Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
Peter Ferguson talks to photographer Maria LaYacona before she signs a copy of her book for him at the launch of her book, 'Jamaican Reverie 1955-2005', at RedBones Blue Café at 21 Braemar Avenue on Friday, November 10, 2006. - Andrew Smith/Photography Editor
DURING A recent trip to the countryside, American photographer Maria La-Yacona said she saw images that reminded her of the glory days of cricket, the British game she has watched since 1953.
"There was a match going on on a hillside in Steer Town and everybody was in their whites," she told The Gleaner this week. "That's what I've always loved about cricket, it's such a respectable game."
LaYacona makes no secret about her love for cricket. That may be strange to hear from someone who hails from Cleveland, Ohio, but the 79-year-old said it was love at first sight when she saw the game being played in a village in India 54 years ago.
Two years later, she was assigned to cover the Test series between the West Indies and Australia in the Caribbean for Sports Illustrated. LaYacona said she was so struck by the discipline of the game, and Jamaica's beauty, that she returned soon after and settled here.
LaYacona is best known locally as photographer for the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC), a position she has held since 1964. She is just as passionate about cricket, and is planning to be at Sabina Park on the opening day of the World Cup March 13 when West Indies plays Pakistan.
Passionate fan
The perky LaYacona is among the thousands of Windies fans who have endured a decade of embarrassing losses, but said she still stays up late to watch the team whenever they play on the subcontinent or Down Under.
She is keeping her fingers crossed for a strong showing in the World Cup.
"I don't think they (West Indies) are ready, not yet," she said. "They can't seem to get a group together that can play at least two games consistently. I get the feeling sometimes that they are not playing on the same team," she added.
Throughout her long career as a photojournalist, LaYacona has 'shot' some of the greats of cricket including Barbadian batting stylist Sir Frank Worrell, the Australians Keith Miller and Richie Benaud and Jamaican fast bowler Michael Holding. Even though her love for the game has never waned, her affection ebbed as it became more professional.
"People were more dedicated ... I don't find as much dedication in cricket today," she said.
Born in the American Midwest to Italian immigrant parents, American youth were hooked on baseball, especially after the Second World War. LaYacona was a major fan of America's favourite pastime; her favourite team was the Cleveland Indians.
Snobbish magazine
After studying photography in her home state, she moved to New York City where she worked professionally for Time Incorporated and its new publication, Sports Illustrated. Back then, she explained, Sports Illustrated's focus was on high-brow events, not mainstream sports like baseball and American football.
"It was a very, very snobbish magazine. They did unusual sports like camel racing in Afghanistan, and cricket was something no American knew about," she recalled.
LaYacona had first seen a cricket match in India two years earlier. Two years later, she travelled to Jamaica for the first Test between the West Indies and Australia at Sabina Park.
Although the frenetic pace of the one-day game has won her over, LaYacona said she still prefers the five-day version.
"I love one-day cricket, the excitement and everything," she said. "But I can't stand all these colours. Why can't they all wear white?"
Maria LaYacona released her first book, the retrospective Jamaica Portraits, in 1998. Last November, she released her second book, Jamaica Reverie.
She is currently worked on a 45th anniversary catalogue with the NDTC.
