18 Facts About Andy Ganteaume

Andrew Gordon Ganteaume was a Trinidadian cricketer who played one Test match for the West Indies in 1948 as a batsman.

Andy Ganteaume scored 112 in his only Test innings which left him with the highest Test batting average in history until it was surpassed by Kurtis Patterson.

Andy Ganteaume played for Trinidad from a young age and was chosen to play in a Test match against England following his good batting form in 1948.

At the time of his death, Andy Ganteaume was the oldest surviving West Indies Test cricketer.

Andy Ganteaume was born in Belmont, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Andy Ganteaume had no formal cricket coaching but made his first-class debut for Trinidad as a wicketkeeper in 1941 as a 19-year-old.

Andy Ganteaume played football for the Trinidad team around this time, but his time for sport was restricted by his career in the civil service.

From batting in the middle-order, Andy Ganteaume was eventually promoted to open the batting as a theory at the time suggested that wicketkeepers might make good openers as they became accustomed to the conditions while keeping wicket; Andy Ganteaume neither believed this theory nor enjoyed being an opener.

Andy Ganteaume scored his maiden first-class century in 1946; a second followed later in the year.

However, an injury to Jeff Stollmeyer, one of the West Indies' opening batsmen, before the game meant that Andy Ganteaume was called up into the side.

Once more, Andy Ganteaume was criticised for slow batting, although he later suggested that he had concentrated on scoring singles to allow his in-form partner to face the bowling.

Andy Ganteaume did not bat in the second innings, when the West Indies needed to score runs quickly in an unsuccessful attempt to win the game.

Andy Ganteaume continued to play irregularly for Trinidad in the following years, but played no further representative cricket until 1957.

Andy Ganteaume was selected to tour England with the West Indies team in 1957 at the age of 36.

Andy Ganteaume played 19 first-class matches on the tour and scored 800 runs at an average of 27.58.

Andy Ganteaume passed fifty in seven innings, with a top-score of 92 against Glamorgan.

Andy Ganteaume never came close to selection for a Test match.

Andy Ganteaume died at the age of 95 on 17 February 2016.