UpdateBot at 22:08, 13 April 2022

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{{short description|English cricketer}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Joey Benjamin
| image = Cricket_no_pic.png
| full_name = Joseph Emmanuel Benjamin
| birth_date = {{birth date|1961|02|02|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[St. Kitts]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|03|08|1961|02|02|df=y}}
| death_place =
| country = England
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Right-arm medium-fast
| international = true
| testdebutdate = 18 August
| testdebutyear = 1994
| testdebutagainst = South Africa
| testcap = 570
| lasttestdate =
| lasttestyear =
| lasttestagainst =
| odidebutdate = 6 December
| odidebutyear = 1994
| odidebutagainst = Australia
| odicap = 128
| lastodidate = 7 January
| lastodiyear = 1995
| lastodiagainst = Zimbabwe
| club1 = [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]]
| year1 = 1988–1991
| club2 = [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey]]
| year2 = 1992–1999
| columns = 4
| column1 = [[Test cricket|Test]]
| matches1 = 1
| runs1 = 0
| bat avg1 = 0.00
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 0
| deliveries1 = 168
| wickets1 = 4
| bowl avg1 = 20.00
| fivefor1 = 0
| tenfor1 = 0
| best bowling1 = 4/42
| catches/stumpings1 = 0/–
| column2 = [[One Day International|ODI]]
| matches2 = 2
| runs2 = 0
| bat avg2 = 0.00
| 100s/50s2 = 0/0
| top score2 = 0
| deliveries2 = 72
| wickets2 = 1
| bowl avg2 = 47.00
| fivefor2 = 0
| tenfor2 = 0
| best bowling2 = 1/22
| catches/stumpings2 = 0/–
| column3 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
| matches3 = 126
| runs3 = 1,161
| bat avg3 = 11.38
| 100s/50s3 = 0/0
| top score3 = 49
| deliveries3 = 22,664
| wickets3 = 387
| bowl avg3 = 29.94
| fivefor3 = 17
| tenfor3 = 1
| best bowling3 = 6/19
| catches/stumpings3 = 25/–
| column4 = [[List A cricket|LA]]
| matches4 = 168
| runs4 = 327
| bat avg4 = 9.90
| 100s/50s4 = 0/0
| top score4 = 25
| deliveries4 = 7,892
| wickets4 = 173
| bowl avg4 = 31.80
| fivefor4 = 0
| tenfor4 = 0
| best bowling4 = 4/19
| catches/stumpings4 = 29/–
| date = 10 March
| year = 2021
| source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/9069.html Cricinfo
}}

'''Joseph Emmanuel Benjamin''' (2 February 1961{{spnd}}8 March 2021) was a [[St Kitts]]–born English [[cricket]]er who played in one [[Test cricket|Test match]] and two [[One Day International]]s in 1994 and 1995. He also played [[county cricket]] for [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]] and [[Surrey County Cricket Club]]s from 1988 to 1999.

==Early life==
Benjamin was born in [[Christ Church Nichola Town Parish|Christ Church]], [[Saint Kitts]], on 2 February 1961.<ref name="ESPN bio">{{cite web|title=Joey Benjamin|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/9069.html|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|work=ESPN Cricinfo|access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref> His family relocated to the United Kingdom when he was 15 years old and resided at first in the [[Midlands]]. He played in the [[Birmingham and District Premier League|Birmingham League]], where his performances in sporadic fixtures for Staffordshire drew initial attention.<ref name="ESPN obit">{{cite news|title=Joey Benjamin, former Surrey and England seamer, dies aged 60|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/joey-benjamin-former-surrey-and-england-seamer-dies-aged-60-1254365|first=Andrew|last=Miller|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|work=ESPN Cricinfo|date=9 March 2021|access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref>

==Career==
Benjamin signed his first county contract for [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire]] in 1988, when he was 27.<ref name="ESPN obit"/><ref name="BBC obit">{{cite news|title=Joey Benjamin: Former England, Warwickshire and Surrey bowler dies at the age of 60|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/56341394|date=9 March 2021|access-date=10 March 2021|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> He was unable to receive regular playing time, with [[Gladstone Small]], [[Tim Munton]], and [[Allan Donald]] starting ahead of him. Benjamin ultimately featured in 25 first-class matches in his four years with the team.<ref name="ESPN obit"/>

Benjamin went on to play with [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey]] from 1992 until 1999. He was honored as the team's Player of the Year in 1993. He claimed 64 wickets at 27.85 that year and took 6 for 19 against [[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire]], the best in his career. He managed to better those numbers the following season, with 80 wickets at 20.72, and received his first international call-up that same year. He had 53 wickets at a decent rate of 25.01 in 1995, but he began to lose playing time from that season onwards. In his final season with Surrey in 1999, the club won the [[County Championship]], though he only played in two of the matches. He was subsequently released by the team.<ref name="ESPN obit"/> For his career, Benjamin took 387 wickets in [[first-class cricket]] between 1988 and 1999, at an average of 29.94.<ref name="PA obit">{{cite news|title=Joey Benjamin, former England, Surrey and Warwickshire bowler, dies aged 60|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/mar/09/cricket-joey-benjamin-former-england-surrey-bowler-dies-aged-60|date=9 March 2021|access-date=10 March 2021|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|agency=PA Media}}</ref> His best effort with the bat was a first-class 49 while his average stood at 11.38, leading ''[[ESPNcricinfo]]'' to describe his batting as "the hit-and-miss variety".<ref name="ESPN obit"/>

A [[One-Test wonder]], Benjamin's single Test match appearance for [[England cricket team|England]] came in 1994 when he was selected for the [[South African cricket team in England in 1994#Third Test (18–21 August)|final Test of the series]] against [[South African cricket team|South Africa]] at [[The Oval]], his home ground. He performed well in the match taking four wickets in the first innings.<ref name="Test">{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149091.html |title=Hadlee's slow start |accessdate=2 February 2017 |work=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref> However, his effort was overshadowed by [[Devon Malcolm]]'s spectacular nine-wicket haul in the second innings. He was 33 at the time, and did not play any more Test matches for England as the national selectors preferred to concentrate on younger [[Seam bowling|seam bowlers]] like [[Angus Fraser]] and [[Chris Lewis (cricketer)|Chris Lewis]].<ref name="ESPN obit"/>

==Later life==
After retiring from cricket, Benjamin remained in Surrey.<ref name="ESPN obit"/> There, he coached at [[Reigate Grammar School]] and [[Reigate Priory Cricket Club Ground|Reigate Priory Cricket Club]].<ref name="ESPN obit"/><ref name="PA obit"/>

Benjamin died of a [[heart attack]] on 8 March 2021. He was sixty years old.<ref name="BBC obit"/><ref name="PA obit"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=9069}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Joey}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:England Test cricketers]]
[[Category:England One Day International cricketers]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Surrey cricketers]]
[[Category:Warwickshire cricketers]]
[[Category:Staffordshire cricketers]]
[[Category:Black British sportspeople]]
[[Category:English people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent]]
[[Category:People from Christ Church Nichola Town Parish]]
[[Category:Saint Kitts and Nevis emigrants to the United Kingdom]]

Joey Benjamin - Revision history

UpdateBot at 22:08, 13 April 2022