Clifford Roach not only went in first for West Indies during his splendid cricket career, but also achieved some "firsts" which shall never again be equalled by the generations of cricketers to come, for these feats have been immortalised through the chronological process. Surpassed only by George Headley among the first generation of West Indies Test batsmen, Roach scored the first century and double century in the history of West Indies Test cricket. He did this through an array of brilliant strokes, which many claim was also the intimation of his failures when he had been expected to succeed.

Roach was in the first Test match in West Indies history, against England at Lord's in 1928. Not among the runs that time, he scored two half centuries in the next two Tests, and when England visited the Caribbean two years later, he hit 122 in the first innings of the first Test in Barbados, and then 77 in the second innings. In the third Test at Georgetown, Roach took the England bowling apart with a brilliant 209. Not a success in Australia in 1930/31, he had some good scores on his second visit to England in 1933, after which he made some small scores mainly through exaggerated stroke play when he seemed set for big totals. Roach scored 952 runs in his 16 Test matches, including two centuries, and if all as worthy of a true Test batsman does not readily accept his statistics, those who saw them often recall his actual performances with great admiration.

Like most sportsmen of his generation, Roach was also gifted in another game, football. A member of the magnificent Maple team of the 1920's and 1930's, he represented Trinidad in that marvellous age. Roach was a solicitor by profession, having done his finals in England while on tour with the West Indies team in 1928. Sadly today, has lost both legs through amputation, but is still the bright, cheerful personality he has always been, looking through the doorway of past glories.