Printer Friendly
The Free Library
19,607,059 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Becoming one person: Sir Conrad Hunte.


I met Conrad Hunte Sir Conrad Cleophas Hunte (May 9 1932, St Andrew, Barbados - December 3 1999, Sydney, New South Wales) was a West Indian cricketer and one of the best opening batsmen the West Indies has ever had.  because of a shared talent for sport. His talent showed in superb play, while mine took the form of devoted watching and constant day-dreaming about it. Finally I became embarrassed about my obsession, and had a quiet word with the Almighty. I apologized for having put sport ahead of spiritual and other more worthy aspirations. He seemed to say: `Thanks, but why don't you invite the West Indies West Indies, archipelago, between North and South America, curving c.2,500 mi (4,020 km) from Florida to the coast of Venezuela and separating the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean.  cricket team to see The Crowning Experience.' This film, produced by MRA MRA Medical Record Administrator.
MRA Magnetic resonance angiography, see MR angiography
, was about the African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race.  educator, Mary McLeod Bethune Noun 1. Mary McLeod Bethune - United States educator who worked to improve race relations and educational opportunities for Black Americans (1875-1955)
Bethune
. Born of slave parents, she had founded a university and become an advisor to the White House.

It was 1961 and the West Indies team had just arrived in Melbourne fresh from the first tied Test Tied Test refers to two matches of Test cricket, the first in 1960 and the second in 1986, both of which ended as a tie: that is, the aggregate scores of both teams were equal at the conclusion of play, and the side batting last had completed its innings with all 10 batsmen being  (international) match in the history of cricket The game of cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of international Test cricket began in 1877. . They had brought life back to the game and it was front page news.

When the film finished Conrad immediately said, `I have felt we [Barbados] may get our independence but whoever can harness the bitterness left from slavery will finish up in charge of my country.' This film was the first thing he had seen that could deal with that bitterness. He decided to try Bethune's approach, as portrayed in the film, of listening in quiet for God's direction. The results were immediately apparent. Wes Hall, the fearsome fast bowler, later told me, `That Conrad, he's gone too far. He returned money to the Cricket Board because he had bought his cricket gear at wholesale rates and yet claimed retail rates. Now they are thinking we all have done it!'

My last conversation with Conrad, an hour before he died, was about how he longed to get a winning spirit back into the West Indies cricket side.

At the time of our first meeting I was struck by Conrad's transparent honesty. He told me that he felt God had given him the thought: `thou practisest not what thou preachest', in relation to the temptations of life on the road. Nor can I get out of my mind the prayer he prayed: `Please, God, make me one man, not two.' Surely it is a prayer for our time.
COPYRIGHT 2000 For A Change
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2000, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:Coulter, Jim
Publication:For A Change
Date:Apr 1, 2000
Words:364
Previous Article:Cricketer for the oppressed: Sir Conrad Hunte, the West Indian international cricketer, died in December ... a man who will be remembered for his...
Next Article:Finding a purpose in life: Goretti Nguyen.
Topics:



Related Articles
How Dodds brightened up his game: fifties cricket star TC `Dickie' Dodds tells Paul Williams why he started hitting the ball harder.
New light from `down under'.
Cricketer for the oppressed: Sir Conrad Hunte, the West Indian international cricketer, died in December ... a man who will be remembered for his...
Rising stars: a spotlight on our clients' top performers.
Dalkey, Kara. Transformation.
Deconstructing empire in Joseph Conrad and Zakes Mda (1).
Jones, Diana Wynne. Conrad's fate.
Conrad's Fate: A Chrestomanci Book.
Jones, Diana Wynne. Conrad's fate.

Terms of use | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles