Linsworth Headley: I'm honoured to be his son

The sons of both Bradmans - white and black - decided against playing cricket for a career. But while Sir Don's son even changed his surname to eliminate any public scrutiny, Linsworth Headley, George Headley's eldest son, kept his, even as he excelled in a different field. Linsworth Headley finished sixth in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games in the 100m and fourth in the 4x100m relay.

His father accumulated 2190 runs in 22 Tests at an average of 60.83, notching up a startling 10 hundreds in those matches. George Headley played for the West Indies between 1921 and 1948 with a consistency comparable only to Bradman's, but, even though arguably the Caribbean's greatest ever batsman, he was not honoured with a knighthood.

"Had he gotten it, he would have been happier," says Linsworth Headley. "You see, he got nothing while he was alive. We now have his statue at Sabina Park, a road here is named after him - but he could not see these things. He didn't know how to drive, and he had no car. But whenever he was out of the house, within five minutes he was picked up by a car. He was known as the People's Champion."

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) seems to have been lax in preserving Headley's heritage. His house was destroyed completely in a flood, along with any memorabilia it may have contained.

His son now stays at one of the posher areas of Bridgetown, Barbados. Sabina Park may have honoured his father with a statue, but Linsworth is not sent any complimentary tickets by the Bridgetown Board for Test matches at the Kensington Oval.

"I have to buy tickets to see the match. But entering the ground gives me a pleasure that cannot be compared to any other, since I watch the matches in my father's stand and feel really proud of him," says Linsworth.

That the media dubbed his father the Black Bradman hardly gets under his skin. "I have heard that another section of the media named Sir Don as the White Headley," he says. "I am not a great follower of cricket, but I heard that Sir Don had problems when he played on wet wickets, and my dad had no such problems."

"My dad was never after material gain," he continues. "That is why we couldn't even find his bat, pads or gloves in our house. But the respect he receives even now is a real honour for a sportsman who gave everything for the betterment of his country's cricket."

George Headley married twice, with Linsworth being the son from his first wife, Reena. Reena is now 87 and stays at an old-age home in Bridgetown, her memory almost gone.

"Dad sent me to university," says Linsworth. "I got a degree in business administration. Following my success in the Olympics and studies at university, Dad was happy that his son had done something. And I'm honoured to be his son too."