Solomon Islands national cricket team

The Solomon Islands national cricket team is the team that represents the country of the Solomon Islands in international cricket matches. Cricket is a minor sport in the country, and the national team hasn't played since 1999. The game now appears to be in decline.[1]

Solomon Islands
Flag of the Solomon Islands
International Cricket Council
ICC statusnon-member
ICC regionEast Asia/Pacific
International cricket
First international1977 v  Fiji
As of 6 July 2008

History

Cricket was introduced to the Solomon Islands by missionaries in the 1870s. Initially the game was played enthusiastically throughout the islands,[1] but by the 1960s, interest outside the capital Honiara waned.[2]

The national side first played in 1977, when they played Fiji in the capital city. The match was drawn.[1] By the 1980s, the game outside the capital city was non-existent,[2] though an attempt at a revival was made in the early 1990s. This revival led to the national side being sent to the cricket tournament at the 1991 South Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea.[1]

Interest again declined after this though[1] and equipment was in short supply. A match by the national team was played against an Australian club side in 1999, and they won by six wickets.[2] They have not played since.[1] A cricket association was formed in 2000 with the aim of setting up a national league and seeking membership of the International Cricket Council.[3] However the civil war caused many of the expatriate community to leave the country, and the game again went into decline.[1]

South Pacific Games

Notes and references
  1. Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sportsbooks Publishing, 2007
  2. News from cricket around the world, ICC associates affiliates and others by Tony Munro, 13 June 1999 at Cricinfo
  3. Solomon Islands: National association formed, 29 May 2000 at Cricinfo
  4. Roy Morgan's Encyclopedia of World Cricket indicates that Papua New Guinea won gold and Fiji won silver and that the other three teams taking part were New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The same book indicates that New Caledonia have never won an international match, so they are assumed to have finished fifth with either the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu winning the bronze or finishing fourth.
  5. 2003 South Pacific Games at CricketArchive
  6. 2007 South Pacific Games at CricketEurope
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.