Almost 40 years before David Nakhid, Dwight Yorke, Russell Latapy and Leonson Lewis were establishing themselves in European football league competitions, countryman Shay Seymour had already beaten them to the ball.

Along with compatriot, Matthew Nunes, Seymour signed for the English Second Division outfit Bury in 1954 - thus establishing themselves as the first Trinidadian pair of professional football players in Europe. Seymour managed to consolidate his status and later played in the Western Football League for Poole Town, Street FC and Frome Town and also spent some time with Ringwood Town and Northern Ireland's Belfast Distillery. While at Poole, Seymour became the first from his club to earn selection to the Western League representative side. He remained in England after retiring as an active player and he obtained his Football Association coaching license in 1969. Apart from guiding Hordle Football Club, Seymour spent a lot of time training youth players.

It was a career that was all made possible by Seymour's displays for the Trinidad and Tobago national team during its 1953 tour of the United Kingdom - an occasion that began with Seymour under the weather due to the seasickness that afflicted him on the transatlantic cruise. After missing the early part of the series due to his ailment, Seymour rebounded with nine goals during the remaining matches; a series of strikes that allowed him to finish as Trinidad and Tobago's top-scorer on the tour. One of those items came in a 2-2 draw with an England Amateur XI.

The centre forward, who began his career with Russian Dynamos and Siwell, made his name in the Trinidad Amateur Football Association league with the legendary Belmont club, Colts. Seymour was part of a team that included fellow top-notch forward, Jim Harding, as well as Len Leggard, Horace Lovelace and Leon Munroe. Seymour scored 31 goals in his debut season at first-class level with Colts and enjoyed a tally of 35 in 1952 -just three short of Harding's season record of 38 goals - and, on one memorable afternoon, he scored twice for North Trinidad as it came from two goals down to defeat South 5-2 in the 1949 Red Cross Cup game at the Queen's Park Savannah Racecourse.

Seymour was also an ardent cricketer, representing Siwell in the Bonanza competition at home and continuing to play the game during his time in England. He was good enough to be invited to trials with the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team over the course of two consecutive years.
(T&T Sports Hall of Fame bio)