IT says a great deal for the strength of West Indies cricket in the Seventies and Eighties that Jim Allen — who died on July 2 aged 73 — never made it into the Test team.

He was excitement personified, thrilling spectators in his time as Hyde CSC professional during the final years of the club's Lancashire and Cheshire League tenure in 1978-79, and later in the Central Lancashire League (1982-83).

Anyone who saw him will have their favourite story of his big-hitting exploits. As his biographer Edwin Martin put it: "Allen stood out with his aggressive drives. He stood only 5ft 9ins and weighed about 160lb (11½ stone) yet he unleashed towering shots that were the by-product of superb timing and power."

Early on, Jim, who hailed from Montserrat, outscored the great Viv Richards. He came to Hyde as one of the stand-out players from Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket — you can see his exploits on YouTube. In his time on the Low he amassed almost 4,000 runs, scoring 11 centuries and a record-breaking 170 at Glossop.

In 1980, while at Werneth in the CLL, another spectacular innings made Jim the talk of Oldham in a way that would be unthinkable for a club cricketer 45 years later.

Jim was also a character. In 1978, when Pete Hardman's wife Lil explained that he had been awarded the MBE by the Queen, he replied "How much is she gonna pay me?" There's also a tale that he was responsible for Albert Hill's missing aspidistra (define that how you choose).

Sadly, Jim's health deteriorated in recent years and he was in hospital several times.

We'll remember him as a special man who brought some West Indian glamour — and skill — to Hyde Cricket and Squash Club.
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