|
Sir Conrad Hunte
On the 1960-61 tour of Australia Conrad Hunte was invited by Australian journalist James Coulter to see the film The Crowning Experience, this film was based on the life of the black American educator, Mary McLeod Bethune. This film was promoted by Moral Re-Armament (MRA), a Christian organisation promoting absolute moral and ethical standards of behaviour, to which Hunte committed the remainder of his life. On the 1963 tour of England Conrad Hunte was made vice captain to Frank Worrell, it was on this tour that Hunte now a devout member of Moral Re-Armament (MRA), decided to curb his natural attacking instints and became the sheet-anchor for the sake of the team. His decision paid huge dividends for himself and the team. He began the series at Old Trafford with a match-winning innings, 182, and finished it at The Oval with another ton, 108 not out. The West Indies won the 1963 series in England 3-1. Hunte finished the series with a batting average of 58.87, and was chosen as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1964. After the retirement of Frank Worrell in 1963, at the end of the English tour Conrad Hunte expected to be made captain; however he was overlooked as the captaincy was given to Garry Sobers. Hunte was truely disapointed and for a while considered resigning but in the end decided to continue playing and giving of his best. This he did and in the home series against Australia in 1964-65 he scored 550 runs, without a century, he scored six fifties in ten innings, with a highest score of 89 and an average of 61.11. Conrad Hunte played in 44 Tests between 1958 and 1967. He scored 3245 runs with eight centuries at an average of 45.06. He scored eight centuries, the last in Bombay on the tour of 1966-67 his centuries were scored on four continents which provides proof of his quality as an opening batsman. After retiring from cricket, Hunte worked for better race relations through an MRA inter-racial group, and travelled the world before settling in Atlanta, where his wife Patricia was a TV newsreader. In 1991, as South Africa inched towards change, he called Ali Bacher and ask to help the reconciliation process. He was accepted by the United cricket board of South Africa, he stayed for seven years, with the title National Development Coach. The emphasis was on motivating and inspiring young people in the townships. In 1998 Conrad Hunte services to cricket were recognised when he was awarded Barbados' highest honour, the Order of St Andrew, by the government of Barbados. He was encouraged to return to Barbados to apply his experience and expertise in helping to revive interest and standards of the nations youth. He was attached to the Ministry of Education and Youth Affairs and became immersed in his task. Shortly after returing to Barbados Sir Conrad Hunte won a heated election to became President of the Barbados Cricket Association, with a mandate to revive it. He never got the chance because two months later on December 3rd 1999 Sir Conrad Hunte died of a heart attack in Sydney Australia, while playing a game of tennis with his good friend James Coulter. He was in Australia to make the keynote speech at a meeting of the Moral Re-Armament (MRA) conference. Conrad Hunte Test Cricket Statistics
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
