From Kensington Oval to Crowhurst Park, Victor Walcott's cricketing career has taken an unlikely path.

For seven years, Walcott was a member of the strong Barbados national team which included the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge.

These days, the 39-year-old is turning out in the picturesque surrounds of the East Sussex League.

A chance meeting resulted in Walcott coming to England to become Crowhurst Park's first overseas player.

The number of overseas players in club cricket is growing but anyone who questions their value should take a look at Crowhurst Park, who are based near Hastings.

A year after Walcott's arrival they have been promoted to the top flight of the East Sussex League for the first time, winning the second division by an amazing 145 points, are looking to expand to four Saturday sides and have launched a colts section.

While Walcott certainly cannot take all the credit, his contribution has been huge.

Walcott made his debut for Barbados in 1987, part of a bowling line-up that also featured Garner and the late Marshall.

He said: "We had a very good team at that time. It was pretty hard to get into the side as well, as we had people like Ezra Moseley around and Franklyn Stephenson was just coming on the scene.

"There were a lot good guys around who didn't get a chance to play for the national team, let alone the Test team.

"At one stage you could pick a reserve team and still play a decent first class cricket game."

Walcott had a tough baptism to cricket at that level. He said: "On my debut I came first change right after Malcolm Marshall. I put down the first four balls on the seam. The fifth ball my wrist collapsed a bit and it came down a bit on the side.

"The ball came back to Malco at mid-off, he took it, looked at it and said to me, 'You are supposed to treat this ball properly, man. It is your life, you have got to work with it properly. You have got to treat the ball like it is your life's possession'.

"It is your first game and you have one of the best players in the world getting on your case and you have just bowled five balls. You can imagine how I felt.

"These guys set high standards and they expect you to live up to that sort of thing."

Walcott came through his debut otherwise unscathed and he remained in the national team until 1994.

He says he is not related to Clyde Walcott, but admits there could be a link if someone checked his family tree. He is a fascinating character with an infectious warmth.

His recollections of playing against the likes of Viv Richards, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose and Richie Richardson would have any cricket fan gripped.

As for playing for the West Indies, Walcott's name was touted about for the 1991 tour of Pakistan. He was put on standby as Marshall had an injury.

He explained: "It all depended on whether Malco was going to pass his fitness which he did. I was that close but not close enough."

Crowhurst Park certainly did not realise what they had stumbled across when they summoned a taxi while on tour to Barbados last March.

Club chairman David Bliss explained: "We went on tour to Barbados a year ago in March and driving the minibus to one of the games was Victor. We got chatting and he said he used to play cricket. We thought, 'Oh yea'.

"It turned out he used to play for Barbados but he was playing club cricket over there. In the last game of the tour he turned out for us. He didn't get a wicket but we could see he was a good bowler."

Crowhurst Park, who are sponsored by Wildlife Cafe, asked Walcott to come over to England to play for them. Through sponsors and favours, they sorted out accommodation and some work for him.

The effort was worthwhile as Walcott claimed 91 wickets at 6.74 on Saturdays, topping the club bowling averages for the whole of Sussex. An added bonus was his batting.

Bliss said: "He said he couldn't bat and we started him at No.9. He ended up going in at No.4, topping the averages or near enough with an average of 39 or 40.

"We moved from division three to two the previous year without Victor. Last year we won the league by miles. I think we would have been pushing for promotion anyway but he certainly made a big difference. He bowls teams out, which is important."

Since last year Walcott has got married and he is looking to settle down in Hastings. He has taken a job coaching cricket at Westerleigh School and is also working with Crowhurst Park's juniors.

As for playing himself, he is enjoying his cricket. He said: "Everybody supported each other last year which was very important."