Jim Allen

Charles Henry "Jim" Allen (15 August 1951 – 2 July 2025) was a Montserratian first class cricketer who was a part of the World Series Cricket West Indies XI and is considered the greatest ever Montserrat sportsperson.

Biography Born in Harris Village, Montserrat, to Handsome and Alberta Allen, Jim Allen starred in Montserrat cricket from a young age, making his debut for the Montserrat cricket team in the 1969 Leeward Islands Tournament, and scored his first century for Montserrat against St Kitts cricket team at Sturge Park, Montserrat in 1971.

Allen made 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.

Outside of cricket Allen worked as a bulldozer driver. 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 cricket leagues. Allen's best season was 1976/77, where he scored 559 first-class runs at 50.81, with a highest score of 150.

World Series Cricket

Allen's good form led to a lucrative offer to join the World Series Cricket (WSC) competition when it commenced in Australia in late 1977. Recommended by West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, it took WSC owner Kerry Packer's representatives two months to find Allen, searching the West Indies and England before finding him.

Allen 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. For Montserrat, Allen scored four centuries.

Post-retirement and death After Allen's retirement, an annual lecture series, held on his birthday, was established in Montserrat in his honour. Allen's importance to Montserrat was encapsulated by local writer Professor Howard Fergus, who said "He 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." His brother George Allen and son Davon Williams both played first-class cricket for Leeward Islands.