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Unknown to many cricket followers, dashing Windward Islands wicket-keeper/batsman Junior Murray set a number of records during his magnificent innings of 125 Monday last week at the Arnos Vale Playing Field in St Vincent.

His knock failed to prevent Bangladesh 'A' from registering their first victory in the Caribbean as they eked out a dramatic eight-run victory, but Murray etched his name in the Windward Islands record books.

The 34-year-old Grenadian became the first Windwards batsman to score three centuries in a regional first-class season. He also set a record for the highest overall aggregate of runs in the Windwards' cricket history.

Murray, who has played 31 Tests, now has 3 666 runs from 121 innings, in 64 matches at an average of 33.02.

After starting this season with 3 129 runs in 58 matches, Murray has now overtaken Dominican Lockhart Sebastien's mark of 3 497 from 116 innings in 67 matches.

Apart from Murray and Sebastien, only two other batsmen from the Windwards, Vincentian Dawnley Joseph, with 3 098 runs in 57 matches at an average of 30.37, and Dominican Irvine Shillingford, who amassed 3 068 runs (average 34.08), have crossed the 3 000-barrier in regional first-class cricket.

Murray, the first Grenadian to represent the West Indies in Test cricket, has six regional first-class centuries the most in regional cricket by a Windwards player a distinction he shares with Shillingford.

His current tally of 537 runs marks the second time he has scored over 500 runs in a regional first-class season and the first time such a feat has been achieved by a Windward Islander.

Murray's first 500-run season was in 1997 when he amassed 523 runs in six matches, including his career-best 218 against Guyana at the Tanteen ground in his native Grenada.

No other Windwards batsman has ever scored a double century in regional cricket.

Overall, Murray has a total of nine first-class centuries with one Test hundred, 101 versus New Zealand at Wellington in 1995.

He is also the only keeper from the Windwards to effect more than 100 dismissals in regional first-class cricket. He started this year's Busta Cup Series with 116 victims, comprising exactly 100 catches and 16 stumpings.

The nearest to Murray is current chairman of the West Indies selectors, Mike Findlay, with 74 dismissals in 38 matches. St Lucian Ignatius Cadette is third with 56 dismissals in 35 matches.

© The Barbados Nation