touring party; previews again suggested his fielding and ability to bowl played a part in his selection. Meanwhile, he trained as a solicitor, and successfully took his examinations shortly before the tour began. Test match cricketer First tour and Test debut The West Indian tour of England in 1928 included the team's first Test matches. However, all three Test matches were lost by an innings and the poor overall results led commentators to judge the team unsuccessful. The review of the tour in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack suggested: "Everybody was compelled to realise that the playing of Test Matches between England and West Indies was a mistake". The batsmen in particular struggled to adapt to the unfamiliar conditions and the wet summer. The Wisden report singled out Roach as a success, and the best of the batsmen who had not toured England before: "Possessed of strong defence and a nice variety of stroke—especially on the off-side—he created a distinctly favourable impression, and he added to his abilities as a run-getter the further qualifications of being a brilliant fieldsman—especially at cover point." In total, Roach scored 1,222 first-class runs during the tour at an average of 26.56. Although he did not score a century, he passed fifty nine times, with a highest score of 92 against the Minor Counties. He finished fifth in the first-class batting averages for the team, and also took two wickets. Making his Test debut in the first Test match, Roach scored 0 and 16. In the second match, promoted to open the batting, he scored 50 and 0, and in the final game had scores of 53, part of an opening partnership of 91 in 70 minutes with George Challenor, and 12. He was fourth in the West Indian Test batting averages, but only one other player, Joe Small, reached fifty in the series, and he only did so once. Tests against England and Australia Returning to Trinidad, Roach scored two fifties in three first-class matches in 1929. In 1930 the MCC undertook a tour of the West Indies which included four Test matches—the first Tests to be played in the West Indies. The MCC side was not at full international strength; it included players who were either just beginning or just ending their international careers, and several star English bowlers were missing. Roach played in the first Test and, opening the batting, scored 122 in the