Cricket Hall of Fame
When the Cricket Hall of Fame holds its induction ceremony this year, former West Indies captain and renowned fast bowler Courtney Walsh will top the class of inductees. He will be joined by another former West Indies player Desmond Lewis, wicket-keeper, batsman and five other local individuals, Alcious Watson of Hartford, Connecticut, Dr. Mohamed Ali, Roy Reid, Venelda Wallace of New York and Mavis Johnson of Georgia, who will be honored for making outstanding contributions to the sport in the U.S.
2013 Class Of Inductees are (l-r) Courtney Walsh, Desmond Lewis, Alcious Watson, Roy Reid, Dr. Mohamed Ali, Mavis Johnson and Venelda Wallace.
The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, October 5, at the Hilton Hotel, downtown Hartford.
Walsh who represented the West Indies from 1984-2001, is best known for a remarkable opening bowling partnership with fellow West Indian Curtly Ambrose for several years and for holding the record of most Test wickets from 2000, after he broke the record of Kapil Dev. The record was later broken in 2004 by Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.
Former West Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Lewis, who has distinguished himself in every facet of the game, has exemplified and continues to exemplify what it means to be a sportsman in general and a cricketer in particular. His contributions to the game and his impact on his contemporaries and various individuals especially in Atlanta where he now resides are legendary and self evident.
Watson, who began playing cricket in the U.S. in 1971, is one of the founders of the Connecticut Cricket League. The first secretary of the League, he played a major role in the establishment of a field in the city of New Britain, Connecticut.
One who has been described as one of the small giants in the grassroots level of the cricket fraternity, Dr. Mohamed Ali has made outstanding contributions to the development of the sport in the U.S. especially towards the youths.
Reid an entrepreneur, philanthropist and cricketer has devoted much of his youth and adult life to the game delighting fans and players alike. Originally from Jamaica, Reid who now lives in New York played a major role in the elevation of the sport in the Tri-state area by organizing competitive matches between teams from other states and outside the country.
A very respected ‘cricket manager that you don’t mess with,’ Wallace who was born in Brooklyn but grew up in Jamaica, got involved with the sport in 1998 and has since and has since gave a great amount of contributions to nearly all the cricket organizations in New York. A very instrumental and vital individual in the sport to the New York region, she was involved in the formation of the first women’s cricket team in the U.S.
Described as a female cricket administrator in a class by of her own, Johnson has served the game for over 35 years. She was the first woman to serve on any executive committee in the game of cricket in the U.S.
