Cricket / Gloucestershire Cricket
Shire’s most decorated captain tells his story in new biography
A new biography, Pack Your Bags, Brother, by acclaimed author and cricket writer Stephen Chalke, tells the story of Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire Cricket’s most celebrated captain.
Now Alleyne marshalls Glos as men’s head coach and in the first year of his second stint as coach brought the Vitality Blast T20 trophy to Nevil Road, after a long drought of silverware.
The official launch of the biography was held in the Grace Room at Gloucestershire Cricket Club on Wednesday, attended by former players, Alleyne’s friends and family, alongside Glos fans.
“Pack your bags, brother, we’re off to Bristol” was the phrase Mark Alleyne’s elder brother Stephen used when he was heading down to Bristol, having himself harboured ambitions of playing county cricket for Glos. But it was Mark who went on to achieve dizzying heights at the club.
A new biography, Pack Your Bags, Brother, by acclaimed author and cricket writer Stephen Chalke, tells the story of Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire Cricket’s most celebrated captain – photo: Milan Perera
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has no short supply of stellar names. After all, it was the home to some of the biggest names in cricketing history, including W.G. Grace, Wally Hammond and Gilbert Jessop.
But despite not leading a team of “galacticos”, Mark Alleyne marshalled Glos during its most successful period, eclipsing the fabled times of super stars that went lean on silverware.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Alleyne said: “The book is mainly about my cricketing career, but to tell that story properly you have to go back and look at what brought me to the start of that journey and the events that gave me the opportunity in the first place.
“We started by talking through what that looked like, what it felt like and even what it smelled like. The cricket stories almost tell themselves because they actually happened, but for me the exciting part was everything in between.
The biography revists some of the most memorable moments in the club’s history – photo: Milan Perera
“I think of those as the layers – all the things that were happening at the same time. When you’re in the moment, you don’t always realise they’re happening, but looking back, you understand the impact they had on your life, on the team and on cricket more broadly. That was the part I found most exciting.”
Alleyne’s record as captain speaks for itself, having guided Glos to seven trophies in six years, after going trophyless for over 20 years since the glory days of Mike Proctor.
On the unforgettable season of 1999, Alleyne said: “Winning the first one was really important. We got there and were amazing on the day, and I think that gave us the belief that we could do it again.
“Luckily, the opportunities kept coming while we were still in good form and full of confidence, and we just rode the crest of a wave. Everything we tried and brought in seemed to work really well.”
As a player, he became the county’s youngest centurion and went on to become the club’s leading run scorer, amassing a staggering 14,214 runs and taking 407 wickets in first-class matches for Shire.
Bristol-based author Stephen Chalke has written critically acclaimed biographies of cricketers such as Tom Cartwright and Brian Close previously – photo: Milan Perera
Bristol-based author Chalke, who has written critically acclaimed biographies of cricketers such as Tom Cartwright and Brian Close, approached the subject through his own research, numerous conversations with Alleyne and carefully curated newspaper cuttings kept by Alleyne’s family.
The 252-page volume delves into the untold story of Mark Alleyne, who was born in Tottenham before moving to school in Barbados and eventually making the Glos squad, where he scored his maiden century for the county against a formidable Sussex side featuring the likes of Imran Khan.
The book revisits the build up to 1999, a dream season for Glos when it won both the Benson & Hedges Cup and the NatWest Trophy at Lord’s.
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In the former, Alleyne hit a blistering century which many cricket writers have hailed as “probably the finest century at Lord’s”.
1999 was the beginning of a golden era for Glos which fetched a series of silverware overpowering some of the most formidable county teams such as Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
The book also examines how Alleyne’s man-management skills made him the most successful county captain on record, surpassing Mike Gatting with the number of Lord’s finals.
Mark Alleyne has commited his future to Glos as its men’s head coach – photo: Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
The biography is filled with humorous anecdotes featuring colourful characters from Gloucestershire’s past years, and at Alleyne’s own expense when he was thrown in jail in Kenya.
Author of the new biography Stephen Chalke, said: “I’m getting old now. I came home that evening and said to my wife, ‘I don’t think I’d do another book sitting down with a cricketer, but if I were going to do one, I’d do it with Mark.’
“That was the start of it.
“I think part of it was the fact that he’s quite self-effacing and never pushes himself forward.”
On capturing the man with steely determination behind the self-effacing smile, Chalke said: “But when you sit him down quietly, as he said in his speech just now, he found the whole experience cathartic. In a way, it becomes a form of therapy.
“You go through your life and reflect on it and, if you go deep enough, there’s so much depth with Mark. He’s quiet, but he’s a really thoughtful person.
“You can see what made him such a good captain and such a good coach. He has an insight into people, he’s very calm, he’s bright, he loves the game of cricket and thinks strategically about it.
“Those are the things I wanted to capture in the book.”
“When you’re in the moment, you don’t always realise they’re happening, but looking back, you understand the impact they had on your life, on the team and on cricket more broadly,” said Mark Alleyne – photo: Milan Perera
The former Gloucestershire wicketkeeper Andy Brassingtion, who organised the event, hailed Alleyne as a “club legend”.
Brassington said: “He doesn’t really talk about himself at all, so he’s now in a position where he’s brought out his biography and actually has to talk about himself for once. But he’s such a modest man.
“When you look at what he’s achieved, he is a living Gloucestershire legend without a shadow of a doubt.
“When people look back in 100 years’ time at what Mark has achieved at the club, they’ll think: this bloke was an absolute legend. All those trophies – and he’s not finished yet, mind you.”
Main photo: Milan Perera
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