| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Henry Allen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 August 1951 Harris Village, Montserrat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm Medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman, occasional wicketkeeper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971/72–1982/83 | Leeward Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FC debut | 15 January 1972 Leeward Islands v Windward Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last FC | 3 March 1983 Leeward Islands v Windward Islands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LA debut | 16 January 1974 Leeward and Windward Islands v MCC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last LA | 26 January 1983 Leeward Islands v Guyana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 26 November 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles Henry "Jim" Allen MBE (born 15 August 1951) is a former Montserratian first-class cricketer who was a part of the World Series Cricket West Indies XI and is considered the greatest ever Montserrat sportsperson.[1]
Born in Harris Village, Montserrat, to Handsome and Alberta Allen,[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
Outside of cricket Allen worked as a bulldozer driver[5] 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.[6] Allen's best season was 1976/77, where he scored 559 first-class runs at 50.81, with a highest score of 150.