Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

Cricket

Pass by any cricket field in Barbados on a Saturday and you are sure to find a crowd. However, the game of cricket is not just limited to cricket fields on the island, it is also played in villages and on the streets. Maybe this early nurturing of the sport has been of great assistance in developing some of Barbados' best world-class cricketers like Sir Garfield Sobers, Malcolm Marshall, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Clyde Walcott to name a few. After all, the game of cricket became popular in the 1870 to 1900 period as a way to mould and shape the characters of young boys on the island.

Thousands of visitors come to Barbados to see the world-class cricket matches that take place at Kensington Oval which is located on the outskirts of Barbados' capital city, Bridgetown. Early cricket matches started at this venue back in 1882 but it wasn't until 1895 that the first international match was held at Kensington Oval. While 1930 saw the the playing of the first test match at the Oval. The historic Kensington Oval saw a facelift that opened it up to a wave of ultramodern architecture in time for the Cricket for World Cup 2007 Tournament.

Barbados is also host to the annual Sir Garfield Sobers Cricket Tournament which generates the interest of junior players worldwide.

The game of cricket is one of those sports that has been around since the early days of the first settlers to Barbados. Just another aspect of the Barbadian society that is very reflective of the British influence.