THE first National Heroes' Day will be celebrated on Monday and just in time for the new holiday is a new book about another Bermudian hero, the legendary cricketer Alma (Champ) Hunt.

The 144-page book, titled CHAMP! The One and Only Alma Hunt, was written by Ira Philip, MBE, JP, a long-time friend and colleague of the left-handed batsman who enjoyed an illustrious career as one of Bermuda's and Scotland's most admired and respected cricketers.

"The inspiration behind writing the book was that he was Bermuda's greatest cricketer," said Mr. Philip. "The book is about Champ and what he did for Bermuda and Scottish cricket. He was a superstar in the cricket world on and off the pitch."

Mr. Philip noted: "Champ was idolised by people young and old and at that time he was to cricket in Scotland and the West Indies what Tiger Woods is to golf today."

Alma Hunt was born in 1910. At the age of 12 he had scored his first century against a team of grown men. At age 16 he played in the island's premier sporting event, Cup Match, an annual clash pitting the best cricket players from the east and west of the island.

From being a 12-year-old kid and scoring a century against older men, to being a young lad of 16 playing in the annual classic, Mr. Hunt's star rose quickly and he soon had fans in America, Canada, the West Indies and Scotland.

In his mid-20s he was signed on by Aberdeenshire Cricket Club for whom he would play until 1947 when he retired from professional cricket.

While playing in Scotland, Mr. Hunt captured the hearts of all who saw him play because of his style, grace and good nature. He also captured numerous headlines and even managed to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records after he helped bowl out a county team with a seven-wicket haul and then single-handedly made all the runs needed for his side's victory.

In that game, Mr. Hunt took seven wickets for 11 runs, bowling out the opposing team for 48 runs. He then scored the 49 runs, hitting two sixes and eight fours.

Mr. Philip said the book had been in the works for a number of years and finally the time was right to publish the story.

"Champ and I collaborated very closely in his last years," said Mr. Philip.

"I told him while we worked together that I wanted to do the book right and have a first-class product, no matter how long it took me, and he was supremely confident that I would do justice to his story.

"I guess he felt I had his back and I had a bit of his heart."

Mr. Philip noted: "I have painstakingly taken my time to produce this book because I was writing about one of the world's great superstars. He had a marvellously tremendous record on the field of play, around the field of play and as an administrator. He was highly esteemed in the whole world of cricket.

"For this project, I took my time to ensure this was a first-class effort and I'm proud and pleased that it is a product of the Bermuda Press. It is a Bermudian production and I give full credit to my book designer David Wellman."

Mr. Philip speaks highly of the printing company: "I wanted to ensure that we debunked the age-old theory that you can't judge a book by its cover. This is one that you can safely judge by its cover and if you are really discerning and appreciate quality you can see it is first-class just by looking at its cover and looking at the quality of the paper. It's a first-class Bermudian job.

"The people at Bermuda Press did a fantastic job and I am very proud of them."

Mr. Philip is no stranger to writing. He worked for 50 years at the now-defunct newspaper The Recorder, a Bermuda newspaper that ran from 1925 to 1975. He also worked for local television station ZFB, an ABC affiliate, as station manager and news director from 1963 to 1983.

He has had four published books, Freedom Fighters From Monk to Mazumbo, Hakim Son of Mazumbo, Heroines in the Medical Field of Bermuda, and The History of the BIU, prior to writing Champ!

Currently, he writes a weekly column for the Mid-Ocean News.

Mr. Philip received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 from the Bermuda Arts Council, and was also inducted into the Company of Fellows at Bermuda College earlier this year. The Company of Fellows was established in 1980 and has 70 members. This year inductees were chosen for their outstanding volunteer work over the past few decades.

In 1999 Mr. Philip also received from the Queen the Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) title for services to journalism and the public.

Mr. Philip was also Chairman of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party from 1985 to 1991 and during that time he also served four years as an Opposition Senator in Bermuda's Upper House of Parliament. He was the Opposition spokesman for Education, Works & Engineering, Environment and Justice.

Mr. Philip talked about the first time he met Mr. Hunt: "As a child I took note of Champ like all young Bermudians who followed Cup Match. His name was a household word from my earliest years.

"I followed his career when he went to Scotland and years later while he was there I got a job at the newspaper The Recorder as a general news and parliamentary reporter.

"We picked up on anything about Champ and covered it.

"When Champ came back here he became sports editor of The Recorder newspaper and we just clicked."

Remembering how generous Mr. Hunt was, Mr. Philip said: "Champ was a superstar. When he came back to Bermuda he was one of the few guys who had his own car and I was just a poor, underpaid journalist and he used to drive me to my interviews."

Mr. Philip says he hopes everybody in Bermuda reads about the legendary cricketer who brought such flair to the game.

Giving some advice for young cricket players or writers out there, Mr. Philip said: "If I had any advice for young people out there looking to get into cricket, sports or writing, I would say read Champ's book from cover to cover.

"This book should be everywhere where cricket is played. This is a book that is intended to have universal appeal. There is something for everybody in this book."

CHAMP! The One and Only Alma Huntis now available at bookstores across Bermuda.