Elquemedo Willett Park


Elquemedo T. Willett Park, known as Grove Park until 2010, is a sporting complex in Charlestown, the capital of the Caribbean island of Nevis. The venue's primary use is as a cricket ground, and it serves as a home ground for both the Nevis and Leeward Islands cricket teams.

History

Cricket was introduced to Nevis in the late 19th century. Nevisians had represented Saint Kitts in the Hesketh Bell Shield from its establishment in 1913, and Grove Park was frequently used for matches in that competition after Nevis was admitted separately in 1949. The inaugural first-class match played on the ground came in January 1977, when the Leeward Islands team played its annual fixture against the Windward Islands. Another Leewards–Windwards game was hosted in March 1979, during the 1979–80 season, and the following season the ground hosted its first Shell Shield game, with the Combined Islands playing Guyana. First-class fixtures became more common after the Leewards and Windwards teams were admitted separately to the Shell Shield for the 1980–81 season. In the seasons where no four-day match was played at Grove Park, a fixture in the West Indian domestic one-day competition was generally played instead.
During a Busta Cup match at Grove Park in February 2001, Ryan Hinds, playing for Barbados against the Leeward Islands, took 9/68, which as of May 2015 remains a record for West Indian first-class cricket. Another notable match played at the ground was the game between the Leeward Islands and Combined Campuses and Colleges during the 2008–09 season. Both teams posted first-innings totals of over 500 runs, and each side had a player who scored a double century – Omar Phillips made 204 for CCC, and Runako Morton scored 231, a ground record, for the Leewards. That match was the second first-class game played at Grove Park during that season, the first and only time that has occurred. The most recent first-class game at the ground was played in January 2010, a neutral fixture between CCC and Barbados. The ground remains the only venue on Nevis to have hosted first-class matches.
In July 2010, Grove Park was renamed in honour of Elquemedo Willett, the first Nevisian to play for the West Indies. The renaming ceremony was a major event for the island, with several members of the island's administration participating, including the Premier of Nevis, Joseph Parry. Outside of cricket, the venue has hosted football and athletics tournaments at both national and regional levels.

Records

First-class