Gilly: The Turbulent Life of Roy Gilchrist is the tragic account of a
cricket meteor who crashed to earth all too quickly because of his
flawed temperament. Born into grinding poverty in rural Jamaica in 1934,
Gilchrist's prowess as a phenomenal fast bowler quickly gained him
international recognition, but the failure to curb his unstable
temperament saw him sent home from the West Indies tour of India in 1959
for dangerous bowling. A victim of the class-ridden clique that ran West
Indies cricket, Gilchrist hardly helped his cause by refusing to alter
his aggressive demeanour. Excessive gamesmanship and constant fights on
and off the field, culminating in a prison sentence for attacking his
wife with a hot iron, not only put paid to any hopes of reviving his
Test career; it also tainted his reputation irrevocably. Sadly, he lived
his final years as a pauper afflicted by disease.