Cuban cricket team
Encyclopedia
The origins of the Cuban cricket team began in the 1920s when an influx of sugar workers from Jamaica
and Barbados
brought cricket
to the plantations on the east of Cuba. Their teams played in leagues and cup competitions in Santiago de Cuba
, Guantánamo
and Baraguá.
Cuba's first international match in 1952, against a Jamaican team, included Jamaica's current Governor-General, Howard Cooke
.
By the late 1990s cricket had spread to Havana
, where there are more than 500 players. More than 2,000 juniors and adults play cricket today, with it being taught in some schools. More than 20 teams recently took part in a national under-15 tournament.
Today there is pressure to expand cricket in Cuba with the government stating that it wants to be more closely aligned with other Caribbean
countries. In 2002 Cuba became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council
.
The president of the Cuban Cricket Commission
is Leona Ford. After hearing of a speech she had given, Cooke persuaded Courtney Walsh
to become involved and raise equipment for Cuban teams. Donations have also come from South Africa
, India
, Sri Lanka
, Guyana
, Canada
, India
and Britain. Former Indian One-day all rounder Robin Singh
travelled to Cuba in 2007 forming a coaching team to train young players. http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Robin_Singh_to_coach_in_Cuba/articleshow/1570055.cms
External links=
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
brought cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
to the plantations on the east of Cuba. Their teams played in leagues and cup competitions in Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, Guantánamo
Guantánamo
Guantánamo is a municipality and city in southeast Cuba and capital of Guantánamo Province.Guantánamo is served by the Caimanera port and the site of a famous U.S. Naval base. The area produces sugarcane and cotton wool...
and Baraguá.
Cuba's first international match in 1952, against a Jamaican team, included Jamaica's current Governor-General, Howard Cooke
Howard Cooke
Sir Howard Felix Hanlan Cooke, ON, GCMG, GCVO, CD, K.St.J was the Governor-General of Jamaica from August 1, 1991 until February 15, 2006 when he became the first governor-general to invest his own successor, Professor Kenneth Octavius Hall...
.
By the late 1990s cricket had spread to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, where there are more than 500 players. More than 2,000 juniors and adults play cricket today, with it being taught in some schools. More than 20 teams recently took part in a national under-15 tournament.
Today there is pressure to expand cricket in Cuba with the government stating that it wants to be more closely aligned with other Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
countries. In 2002 Cuba became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
.
The president of the Cuban Cricket Commission
Cuban Cricket Commission
Cuban Cricket Commission is the official governing body of the sport of cricket in Cuba. Its current headquarters is in Havana, Cuba. Cuba Cricket Commission is Cuba's representative at the International Cricket Council and is an affiliate member and has been a member of that body since 2002. It is...
is Leona Ford. After hearing of a speech she had given, Cooke persuaded Courtney Walsh
Courtney Walsh
Courtney Andrew Walsh is a former international cricketer who represented the West Indies from 1984 to 2001, captaining the West Indies in 22 Test matches...
to become involved and raise equipment for Cuban teams. Donations have also come from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Britain. Former Indian One-day all rounder Robin Singh
Robin Singh
Robin Singh , full name Rabindra Ramanarayan Singh is a former all-rounder who played for India. He is currently the coach of Mumbai Indians...
travelled to Cuba in 2007 forming a coaching team to train young players. http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Robin_Singh_to_coach_in_Cuba/articleshow/1570055.cms
External links=