Jim Allen (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
James Charles "Jim" Allen (born 15 August 1951) is a former Montserratian first-class
cricket
er who represented the World Series Cricket
West Indians and is considered the greatest ever Montserrat
sportsperson.
Born in Harris Village, Montserrat
, Allen starred in Montserrat cricket from a young age and made his debut for the Montserrat national team in 1970, and his first-class debut on 15 January 1972 for Leeward Islands
against Windward Islands
at Roseau
, scoring one and 82. An attacking right-hand batsman with an unorthodox, open–chest, wide-legs batting stance, Allen was soon considered a more exciting batsman than his Leeward Islands team mate Vivian Richards.
Allen became the first professional Monserratian sportsperson when he began playing in England
during the northern summer, turning out for teams in the Lancashire and Cheshire Leagues. Allen's best season was 1976/77, where he scored 559 first-class runs at 50.81, with a highest score of 150. This form led to a lucrative offer to join the World Series Cricket competition when it commenced in Australia
in late 1977. The only member of the West Indian squad not to play Test cricket
, Allen appeared in one SuperTest, against the Australians, scoring eight and 12.
Following the end of World Series Cricket, Allen returned to the West Indies for the 1978/79 season where he scored his highest first-class score of 161 against Jamaica. Allen was forced to retire from cricket in 1983 following an eye injury sustained during a match. Upon his retirement, Allen had scored 3,067 first-class runs at 34.07. He also took three wickets at 30.00 with his right arm medium pace and took 42 catches and a stumping.
Since his retirement, an annual lecture series, held on his birthday, has been established in Montserrat to honour Allen. Additionally, a number of Montserratian artists have written poems about Allen and there are calls to name a local street or erect a statue of Allen in front of the government headquarters in the de facto Montserrat capital Brades
. Allen's importance to Montserrat was encapsulated by local writer Professor Howard Fergus, who said "He (Allen) had made all Montserratians see, feel and know that they, in spite of all, could scale any height of achievement accomplished by those overbrimming with opportunity."
Allen's brother George Allen and son Davon Williams have both also played first-class cricket for Leeward Islands.
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who represented the World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
West Indians and is considered the greatest ever Montserrat
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
sportsperson.
Born in Harris Village, Montserrat
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
, Allen starred in Montserrat cricket from a young age and made his debut for the Montserrat national team in 1970, and his first-class debut on 15 January 1972 for Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands cricket team
The Leeward Islands cricket team is a first class cricket team representing the member countries of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association, a regional association which again is part of the West Indies Cricket Board. Contrary to the normal English definition of the Leeward Islands, Dominica is not...
against Windward Islands
Windward Islands cricket team
The Windward Islands cricket team is a cricket team representing the member countries of the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control. The team plays in the West Indies regional tournament....
at Roseau
Roseau
-Architecture:The central district of Roseau is tightly packed with small and large houses and even larger modern concrete structures. There is little green or open space situated within the city, and this is even more so today, as many of the courtyards which was once commonplace within the city...
, scoring one and 82. An attacking right-hand batsman with an unorthodox, open–chest, wide-legs batting stance, Allen was soon considered a more exciting batsman than his Leeward Islands team mate Vivian Richards.
Allen became the first professional Monserratian sportsperson when he began playing in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during the northern summer, turning out for teams in the Lancashire and Cheshire Leagues. Allen's best season was 1976/77, where he scored 559 first-class runs at 50.81, with a highest score of 150. This form led to a lucrative offer to join the World Series Cricket competition when it commenced in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in late 1977. The only member of the West Indian squad not to play Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, Allen appeared in one SuperTest, against the Australians, scoring eight and 12.
Following the end of World Series Cricket, Allen returned to the West Indies for the 1978/79 season where he scored his highest first-class score of 161 against Jamaica. Allen was forced to retire from cricket in 1983 following an eye injury sustained during a match. Upon his retirement, Allen had scored 3,067 first-class runs at 34.07. He also took three wickets at 30.00 with his right arm medium pace and took 42 catches and a stumping.
Since his retirement, an annual lecture series, held on his birthday, has been established in Montserrat to honour Allen. Additionally, a number of Montserratian artists have written poems about Allen and there are calls to name a local street or erect a statue of Allen in front of the government headquarters in the de facto Montserrat capital Brades
Brades
Brades is a village and de facto capital of the Caribbean island of Montserrat since 1998. Brades is located in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat. The official capital Plymouth in the south of the island has been abandoned since 1997 due to the eruption of...
. Allen's importance to Montserrat was encapsulated by local writer Professor Howard Fergus, who said "He (Allen) had made all Montserratians see, feel and know that they, in spite of all, could scale any height of achievement accomplished by those overbrimming with opportunity."
Allen's brother George Allen and son Davon Williams have both also played first-class cricket for Leeward Islands.