Making his mark
St
Haydn Gill
03-Jan-2001
St. George's, Grenada-It's just after midday and it's a typically, hot
Caribbean Saturday afternoon.
There is a gentle breeze, however. It's the perfect time to take a swim in the
calm waters that surround the intimate setting of the cricket institute at St.
George's University.
But for 16 cricketers, who arrived in the Caribbean two days earlier under the
banner of the England "A" team, it was down to immediate business.
They were about to complete a short break after a morning training session and
their celebrated captain, of Barbadian parentage, Mark Alleyne took time out to
speak with midweeksport.
Alleyne has enjoyed phenomenal success as captain of English county
Gloucestershire during the past two seasons in which the Welsh club won five
trophies.
During the interview, it became increasingly evident that the focus of his
leadership was on the team and not himself.
He was asked what were his expectations on this trip, first as a player and for
the team as a whole?
Happy
"If can I just swap the order around bit, as a team we are very happy to be
involved in a unique situation of playing in the Busta Cup," was Alleyne's
thoughtful response.
"We are here looking to compete and play good cricket."
A few minutes later when he was asked what was the key to Gloucestershire
winning the Benson & Hedges and Natwest Trophy in 1999 and 2000, as well the
National League last season, he refused to accept the credit for himself.
"You heard me touch on adding value to your game. The guys in our squad looked
to add just one per cent or two per cent to their own game," said the son of the
late Euclid, and Hyacinth.
"We really performed well as a team, got behind each other and it made us a good
unit."
He now seeks to draw on that experience at domestic level to help in shaping a
successful national team.
"The last two seasons with Gloucestershire have been very prolific," he said.
"I like the winning feeling and hopefully, I can get this group of guys together
and get that same feeling with the England "A" team."
Affectionally known as "Bob Boo", Alleyne was born in Tottenham, London, almost
33 years ago, but he spent 11 years in Barbados where he received his early
schooling at Wesley Hall and Harrison College.
The former Tudor Bridge, St. Michael resident is well known for his prolific
scoring and wicket-keeping in the then Ronald Tree Cup for Under-15s and leading
Harrison College to the title in his final year at that level.
In pursuit of further educational opportunities, he moved back to England at the
age of 15 and later became a full-time professional cricketer eventually forcing
his way into the senior England team.
His recognition came late and his ten One-Day Internationals since his debut in
the 1998-99 World Series Cup in Australia have brought him 151 runs (ave. 21.59)
and ten wickets with his medium-pace seamers that developed while he was at
Gloucestershire.
Alleyne, however, reckons he deserved an international call-up much earlier.
"In my 20s, I was scoring heavily and playing quite well," he said. "I didn't
get the exposure at the time and you would never know whose fault that was, but
that's in the past now."
His desire to reach higher heights still remains.
"There is a lot of cricket left in me yet. I'd like to push even further," he
said.
"I'd still like to play Test cricket. Obviously, your chances diminish a bit
when you get older, but sometimes opportunities can pop up at the most
unexpected times."
Not visiting
One regret Alleyne has is not visiting Barbados more often. That's because of
his heavy cricket commitments and when he is finished on the field he plans to
further the development of his business ventures.
For now, Alleyne is focussing on the challenges he faces in the Caribbean over
the next two months, and he sees the England "A" team's participation in the
Busta Cup as serving a dual purpose.
"If we can play to our potential, hopefully, we will get into the final and win
that, but ultimately we are looking to develop our side," he said.
"Winning the tournament would be a real bonus, although winning is part of your
development.
"If we cannot win we can still have a very good tour with four or five guys
adding value to their games and push for the senior squad next summer."
Whatever the outcome, no one can deny that Alleyne has made a mark on English
cricket.