Conrad Hunte

Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte, KA (9 May 1932 – 3 December 1999) was a Barbadian cricketer.

Hunte played 44 Test matches as an opening batsman for the West Indies.

Hunte was born in rural St Andrew Parish in the north of Barbados, the son of a sugar plantation worker.

Hunte's family was poor.

One of nine children, Hunte grew up in a one-room house.

By the time he was six-years-old, he was playing cricket with the village boys, using an improvised bat made from palm fronds.

Hunte's father was determined that Hunte would receive a good education and so Hunte was required to walk—barefoot—each day the three miles to Belleplaine Boys School.

Hunte showed the first glimpses of his talent, making the school First XI aged 10 where he played with and against boys much bigger and older than himself.

Hunte, aged 12, won a scholarship to attend Alleyne Secondary School.

His talent was soon noted by the school gamesmaster, who placed him straight into the school First XI, where he played against boys aged up to 18.

As an incentive the gamesmaster offered Hunte a shilling every time he made 25 runs.

Hunte captained the school team in his last three years.

In his final year at school Hunte was asked to play for a new club, the Belleplaine Sports and Social Club.

Belleplaine played in the Northern section of the Barbados Cricket League (BCL), which provided organised cricket for poor and rural Barbadians.

In 1950 Hunte made the BCL representative team for its annual match against the elite (and socially exclusive) Barbados Cricket Association team.

Dropped early in his innings by Test player Denis Atkinson, Hunte went on to make 137—the first BCL player to make a century in this annual fixture.

Soon after this match Hunte was selected to make his first-class cricket debut for Barbados against Trinidad and Tobago at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

Hunte scored 63 runs in the first innings and followed this with 15 in the second.

Hunte was also offered a place with the elite Empire Cricket Club in Division 1 of the Barbados Cricket Association, the home club of his sporting idol Everton Weekes.

There was little first-class cricket in the West Indies at the time and Hunte's cricket career was slow to progress.

He worked for a time as a school teacher at St. Simon's Mixed School, the Barbados civil service as an Accounts Clerk and later in life insurance.

Hunte failed to take his opportunity against the visiting Australians in 1954–55, scoring a duck and three.

It was the following season when Hunte finally showed his ability on a larger stage, scoring 151 and 95 in two matches against a touring team from England managed by E. W. Swanton.

In 1956 Hunte moved to England, to study Economics and also looking for a professional contract in English league cricket.

He worked at a bus plant and cotton mill in Lancashire before being picked up by Leyland Motors Cricket Club in the Northern League.

The next year Hunte was contracted by Enfield Cricket Club in the Lancashire League.

The relationship between Hunte and Enfield was a happy one; unlike most professionals who tended to wander, Hunte stayed at the club for six seasons.

When Hunte moved to England, he had advised the selectors of the West Indies team that he was available to tour England in 1957 should he be chosen.

While waiting for an invitation for the tour, Hunte considered and rejected attempting to become eligible for selection for Kent County Cricket Club in the English County Championship.

When no invitation was forthcoming Hunte signed to play with Enfield.

Later Hunte was told that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had sent him a letter, which failed to reach him in Lancashire.

After he signed with Enfield received a note from a WICB board member, urging him to state if he wished to be considered for selection.

Hunte replied that he was, provided Enfield would agree to release him from his contract.

When the squad for the tour was released, Hunte's name was missing.

The West Indies soon regretted overlooking Hunte.

The two batsman selected ahead of him—Nyron Asgarali and Andy Ganteaume—did not meet with much success in the Test matches.

Hunte was only the second West Indian to carry his bat in a Test innings.

Hunte did make his Test debut the following winter against Pakistan at his home ground of Kensington Oval.

He hit the first two balls that he faced, from Fazal Mahmood, for fours and made 142 runs in his first innings.

In 1959, Hunte set a club record for the most runs scored in a season.