Butter-Finger

A lively, amusing, somewhat nostalgic story set in Trinidad about a young boy, Riccardo, who acquires a cricket bat and aspires to play for his local team, Calypso. His failure with the bat is however topped by his ineptitude in the field and his habit of dropping catches earns him the nickname ‘Butter-Finger’. He finds solace from widespread taunting in writing calypso lyrics, usually about cricket, in a book he carries around. He is befriended by Count Crawfish, a famous old calypsonian who doubles up as a groundsman for the Oval cricket ground where the junior league finals is to be contested between Calypso and their arch rivals The Wanderers. ‘Butter-Finger’ Riccardo does not make the team but finds new fame and self-respect through his improvised calypso singing in between overs, backed by the Count’s band, which inspires his team to an unlikely, heroic victory. EL