LEONARD "LEN" HARRIS - CRICKET ICON

Len Harris holds the Hesketh Bell Shield which is the symbol of cricket supremacy in the Leeward Islands

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Leonard Alphonso Harris better known as “Lord Mikes” , “Chapel” or “Len” was perhaps  one of the most celebrated Sport and Cultural Icon throughout St. Kitts-Nevis,  the wider Caribbean and beyond. Mr. Harris enjoyed a long and illustrious career, which spans over 50 years as an active player in his multiplicity role of the exquisite traditional art form before succumbing to the battle of Alzheimer’s at the age of 71. He passed on at his home in Herbert Street Newtown quietly on Thursday, 16th March at 10: 50 p.m.to be exact, just after a short stay in and out of the Sir Joseph Nathaniel France Hospital as a patient. He was survived by his dearly beloved wife Mrs. Naomi Douglas Harris, 7 children, 22 grand and 6 great grand, numerous relatives, friends and an abundance of fans all over the world, who at one time or another would have shared some passion and joy with this naturally talented “architect”.

 

Mikes was born on the 3rd September 1934 to Kenneth and May Rose Harris of McKnight. As a little boy his parents ensured that he was well looked after and made sure that in their poor and humble environment they saw to it that he attended school. The St. Joseph Catholic School (Roman Catholic School ) regularly, even without something to eat at times. But he pursued with much vigour and zest the qualities of becoming a super star.

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Upon the completion of school he worked at the sugar factory as a boiler for a number of years. As a pioneer with a desire to excel he turned to the Youth Community where he worked as a Social Worker where his role was quite visible and highly appreciated by the entire populace and could be seen running down those  small boys and girls making sure that they attended school and kept off the streets at a given time at night. This in itself was a significant and  psychological impact, which gave the community a sense of hope. All you had to hear was Boy/Gul! Mikes or Earle Clarke coming- and is “gone you gone”. They had both instilled certain exemplary disciplined qualities, which needs to be implemented in these difficult times.

 

As a little boy the name Len Harris continued to ring a bell and it was only as I grew in stature I began to realise that the name became synonymous with the great Sir Garfield Sobers and the Chapel Brothers of whom he emulated. I can recall the days when Mikes would pass up and down Carty Alley where I was living, on his way to Warner Park, his second home. He would drop into my father’s shop to buy and there is where I had the privilege of serving and getting more acquainted with him.

 

One cannot forget the many centuries he registered at all levels of the game, the wicket’s he took as a spin and pace bowler at times when it was demanded of him, along with the many catches he took through his cricketing career. It would be quite remiss of me not to acknowledge  a few of his subordinates  the  likes of the legendary George Mc Mahon, Edgar Gilbert, Hesketh Benjamin, Vincent Demming, Auckland Hector, Clem Hicks, John Bowry, Logic Williams, Victor Eddy, Charles Wilkin and Leroy Coury, one of St. Kitts’ finest Leeward’s Combined spin bowler and a true friend of Mr. Harris. 

Harris played and captained St. Kitts, Leeward Islands and Combined Islands. It is still a very strong belief among many of us that he should have played for the West Indies Team. However let us not forget people like Natta Payne who took Mikes from Progressive Second Class Team and introduced him to the 1st and 2nd class St. George’s Club. He also recalled his 1st class match against police in the 50’s, where he was offered an incentive by the said Natta Payne if he made 100. He fell short of the century, but what he made was just as good as or even better than 100, belting fast bowler Dover on the roof of the police station many times. This was so exciting that Mr. Natta had no alternative but to give him the prize he was promised. (He was astonished). Also in speaking to Mr. Leroy Coury who remembered quite clearly his 216 not out against Montserrat in Antigua where he massacred the Montserrat bowling attack, and at another instance where Ray Linwall, Australia’s number one pace bowler at the time almost cried, and why? He knew not where to bowl the next delivery. It was an execution of the finest stroke play ever seen. I was reminded of the words of John Horlot “THAT WAS CRICKET LOVELY CRICKET”.

FASCINATING FACT: HE WAS MICK STOKES UNCLE –CLICK HERE TO READ STOKES ARTICLE

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Let’s not forget that he played Football for the Rovers, Rivals and St. Kitts Football Team. His projective image was to succeed, and that he did when he was introduced to at the Loughbrough University of London in 1979 at the Black Pool Easter School, by the Community Affairs Department through the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association where he did a course in: a) Practical Coaching b) Practical Performance c) Theory of Coaching and—d) Laws of the Game. He became more advanced with the technical and disciplinary aspects of the game. This certainly benefited the Coaching Staff and Referees alike specifically the youths and the schools, not forgetting he was a barber as well. Culturally, Mikes was a genius who perfected the art of Calypso in his own simple, peculiar, unique and effective style which captured the imagination of the Kittitian and Nevisian public by capturing the Road March Crown several times with tunes like “Big Turkey”, and“123” the tune that took the region by storm especially the Merry Men out of Barbados who made an enormous sum of money from his masterpiece without the consent of the writer and producer Lord Mikes. That did not deter his spirit, in fact it gave him the impetus to move on by bringing out a huge Carnival troupe namely: “Drunken Sailor”. He loved Carnival; he loved mas and participated at all levels trying out the steel pan where he was tutored by two veterans’ Pun Tan and Natta Payne. As a clown dancer he was inspired by: Jimmy Daddy, Daddy Bless, Tan Tan and Jones Richern. A swimmer in his own right he participated in the early days of the 4-H Aquatic Sports Meet between Newtown’s best and many others. A healthy diet was eminent in order for him to perform the way he did, so he would catch his owns hark and have it simmered down with some green fig. Mikes was definitely a legendary role model who placed St. Kitts-Nevis on the map in a big, big way.

As a father and family man he paid full attention to his family’s welfare and social upbringing. He loved his children very much to the extent where he could be seen driving them out at nights and making sure that they got their ice-cream. Well! His intention was to create a better way for his family, so he migrated to the U.S.V.I where he worked as a security guard at the University for a long period sending monies home for both he and his wife to establish a home, and that they did. Due to illness he returned home as indicated in two of his many songs, for example “St. Kitts is me bornin’ land” and “A going back home to me native land.” Even though he was sick and you asked him how he was feeling, with a smile he would say: “Old Soldiers Never Die”. Throughout these turbulent times his family stuck to his side. Mikes kept his cool charismatic composure making time to get closer to his maker “The Lord” and was always heard singing his favourite song, “God is watching us from a distance”. With the Lion’s Club giving him flowers while he was living, by awarding him the honour of “Senior Citizen of the Year” and the Len Harris Academy being named in his honour.

By WINSTON NISBETT for CARIBBEAN VYBES

Contact: info@caribbeanvybes.com

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