John Maynard (cricketer)

John Carl Maynard, (born 8 May 1969, Gingerland, Nevis) known as The Dentist, is a former West Indian cricketer. In a first-class career of 33 matches, he took 75 wickets. John was selected in the West Indies A squad in 1996 for a home series against Pakistan A however, due to injury he was forced to miss the series.[1] After his professional career ended, Maynard still to this day plays club cricket in England and is now based in Suffolk.

John Maynard

Personal information
Full name	John Carl Maynard
Born	(1969-05-08) 8 May 1969 Gingerland, Nevis
Nickname	The Dentist
Batting	Right-handed batsman
Bowling	Right-arm fast
Role	Bowler
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2006	St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
1994	Norfolk
1991–1999	Leeward Islands
First-class debut	22 February 1992 Leeward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago
Last First-class	12 February 1999 Leeward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago
List A debut	20 February 1992 Leeward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago
Last List A	21 February 1995 Leeward Islands v Windward Islands
Career statistics
Competition FC LA T20 Matches 33 28 13 Runs scored 99 51 22 Batting average 6.58 7.50 3.00 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 0/0 Top score 19* 19 12 Balls bowled 1986 854 372 Wickets 75 42 21 Bowling average 25.11 20.66 15.00 5 wickets in innings 1 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 n/a n/a Best bowling 5/24 4/31 4/9 Catches/stumpings 4/– 0/– 0/–
Source: CricketArchive, 29 January 2009

Aggressive style

A fast bowler, Maynard made an immediate impression on his List A debut (in the Geddes Grant Shield) for the Leeward Islands against Trinidad and Tobago in February 1992. He took a Man of the Match award for his three wickets, including former Test player Tony Gray, in a rain-reduced match.[2]

Maynard came to international prominence while playing against the 1993–94 England touring side when he participated in two warm-up match before the Test series. In the first, representing St Kitts and Nevis, he took three of the England top order wickets in the first innings, dismissing Michael Atherton, Matthew Maynard and Nasser Hussain. He finished with 3/91 as Mark Ramprakash took command, scoring 136.[3] He then played for the Leeward Islands in the second, picking up the wickets of Graham Thorpe, Graeme Hick and Ramprakash. The seven top-order batsman had scored just 44 runs between them.[4]

Atherton went on to explain Maynard's nickname: "No, he was not a dentist in his spare time, but he did like knocking out batsmen's teeth."[5] Maynard attributed the origins of the name to an incident when playing for Nevis against Antigua:

There was this bloke playing for Antigua called Zorah Barthley,[6] who was the West Indies youth team captain... First thing in the morning he nicks one but the umps didn't send him on his way, and that wound me up a bit. And so the next ball was four yards quicker than anything I've ever bowled. He shaped to hook, and his teeth went flying all over the place, and it was a funny old sight. But he was the man who made the Dentist really. I couldn't have done it without him.[1]

Maynard himself went on the record about his attitude:

"If you can't get them out, you gotta hurt them till they get out," he once said. "I think I've pretty much broken every part of the body so far, from the teeth to the jaw, to the nose, to the ribs, to the arms and the toes. I never worry about hurting them at the time."[1]

In 2006, Maynard returned to cricket and made a real impression in the inaugural Stanford 20/20 tournament in the West Indies. Playing for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, he took four wickets for just nine runs in his allotted four overs against rivals St Lucia. He was awarded the Man of the Match award, receiving $25,000.[1][7]

These days Maynard is a qualified coach working for Northampton CCC and Suffolk CCC.[8][9][10]

Reputation and legacy

For a cricketer who played 33 first-class matches and never played in an international,[1] Maynard achieved quite a reputation. An editor wrote in 2007: "One might even go so far as to suggest he is the most famous West Indian fast bowler never to have played a Test, although very close on many occasions to be selected due to his raw pace and aggression. Those who were not hooked on the coverage of England's tour of the Caribbean in 1993–94 will probably have no idea who he is. Others, like myself, could give chapter and verse on his marmalisation of England's middle-order during their build-up to that winter's Test series."[4]

Maynard himself was to say that he was always very close to receiving a Test call-up, but was pipped by Ottis Gibson, Vasbert Drakes and Nixon McLean.[4]

In 2007, Maynard was a guest summariser on Test Match Special.[4]

References

1. Williamson, Martin. Cricinfo player profile, Cricinfo. Retrieved on 29 January 2009.
2. Leeward Islands v Trinidad and Tobago, 20 February 1992, CricketArchive. Retrieved on 29 January 2009.
3. St Kitts and Nevis v England, 29 January 1994, CricketArchive. Retrieved on 29 January 2009.
4. Miller, Andrew, The Dentist from Nevis, 25 March 2007, Cricinfo. Retrieved on 30 January 2009.
5. Atherton, Michael (29 January 2009). "Shadow of the hangman looms over tour". The Times: 75.
6. Sic. See Zorol Barthley
7. Nevis v St Kitts, 14 July 2006, CricketArchive. Retrieved on 29 January 2009.
8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. http://succ.play-cricket.com/profile/statistics.asp?id=11450477%5B%5D
10. http://cacc.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=11415746%5B%5D

External links

• John Maynard at ESPNcricinfo
• John Maynard at CricketArchive (subscription required)