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‘CHA-CHA’ FORBES
AND THE CALYPSO CLUB
OFF FRIAR LANE
Cavaliers and touring West Indian X1s for testimonial
and benefit matches, full international honours evaded
Carlton, although he was joined at Trent Bridge by his
national skipper, Garfield Sobers, one of the first to
benefit from the change in regulation regarding
overseas players.
Carlton had received his county cap in 1965 and was
given a benefit in 1969 but a year later refused a new
contract and went and played for Church in the
Lancashire League.
By then Carlton had acquired a business – and a
nickname. He had opened the New Calypso Club, off
Friar Lane in Nottingham, a night spot that became
exceedingly popular with the West Indian community.
The owner soon became known to one and all as ‘Cha
Cha’, after the popular dance.
His love of the night-life became part of the Trent
Bridge folklore, with stories of him dancing all night
and then sleeping it off in the dressing rooms whenever
Notts were batting.
Laid-back and immensely likeable with everyone
at Trent Bridge, ‘Cha Cha’ returned to the club
during the 1973 season, playing in six more first
class matches and a handful of one-dayers, before
finally calling it a day and returning back to the
country of his birth.
Carlton played in 244 first class matches for Notts,
scoring 3605 runs at an average of 14.42, with a top
score of 86, achieved against Lancashire at Southport
in 1961.
He bagged 706 wickets at 25.37, with a best of 7-19 at
home to Kent in 1966. On 23 occasions he took five
wickets in an innings and twice claimed ten in a match.
In 2008 Carlton was diagnosed with cancer and he died
at his home in Ocho Rios, Jamaica on 28 May 2009.
Regulations in force at the time prevented Carlton
Forbes from being an even bigger star than he turned
out to be. After being recruited in 1959 from club
cricket in Middlesbrough, where he was playing in the
North Yorks and South Durham League, he was made
to wait two years by the TCCB before qualifying to play
in the County Championship.
Nevertheless, so keen was he to pursue a career in the
professional game, he joined Notts and became the
leading wicket taker in the Second team. Given
permission by his native Jamaica to sign a full-time
contract at Trent Bridge, Carlton was given a first class
debut at home to Cambridge University.
In a match that has become more memorable for the
Australian Keith Miller scoring an unbeaten century on
his only appearance for the county, Forbes scored 36 in
his only innings – batting at six in the order – and took
two wickets in the match, the second of which was
Henry Blofeld, later to become an acclaimed cricket
broadcaster.
At the time Carlton was seen as a powerful middle
order batsman and left arm spinner but under the
tutelage of Bill Voce he gradually lengthened his run,
increased his pace and became a more than useful
medium fast seamer.
In 1960 he played two first class matches, scoring his
maiden fifty in another match against the students, at
Fenners, as well as appearing against the touring
South Africans.
Fully qualified, Carlton proved to be more of a success
with the bat in his first season, hitting over 1,000 first
class runs. Gradually though his bowling became his
strongest suit and he went on to become only the
second Notts’ bowler (after Bruce Dooland) to take
more than 100 wickets in three consecutive seasons
between 1965-67.
Despite occasional appearances for the International
MICK NEWELL
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Ca l ypso Kings : Car l ton Forbes