As part of our Black History Month celebrations we spoke to Warwickshire great Gladstone Small about his former Bears teammate Joey Benjamin.
Caribbean-born quick Benjamin was 27 when Warwickshire gave him his break in professional cricket in 1988.
He went on to play played 25 First Class and 26 List A matches for Warwickshire, taking 87 wickets across both formats, before moving to Surrey in 1992.
Benjamin – the only player from St Kitts & Nevis to represent England – played one Test and made an instant impact, taking four wickets against South Africa.
Small said: “Joey was late to the game but he kept plugging away and got his reward. Joey had an unusual action, not the most athletic in his run-up, he kissed the surface rather than banging it. But he had a brilliant wrist position when delivering the ball, he always got movement.
“But he was a lovely fella, a chilled character. He didn’t say a lot but what he said was always poignant and with lot of comedy to it. He was a favourite in the dressing room.
“It’s a great shame Joey is no longer with us.”
During his career, Benjamin took 387 wickets between 1988 and 1999.
Joey Benjamin: 1961 – 2021
