 Resplendent in a gown of white satin studded with ruby and sapphire stones, Princess Margaret read a message from the Queen to the new Federation. This was a time of great social optimism, even though the Federation would turn out to be short-lived, gone in five years. But the self-determination many West Indians prized above all, the one symbol of unity they yearned for, was a cricket team captained by one of their own. Here's Vanessa Batch.