Legendary cricket commentator Joseph Reds Perreira has paid tribute to longstanding cricket administrator Lennox John, who died on August 2 in his native St Vincent and the Grenadines.
John served the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association as a senior administrator for 27 years, including 17 as president. He also led the Windward Islands Cricket Board for 16 years and served on the West Indies Cricket Board for 24 years.
A personal friend and colleague of John for more than 40 years, Perreira remembered him as someone devoted to his duties who never sought recognition for his accomplishments.
“His work made a great contribution without shouting from the hilltops for Windwards and West Indies cricket,” Perreira said. “His appointment as the manager of the West Indies Youth team to the ICC World Cup in England proved to be an ideal fit, for Lennox understood how to ground the Under-15 players he managed.
“I remember the way he followed their careers when they returned from the tour … taking great pride in those who went on to play at many levels for the West Indies and celebrating quietly when they entered First Class cricket at the West Indies level.”
Like Perreira, John also spent time in the commentary booth, calling matches in his native St Vincent and the Grenadines. Education was his first love, and Perreira recalled how John’s networking abilities and media experience helped develop cricket at the grassroots level.
Perreira highlighted John’s contribution to a 12-year schools cricket sponsorship within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), during his own tenure as OECS sports director.
“When the Sports Desk was able to track United Insurance to sponsor cricket within the OECS School System, Lennox ensured all of the important publicity was provided to the media and, in collaboration with the Government’s director, comprehensive reports of all the details and results were provided to the manager of United Insurance in Kingstown for a period of 12 years.”
Perreira also recalled John’s assistance in organising the Michael Findlay Wicketkeeping Coaching Clinic, which brought together three promising young wicketkeepers from the Windward Islands.
“It provided Windwards Cricket with quality wicketkeepers, of which one was Junior Murray of Grenada, who went on to play for the West Indies and became the first Grenadian to wear West Indies colours.”
Perreira said John’s contribution to regional cricket deserved lasting recognition.
“It is my humble wish that the present Windwards Cricket Board, in collaboration with Cricket West Indies, should arrange a relevant event so that the name of Reverend Lennox John will always be remembered.”
(St Lucia Times)
