He was good enough to score centuries and double centuries at home and abroad and once reached a treble century, his 324 v. British Guiana at the Queen's Park Oval, 1947, remaining a record for inter-territorial cricket. A right handed opening batsman and wrist spin bowler he was elegant in everything he did and during his first tour of Great Britain as an eighteen year old was hailed as the "Palairet of the lovely isles". Beginning his career at age 17, he scored a century on debut - 118 Rolph Grant's XI v. British Guiana at Bourda. The following year he made his bow to Test cricket at age 18 years 74 days and thereafter, until he left the international scene after Australia visit in 1955 he was and automatic choice as opening batsman and was captain from 1953 until his retirement, when he had accumulated 2159 Test runs (av. 42.33).

During the period of inter-colonial (goodwill) cricket, he was a prolific scorer. Starting with 84 & 92 in 1941, he got 106 & 43* in 1942, 107 & 77* in 1943, 210 in 1944, 40 & 31*, 45 & 27 in 1945 all against Barbados and 88 in 1944 v. British Guiana. Only in one series could he be considered a failure ñ 1942 in Barbados where he got 0 & 36, 43 & 9. After missing the 1946 series v. Barbados due to muscle trouble, he led the Trinidad team to Jamaica later that year and hit 74 in the middle of the three matches, giving his team a start of 130 in partnership with Andy Ganteaume. In 1948 when Test cricket was resumed for the West Indies, he scored 78 in the First Test but was forced to miss the Second for which he was appointed captain. Selected for the India and Ceylon he formed one of Test cricket's more productive opening partnerships with Allan Rae and in the Fourth Test at Madras scored 160, while the pair made 239 for the first wicket, a West Indies record that stood for 34 years. That was the first of three successive tours in which these openers were involved.

During the Trials in 1950 Trinidad hosted the tournament v. Jamaica and his 261 was the pivot for two national records ñ 286 with Andy Ganteaume for the first wicket and 295 with Kenny Trestrail for the second. In England, he batted consistently while only recording one century, but his 198 v. Sussex at Hove helped Rae to give the team a 355 run start, a record by a West Indies team for any wicket. He totalled 1334 runs (av. 37.05) to follow the 916 (av. 30.53) he got on the war-shortened tour eleven years earlier. In the Tests he scored 43 & 78 at Old Trafford, 20 & 30 at Lord's, 46 & 52* at Trent Bridge and 36 at the Oval, the best opening partnership being 103* in the Third Test. The following year he scored 33 & 35, 208 & 82 in Barbados and left for a winter's visit of Australia and New Zealand. He improved as the series progressed and hit 104 in the Fifth Test at Sydney in which he was captain. His other big score on the island continent was 94 v. Victoria at Melbourne in an opening partnership of 161. In New Zealand he made 152 at Auckland in the second of two Tests to put on 197 with Rae for the first wicket.

He then captained the West Indies in successive home series v. India, England and Australia from 1953- 1955 and an injury during the last-named in which he missed 3 games, hastened his retirement. His best of those three series was the first in which he totalled 354 runs (av. 59.00), including his last first class century - 104* at the Queen's Park Oval - where he added an unfinished 128 for the third wicket with Everton Weekes. He retired from first class cricket in 1956 with a total of 7942 runs (av. 44.61) and 14 centuries. Apart from his double centuries already mentioned his best score abroad was 244* v. South Zone at Madras. In the Caribbean he was one of the stalwarts of inter-colonial cricket, scoring 2787 runs (av. 61.93) with 7 centuries and 10 fifties from 51 innings, which meant at least 50 runs every third visit to the crease. In Beaumont Cup games (North vs. South) his 4 centuries are most by anyone and he is the only player to have scored centuries in both North and South venues, his highest 179* at the Queen's Park Oval in 1941 making him the senior partner in an unfinished 293 for the second wicket with Dave Merry, remaining a record for any wicket.

A talented footballer who gained national honours at right wing and toured Jamaica in 1947, he preferred to remain in cricket administration and was President of the West Indies Board for more than one term, resigning in 1982. He was also a quarter miler in athletics and served as an independent senator. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of several leading firms.

Jeff Stollmeyer died in a Florida hospital on September 10, 1989, aged 68, as a result of being shot five times and beaten about the head by intruders to his Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, home. His wife and son also were injured in the attack.
(T&T Sports Hall of Fame bio)