 1950s, London Transport had become a leading proponent of Caribbean cricket in England. For example, the highly successful Central Road Services (CRS) team was named after a bus garage in south London. They were a multicultural team with a mix of black Caribbean, white Anglo-Saxon and Jewish players.
Through self-organisation and sheer hard work, some Windrush cricketers, such as Devon Malcolm, Phillip DeFreitas and David Lawrence, rose to represent the England national cricket team. However, their successes frequently provoked a racist backlash, pointing to deep faultlines opening up in terms of what it meant to be English in a postcolonial world.
Windrush cricketers were pioneers of community building in England. They transformed what it means to be British beyond protest, policing and resistance. Cricketers such as Grantley Steele found kinship in his team, Central Road Services, and Lynn Joseph continued to play after retiring from competition, coaching youth cricket in the same state schools where he once played. Therefore, cricket became a cultural and social link between their two worlds, and they created layers of identity and belonging for this generation. Ultimately, cricket helped the Windrush arrivals build a sense of home in Britain.
