The flag outside Somerset Cricket Club flies at half-mast today in honour of late Cup Match star and honorary member Woodgate Simmons.

Mr Simmons passed away at his Southampton residence last Thursday at the age of 96, leaving many to mourn the death of a man described by colleagues as a “pillar for Somerset”, a “tremendous wicketkeeper” and a “gentleman”.

Before his death, Mr Simmons was the eldest living Cup Match player, having represented Somerset in the annual mid-summer Classic between 1943 and 1956.

A left-handed, early order batsman, Mr Simmons compiled 487 runs in 23 innings at an average of 24.35 with a high score of 61.

However, he is perhaps best remembered for his superb wicketkeeping that saw him claim 32 victims, including 26 catches and six stumpings. In 1956, Mr Simmons bowed out of Cup Match with a bang, holding a record six catches.

He was also Somerset’s Cup Match captain for three years and in 1954 led the club to a famous victory after St George’s were dismissed for a paltry 36 in the first innings.

Mr Simmons’s talents were not limited to these shores. While on a tour of England with Somerset in 1961, he became the first Bermudian to score a half century at Lord’s after achieving a team high 55 runs in a drawn match with Marylebone Cricket Club.

As word of his passing spread throughout the Island at the weekend, tributes began pouring in.

“I didn’t know Mr Simmons personally, but if you talked to any of the older members they always spoke highly of him and it’s always sad when we lose someone of that stature,” Alfred Maybury, the Somerset Cricket Club president, said.

“He made a major contribution to Somerset in Cup Match and had to be an inspiration because his son [Wendell Simmons] followed in his footsteps and played as well.

“It’s sad that we have lost an honorary member. But we have to remember all of the good and positive things that they have contributed to the community at large, and his reputation and the recognition he gets speak highly of the kind of person he was.”

Joe Bailey, who captained Somerset to victory at Wellington Oval in 1981, also spoke fondly of his late team-mate and coach.

“I played league cricket with him and he was also my coach,” Mr Bailey said. “He always gave everyone a chance and was willing to offer advice. He meant a lot to Bermuda cricket.

“I remember one game he played when he was wicketkeeping. The batsmen played a hook shot, missed the ball and hit him in the head with the bat. I remember seeing blood coming from his mouth but he continued on.

“He was a very nice gentleman to talk to and was always on top of local and world cricket.

“He was a pillar for Somerset as well as the whole of Bermuda when it came to cricket.” Lloyd James, the former St George’s Cup Match batsman, also paid tribute to his late rival.

“He was a tremendous wicketkeeper and one of Somerset’s serious top-order batsman who was always very calm,” Mr James said. “The first time I got out in Cup Match it said I was bowled. But I believed he kicked my wicket, so I asked him did he kick my wicket and he said, ‘No, you were bowled’.

“I never played much against him in Cup Match because I was beginning my era while he was finishing his, but he was a good player.”

At age 94, Leroy “Tubby” Richardson, a close friend of the late Mr Simmons, is now the eldest living Cup Match player.