AT a time when there is a distinct dearth of dynamic, dedicated leadership in Barbados, and the wider West Indies, not least in the one endeavour for which this region is most renowned, Stephen Alleyne's sudden death, at the age of 47, is a critical, inopportune loss.

It was the second shock for West Indies cricket within a few days, following the death at age 59, of Richard de Souza, with whom Alleyne would have sat on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Alleyne was in the prime of life when struck down by an apparent heart attack that took his life in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Indeed, he had played cricket at Empire, the famous club to which he was devoted and of which he was president, the day before.

Now his widow, Yolanda, his daughter, Ayanna and siblings David, Jeremy and Lisa, are left to mourn his passing as the head of the family and Barbados the loss of an outstanding son of the soil.

The esteem in which he was held is reflected in the many tributes which one would have heard either on the radio yesterday and in this paper today.

In spite of his youth, Alleyne, a tall, handsome, physically fit man with a calm, soft-spoken demeanour, had already accomplished more than anyone could reasonably be expected to, in so short a lifetime.

In business, he was head of Life of Barbados, one of the Caribbean's leading insurance companies, and much else besides.

In cricket administration, in addition to his leadership of as famous a club as there is in the game, he served as president of the Barbados Cricket Association, was a director of the WICB and most recently and prominently, headed the Local Organising Committee (LOC) that brought the World Cup final to the smallest country ever to host such a major sporting event.

Alleyne was born in England, in Stoke Newington, on January 28, 1960, when his father, Charles, was studying there. The family came back to Barbados when he was a toddler and he was educated at Merriville Preparatory school and Harrison College where, in addition to scoring runs and getting wickets, he won a Barbados Scholarship, in maths, geography and English, in 1978 at the age of 18.

Such success took him to Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, from which he graduated with a degree in acturial mathematics.

On returning to Barbados in 1987, after a professional attachment to the insurance company, Scottish Life, he joined Life of Barbados as a director, ultimately rising to the presidency.

In that time, he was also a director of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), a consultant to the Central Bank, a council member of the Caribbean Acturial Association and on the board of several companies.

He sought other opportunities when LOB was bought over by Barbados Mutual and formed Sagicor.

Inspired by the example of his late father, cricket was Alleyne's abiding passion and to which he devoted much of his considerable energy and intellect.

While at university, he captained the Carlton Club in Edinburgh and represented Scotland. Back home, he was immediately into club life at Empire, where his father had been a stalwart as player and administrator, eventually rising to president.

It was virtually preordained that Stephen would follow in his footsteps, both as cricketer and president, succeeding Charlie Griffith, the legendary West Indies fast bowler, seven years ago.

Like Charles, Stephen was profoundly conscious of Empire's legacy to the social, as much as the sporting, development of Barbados.

Under him and the committees who responded to his calm, wise direction, it remained a powerhouse in the island's cricket as did the women's
hockey section.

If men's football and hockey temporarily passed through lean times, they have been revitalised.

Summer camps for the youth in several sporting disciplines set the standard of others to follow while the pavilion has been spruced up.

His elevation to and advance within the BCA were as predictable as his progress at Empire. He was elected to the board of management in 1992, rising to third vice-president between 1994 and 1997 and first vice-president to Sir Conrad Hunte in 1999.

When Sir Conrad died suddenly in office in December, 2000, Alleyne was elected president and as one of the Barbados directors on the WICB.

But his terms coincided with turbulent times within Barbados and West Indies cricket. His election as BCA head was challenged in the Supreme Court before Chief Justice Denys Williams and he subsequently faced tough opposition when seeking another term, losing to Tony Marshall in 2004 in a close vote.

By then, World Cup Barbados was incorporated by Government through the Barbados Tourism Investment Corporation (BTI) and the BCA to prepare Barbados' bid to host matches and Stephen was appointed its chief executive and director.

While there were those who doubted Barbados' capacity to handle such a major undertaking, he maintained that size, in this instance, did not matter. He was confident and adamant that not only could it be successfully done, but that its legacy would hugely benefit the island as a whole.

Because of its global image, he was committed to rebuilding and transforming Kensington Oval into a stadium fit for a final, rather than constructing a new facility in the country.

He and his team were meticulous in adhering to the International Cricket Council (ICC) stipulations in preparing Barbados' bid to host a Super Eight round as well as the final. Their efforts were rewarded with the ICC's choice in July, 2004.

Throughout the four years of planning, Alleyne and others who undertook the job had their enthusiasm severely tested.

Doubts remained, controversies surfaced, politics inevitably intervened.

In the end, while the tournament as a whole was afflicted by a variety of problems, Kensington Oval was ready for its assignment.

Alleyne and his LOC were instrumental in having the ICC remove its more restrictive measures that had robbed the event of its Caribbean flamboyance and the atmosphere at the matches was more in keeping with the carnival that had been widely expected, but had not materialised.

As fate would have it, the first round elimination of Pakistan and India appreciably reduced the number of visitors expected and the showpiece final was abbreviated by unseasonal rain and spoiled by bungling officials that reduced it to a farcical finish.

But neither was the responsibility of the LOC which had done what Alleyne knew it could do.

What might have disappointed him most about the exercise was the continuing indecision over who should control Kensington and ensure that the world-class stadium for which he worked so hard would, indeed, benefit Barbados.

It was a weird twist that he was scheduled to attend a meeting with the various stakeholders yesterday to discuss that very issue.

His absence would have been acutely missed – and it will be in so much else in future.