A QUARTER of a century or so ago Mark Harrold was a keen footballer in Huddersfield.

He was in the pro game for a spell and won note as a dedicated and loyal player.

These days he is to be found on the West Indies island of Antigua, which is reliant on tourism and markets itself as a luxury Caribbean escape.

It’s 4,000 miles and a world away from his home town – and Mark loves it.

Judging from the stunning photographs he has supplied to the Examiner who can blame him?

Antigua has a population of only 69,000, but is the largest of the Leeward Islands.

Its proud boast is that it has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.

Cricket legend Sir Viv Richards, who captained the West Indies team, is one of the most famous Antiguans.

Mark says: “Antigua is ideal for travel. I have done and sailed most of the Caribbean and go shopping to the States for my supplies, especially electrical items.”

He was born on January 29, 1957, and has been in Antigua for about 20 years now.

As a youngster he signed for Halifax Town – at that time in the Football League – in August, 1974, staying with them for two years.

Later he was to play in Huddersfield for the now-defunct Bradley Rangers, who were in the Yorkshire League before joining the Northern Counties East League.

Gerry Murphy, now manager of Huddersfield Town’s Academy, was in charge of the very successful side, whose ground was at Warrenside, Deighton.

Mark says: “I enjoyed playing with them.”

He had the honour of being chosen as the Bradley Rangers Clubman of the Year in 1982, receiving his trophy at a presentation night at Greenhead Masonic Hall.

Mark was born in Turnbridge, in an area which is now the car park for Cummins Turbo Technologies, formerly known as Holset.

His grandfather on his father’s side was originally from Antigua before coming to Huddersfield at the turn of the 20th century.

So life has come full circle for Mark with his move to the Caribbean. His grandmother was a Sheard from Brighouse.

Grandparents on his mother’s side were both from Huddersfield and were named Payne and Walker.

Mark lived in Dalton, Deighton, Meltham, Elland and finally Birkby before deciding to emigrate.

He used to work for yarn spinners Stork Brothers, at Bay Hall Millsin Birkby.

After the move to Antigua he first ran a boating business.

|He then became a store manager for a duty-free company which has a chain of stores throughout the islands, later becoming the area marketing manager.

Then he took up a position as the sales and marketing manager for Antigua Brewery, before working for himself for about eight years.

Now he is a sales manager for a food, drinks and dry goods distributor on the island.

He is divorced, with an 11-year-old son living in Toronto, Canada.

Mark returns to Huddersfield most years, although he has not been back since August, 2005.

But this year he will be here for three weeks in August. Normally he stays with his sister in Meltham.

Mark is very happy on sun-drenched Antigua, where notable names to have homes on the island include Oprah Winfrey and guitarist Eric Clapton.

But he admits: “I still miss fish and chips, a good pork pie and new potatoes.

“Still, you can’t have everything I suppose.”