The sad news has been received of the passing of renowned Montserratian cricketer Jim Allen.
He passed away at about 6.15 pm on Wednesday, 2nd July. He was 73.
Charles Henry “Jim” Allen is a former Montserratian first-class cricketer 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 1969, 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 teammate Vivian Richards. Allen became the first professional Montserratian 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. 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 sustained an eye injury during a practice session in May 1981 and underwent surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He was forced to wear contact lenses and played three more years before retiring.
Upon his retirement, Allen had scored 3,067 first-class runs at 34.07.