Valentine
A GLITTERING night for Jamaica cricket at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Tuesday night was somewhat overshadowed by the death of Jamaican spinner Alfred Valentine earlier in the day.
Valentine was among the 15 Jamaicans nominated as one of five of the island's all-time cricket greats at the Scotiabank West Indian Jubilee gala and he was fondly remembered by three of those chosen among the island's elite handful.
Jeffrey Dujon, the prototype for wicketkeeper/batsmen, said: It dampened things for me. I knew him personally and actually kept wicket to him in a few little pick-up games but his impact on West Indies cricket is something that I could not escape as a student of the game.
A SHOCK
"It was really a shock to me because I knew that he was ill but I did not know the extent of his illness. My heart goes out to his family and this date will be one that will help me to remember him; the day I was honoured for doing something he did was the day that he died."
Courtney Walsh, the world's leading Test wicket-taker with 519 until surpassed by Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan earlier this month, said he grew up emulating the likes of Valentine who claimed 139 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 30.32.
"I used to relate to Lance Gibbs and Alf Valentine when playing backyard cricket," Walsh said. "You always wanted to be one of them. I felt very sad hearing that and it's been a very traumatic week for me as I also had a close family member die as well.
"It's a week of mourning and I just want to send my condolences to the Valentine family," he said.
Classic batsman Lawrence Rowe, a teammate of Valentine's at Lucas and fellow Florida resident, said: "I expected to see him here, so it was very sad. I played with him at club level for the last two seasons of his career."Just being around players like him and J.K. Holt helped you to learn a lot. I was so sad to hear the news."
- Tym Glaser
