Mervyn Grell

Mervyn George Grell - A hard-hitting, lower-order batsman and a medium pace bowler, Mervyn Grell was born in Trinidad on December 18, 1899 and died in Cocorite on the same Caribbean island on January 11, 1976, aged 77. In a career spanning the years 1930 to 1937, he played only a handful of first-class matches, ten in total. Half of these were against the visiting M.C.C. including his debut, played at Port-of-Spain in January 1930 in which he performed admirably when scoring 40 and 54 batting at number 9 and 8 respectively; he top-scored in Trindad's first innings and was their second highest scorer in the second. He also took the wickets of N.E. Haig and L.F. Townsend in the visitor’s second innings, both players caught by wicketkeeper Errol Hunte. In just his second match, also played against the M.C.C. in Port-of-Spain, Grell was asked to captain Trinidad and followed a duck in the first innings with his team’s top-score in the second, 34 not out. This particular score led a rearguard action that almost brought victory. On the basis of the three scores that he had achieved against F.S.G. Calthorpe’s team, and because of his proximity to the ground (the West Indies liked to keep travel costs down to a minimum!), he was selected to play in the second Test against England, played at Port-of-Spain in February, 1930. By scoring 21 and 13 he far from disgraced himself in West Indies’ defeat but he was never picked to play for his country again. In all first-class matches, Grell recorded his highest score, 74 not out, in his last, played at Bourda, Georgetown against British Guiana in 1937. Contrary to normal practice, no obituary appeared within the pages of Wisden after Grell's death.

References

1. World Cricketers - A Biographical Dictionary by Christopher Martin-Jenkins published by Oxford University Press (1996),
2. The Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Volume 1 (1877-1977) compiled and edited by Bill Frindall published by Headline Book Publishing (1995),
3. The Complete Record of West Indian Test Cricketers by Bridgette Lawrence & Ray Goble published by ACL & Polar Publishing (UK) Ltd. (1991),
4. www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players.