Joel Simmonds

Joel McKenzie Simmonds (born 27 January 1976) is a former Nevisian cricketer who played for Nevis and the Leeward Islands in West Indian domestic cricket. From Gingerland parish, Simmonds played for the Leewards under-19 team in three consecutive editions (1993, 1994, and 1995) of the West Indies Youth Championships, captaining the team in the 1995 tournament.^[1] A wicket-keeper, he did not make his first-class debut for the Leewards until the 1999–2000 season,^[2] replacing usual keeper Ridley Jacobs, who was on tour with the West Indies at the time.^[3] Simmonds played a further six matches the following season,^[4] and against the Windward Islands in January 2001 scored his highest first-class score.^[5] This innings of 54 runs included a partnership of 100 runs with Kerry Jeremy (70 not out) for the ninth wicket, a team record against the Windwards.^[6] However, Simmonds played only two matches in each of the two following seasons, with Jason Williams increasingly favoured when Jacobs was on international duty. His last first-class match came in February 2003, against Guyana.^[2]

Simmonds did not play any further matches at a major level until he was selected to appear in the inaugural 2006 edition of the Stanford 20/20, where he served as Nevis' wicket-keeper.^[7] Nevis won its first two matches to progress to the semi-final round, and against Trinidad and Tobago, Simmonds top-scored with 65 not out from 47 balls, an innings which included three sixes. However, Nevis were only able to record 136/9 from their 20 overs, losing the match by 74 runs.^[8] Partially based on this form, Simmonds was selected to keep wicket for the Leewards in 2007–08 season of the limited-overs KFC Cup, playing the only three List A matches of his career.^[9] He was again selected for Nevis in the 2008 edition of the Stanford 20/20, and took over from the retired Stuart Williams as the team's captain. In the team's first-round match, against Montserrat, Simmonds scored 37 runs and recorded two dismissals, for which he was named man of the match.^[10][11] However, in the next match, against Jamaica, Nevis lost by eight wickets, in what was to be his final match in West Indian domestic cricket.^[12] In August 2011, Simmonds was shot during an attempted robbery at a house in Pond Hill, where he had been engaged in illegal gambling.^[13][14]

See also

• List of Leeward Islands first-class cricketers
• List of Nevis Twenty20 cricketers

References

External links

• Player profile and statistics at CricketArchive
• Player profile and statistics at ESPNcricinfo