After a life-long passion for sport, at the age of 71, Middlesex Seniors’ cricketer, Keith Alexander is finally on the cusp of realising his sporting dream – to represent England Over 70’s on an international overseas tour to Australia.
Having gone through a rigorous England selection process, which included four trial matches, Keith was given the incredible news that he had made the squad and was announced as one of the players in England Cricket’s touring party! On one hand he was understandably elated, as this was the news he had been waiting for, however, on the other came the realisation that if he was to achieve his international dream, then he would need to fund the trip himself.
The tour, in January and February 2023, sees England taking on hosts Australia in three One-Day International matches and eight representative matches, and having watched him dedicate his life to sport, Keith’s daughter, Karen, was desperate for him to not miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime to represent England overseas and duly set up a GoFundMe donation page to help raise the required funds for Keith’s trip.
Since a young age Keith had always been passionate about sport, initially football, a sport in which he went on to represent his country of birth, India, on the international stage. In 1975, when he moved to England and settled in Enfield, he continued his involvement in football and over time also fell in love with cricket, and has played the game at recreational level for many years since.
In his later years, Keith began representing Middlesex’s Senior sides, first at Over 50’s level, then Over 60’s and now Over 70’s, and his prolific run-scoring for Middlesex in the seniors’ county system has seen him also represent England at both Over 60’s and Over 70’s levels, although always, to date, on home soil.
Alongside his passion for playing the game, Keith for many years has coached youngsters at recreational level, in both football and cricket, and has been Chairman of a local charity youth football club in Edmonton for the last 23 years.
The family are asking for the support of anyone who can help Keith realise his dream. He works tirelessly for others, has been a fine player for Middlesex’s Senior sides, and it would be great if the Middlesex family could lend Keith a hand and help him get to Australia.
At the time of writing this article, Keith’s GoFundMe page has raised £3,680 of the £7,000 he needs to make the trip.
To make a donation to Keith’s GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-my-dad-fulfil-his-dream
