Cricket commentator, Tim Hector, a multifaceted person

April 3, 2001.

Antiguan cricket commentator and historian, Tim Hector, who will be the keynote speaker at the Cricket Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony set for Saturday, September 29, at the Radisson Hotel in Middletown, is a multifaceted person, who has made his mark in the fields of journalism, education, sports administration and politics.

Born on Lower Newgate Street in Antigua, Hector distinguished himself as an exceptional student at a very young age who later was regarded for his acuity of mind when he studied at the Universities of Acadia and McGill in Canada.

A product of his environment, Hector was introduced to the game of cricket in his grandfather’s home, which was forever the center of ardent discussions on world affairs, literature, sports (in particular cricket) and music. Through these discussions young Hector was exposed to the cut and thrust of debate and the marshaling of information and facts by the autodidacts of the day that would make a lasting impression on his alert and fertile mind.

Hector, whose interests range from anthropology to dominoes and world politics to boxing became the youngest teacher ever at the Antigua Grammar School after he had completed his high school education.

A protege of internationally acclaimed thinker and political activist C. L. R. James, Hector, who later went to Canada on a scholarship to study at college, broke off his postgraduate studies to return home where he felt his contribution was most needed and immediately became active in politics. He became chairman of the Progressive Labor Movement (PLM), an executive member of the Public Service Association and the Antigua Workers Union (AWU).

A founder of the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM) in 1968, Hector would struggle relentlessly for the next two decades as one of its leaders for the social, political and economic transformation of Antigua and Barbuda.

In addition to his political activities, Hector devoted time and energy to one of his first loves, the sport of cricket. He was instrumental in the reorganization of cricket in Antigua and the Leewards islands. In the region, he served at every level of cricket administration from an executive member of the Antigua Cricket Association to the Leewards Board to Manager of the Combined Islands, rising to the very top as a member of the West Indies Cricket Board of Control. To this day, Hector’s ideas on the development of cricket in the region are widely sought after.

During his tenure as cricket administrator, a number of Leeward players rose to prominence as Test players for the West Indies. He has appeared on several occasions on television in the region and in the United Kingdom discussing the game of cricket in all its facets. Hector, who is respected internationally for his incisive and thought-provoking articles as editor of the Outlet Newspaper, has been the recipient of numerous awards for his contributions to journalism, sport and education.