Full Name

Ivanhoe Mordecai Barrow

Born

January 16, 1911, Belmont Pen, Morant Bay, St Thomas, Jamaica

Died

April 02, 1979, Kingston, Jamaica, (aged 68y 76d)

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Fielding Position

Wicketkeeper

Wisden obituary
Ivan Barrow, who died in Kingston, Jamaica, on April 2, aged 68, has a place in cricket history as the first West Indian to score a hundred in a Test in England. This was at Old Trafford in 1933, and when he achieved the feat George Headley was on 99 - together they added 200 for the second wicket, Barrow making 105. A year earlier the two had put on 248 against Lord Tennyson's side at Kingston for the third wicket, still a record for Jamaica; Barrow's share was 169 and he made 58 not out in the second innings. He was, at that time, the West Indian's first string wicket-keeper, a quiet and thoroughly competent performer, but in 1934 he lost his place to C. M. Christiani, who died in 1938. Barrow was recalled in 1939 for the tour to England, but after a five-year gap he was short of first-class practice. After the first Test he had to give way to his second string, J. E. D. Sealy. In all between 1930 and 1939 he played in eleven Tests.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

The only major score made by Ivan Barrow in his 11 Tests was 105 at Old Trafford in 1933, when the West Indies pace attack of Martindale and Constantine raised eyebrows with the deliberate assault on the English batsmen. Barrow, just 22, registered the first-ever Test century for West Indies on English soil, and added 200 for the second wicket with George Headley, who went on to 169 not out. All Barrow's Tests were in the 1930s, taking in five series, one of them in Australia, where he played in all five Tests and claimed 11 wicketkeeping dismissals in the seven Australian innings - one of them the stumping of Ponsford off Constantine. He also became one of only two Test victims of Bradman the bowler. Another freakish accomplishment was his starting the West Indies innings against England at Kingston in March 1935 with Cyril Christiani - a rare instance of two Test wicketkeepers opening the innings. Barrow, who died in Kingston on April 2, aged 68, was a neat but resolute batsman, and a wicketkeeper whom Learie Constantine rated most highly. He had been out of big cricket for some little time when he was chosen for the 1939 tour of England, but on the earlier tour he had passed 1000 runs in 45 innings. His highest score was 169 against Lord Tennyson's XI at Kingston, when he added 248 with Headley, a third-wicket record for the island.
Wisden Cricket Monthly

  • Ivan Barrow's middle name is usually given as "Mordred", but his daughter advised Cricinfo in March 2005 that this was incorrect. She also kindly amended the details of his birthplace
  • Ivan Barrow Career Stats

    Batting & Fielding

    FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50s6sCtSt
    Tests1119227610516.23100175
    FC681136255116923.84310-7327

    Bowling

    FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
    Tests11------------
    FC68-54340---3.77-000
    Ivan Barrow

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    Test

    Debut/Last Matches of Ivan Barrow

    Recent Matches of Ivan Barrow

    MatchBatWktDateGroundFormat
    West Indians vs Warwickshire4*--09-Aug-1939BirminghamFC
    West Indians vs Glamorgan0 & 120c/0s & 0c/1s05-Aug-1939SwanseaFC
    West Indians vs Somerset4 & 292c/0s02-Aug-1939TauntonFC
    West Indians vs Hampshire01c/0s & 1c/0s29-Jul-1939BournemouthFC
    West Indians vs Surrey41--26-Jul-1939The OvalFC

    Photos of Ivan Barrow

    Ivan Barrow
    Ivan Barrow