The CLR James Cricket Research Centre is an open and closed stack facility. The Reference Collection is housed in the Reading Room. The West Indian, archival and rare book collections are housed in closed access stacks. The collection includes monographs, pamphlets, periodicals, newspaper clippings, journal articles, photographs, paintings, postcards, video- tapes and DVDs. The library’s holdings include:
Stephen Alleyne was born in Barbados in 1960. He was former President of the Barbados Cricket Association and served as a member of the BCA Board of Management from 1992-1993. He also served as Third Vice President from 1994-1997, First Vice President in 1999 and took over as President after the untimely passing of Sir Conrad Hunte. He was then elected President in 2000. He served the Association until 2004, during which time he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of World Cup Barbados Inc. It was under Stephen’s leadership that Barbados landed its bid to host the Super-8 matches and the Final of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Stephen Alleyne died 15 October, 2007.
The Stephen Alleyne’s Papers dates 1998-2005 and consists of annual reports, minutes of meetings, discussion papers, financial statements, budget reports, development plans, legal papers, coach’s reports, manager’s reports, human resource matters, ICC World Cup matters.
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Pelham Francis Warner was born on 2 October, 1873 at The Hall, Trinidad and Tobago, in the West Indies. His parents were Charles William Warner and Ellen Warner, nee Cadiz, who was of Irish and Spanish stock. His father was the Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago for many years. Pelham Warner was the youngest of Charles Warner’s eighteen children. He married Agnes Blythe in 1904 and had three children, Elizabeth (Betty), Esmond and John.
Pelham Warner’s early education began at Queen’s Royal College in Trinidad, and in 1883, at the age of ten he was sent to Harrison College in Barbados. It was at Harrison College that the foundation at any skill acquired in cricket was built. In 1887, at the age of thirteen, his father died and the family left Trinidad for England where they spent the remainder of their lives. He attended Rugby, Oriel College and Oxford.
Pelham “Plum” Warner as he was affectionately called, was a right-hand batsman, and played first class cricket for Oxford University, Middlesex and Test cricket for England. In 1904 he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year. Pelham Warner served the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in various capacities for almost sixty years. He was captain of the first MCC tour to Australia; a member of the Committee; deputy secretary during the Second World War, president and first life Vice President of the MCC. Pelham Warner captained Middlesex, leading them to a famous victory and to the championship in the last match of 1920. This was a fitting end to a first class career which had begun in 1894 and in which he made nearly 30,000 runs and scored sixty centuries. He played in many parts of the world, including Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, the West Indies, America and Canada.
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The Keith A. P. Sandiford Collection
Keith Arlington Patrick Sandiford was born was born in 1939 in Bridgetown, Barbados. He was educated at the Combermere School in Barbados and the University College of Barbados before pursuing graduate studies at the University of Toronto, Canada. He completed his PhD. in 1966 and took a teaching position the University of Manitoba where he has remained, most recently as Professor Emeritus. Professor Sandiford has written about the sport of cricket and its meaning in British and West Indian culture. He has authored cricket books which includes
At the Crease with Gary Sobers; Cricket Nurseries of Colonial Barbados: The Elite Schools, 1866-1965 (1998)
; Cricket and the Victorians (1994)
Famous Cricketers Series.
Professor Keith A. P. Sandiford has donated his personal collection of 800 printed cricket items to the CLR James Cricket Research Centre.
The Springer Collection
The Springer Collection was donated by Henderson Springer, former Barbados cricketer and cricket coach who has travelled the world playing, coaching and watching cricket. During his travels, he amassed a great collection of cricket memorabilia including cricket ties, shirts and hats from those cricketing nations which have played against the West Indies. The items in the collection are associated with players, cricket teams and cricket events. There are over 1000 items in this collection.
This collection of memorabilia will be of interest to researchers, cricket enthusiasts and future generations as it will add to the historical record. Some items from the collection will be displayed as a permanent exhibit at the CLR James Cricket Research Centre. Those items not on display will be stored and preserved for future exhibits.
Bibliography 100 Years of West Indies Cricket (1860-1960)
A Select Annotated Bibliography. Compiled and Prepared by Margaret Broomes and Matthew Forde
Cricket in the West Indies has had a long and eventful history dating back to the 1860s when cricket became organized and was played by the colonial administrators, the plantation owners, educators and the military defending the islands. However, a primitive form of the game had been played on the inlands during the era of slavery by the colonisers and the military as a form of recreation.
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Manuscripts
Beyond a Boundary by CLR James (1963)
Digital Initiatives
There are two collections available for online searching:
Barbados Cricketers’ Annual and Pelham Warner’s Papers