Stu Jackson
Feared by batsmen worldwide, this intimidating Barbadian fast bowler formed part of cricket's most lethal pace attack, even if Tests eluded him.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American basketball player, coach, executive·Birthday: December 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Sylvester Clarke was a bowler of terrifying pace and disconcerting bounce, a man whose reputation often outpaced his official Test cap count. In the era of the great West Indies pace batteries, he was a shadow force—often the next man in behind legends like Holding, Roberts, Garner, and Marshall. For Barbados and Surrey, however, he was the main event. His run-up, starting with a distinctive hunched shuffle, culminated in deliveries that reared violently from a length. Batsmen spoke of facing him with a unique dread. While his Test career was limited to 11 matches, his first-class record is staggering, with over 900 wickets at an average under 20. His years with Surrey in English county cricket are the stuff of folklore, where he dominated batting lineups with a combination of raw speed and cunning. Clarke's legacy is that of the ultimate 'what if'—a phenomenal talent who was perhaps the most dangerous fast bowler of his generation to spend so much time in the reserves.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Stu was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Stu Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Stu's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Took 942 first-class wickets at an astonishing average of 19.52, underscoring his sustained dominance.
- Was a central figure in Surrey's County Championship victory in 1982, taking 71 wickets that season.
- Captured 42 wickets in his 11 Test matches for the West Indies at a solid average of 27.85.
- His bowling was instrumental in Barbados winning the regional first-class title (the Shell Shield) in 1978.
Did You Know?
During a tour of South Africa with a rebel West Indies team, he famously broke the helmet of South African batsman Jimmy Cook.
He bowled with a unique, slightly round-arm action that generated steep bounce from just short of a length.
Clarke worked as a prison officer in Barbados before his cricket career took off.
He died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Barbados at the age of 44.
“My job was to build teams that could win championships.”
