Cricket in Vanuatu

Last updated

Cricket in Vanuatu is an established and growing sport. Vanuatu's playing season runs from April to October, during the Vanuatu winter to avoid the heat and humidity of the tropical summer. There are 10 cricket clubs in Vanuatu. [1]

Contents

History

The first reference of cricket being played in Vanuatu is 1905 through English settlers in what was then the New Hebrides, which Vanuatu was a part of. It became organised sometime after which matches involving the settlers and the native New Hebrideans from villages and the capital Port Vila were held for many decades prior to independence. [1] During those decades the matches were played at a single ground. In the 1970s two grounds were built at a plantation half-way around the island of Efate and another at a country club 20 kilometres from Port Vila.

In 1995, Vanuatu were admitted to the International Cricket Council as an Affiliate member. Since then the game has grown in popularity, particularly among Ni-Vanuatuan's. Vanuatu's debut in international cricket came in the Pacific Championships against Tonga in 2001. Vanuatu hosted the 2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup, in which they came third. They have since played in every other EAP Cricket Cup, except the 2008 competition which they did not enter. In 2008, Vanuatu made their debut in World Cricket League Division Five, emerging winless and relegated from the World Cricket League structure. In 2009 they became an Associate member of the International Cricket Council. Their next appearance in the World Cricket League came in the 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division Eight. Their third-place finish in this competition kept them in the same competition for 2012.

In April and May 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Vanuatu was largely unaffected by the virus, and the country became the first to resume playing cricket. [2] [3]

Governing body

Vanuatu Cricket Association is the official governing body of cricket in Vanuatu. Its current headquarters is in Port Vila. Vanuatu Cricket Association is Vanuatu representative at the International Cricket Council.

Domestic competitions

The BDO Club Championship is the Vanuatu's premier round-robin competition with as many as 10 sides competing each season. The competition is based in Port Vila. Running alongside this competition is an annual Twenty20 knockout competition called the Independence Cup. The final of this competition is held July 30, the date that Vanuatu gained independence from Great Britain and France.

Grounds

Along with the 2 grounds built in the 1970s, in the past 5 years 4 further grounds have been constructed to deal with an increased interest in the game in Vanuatu. [1]

National team

The Vanuatu national cricket team represents the country in international cricket matches. The national team, formed in 2001, [1] play in the ICC EAP Cricket Cup and in the World Cricket League, in which it competes in Division Eight. The women's national team debuted in 2011.

See also

Related Research Articles

The 2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup was held in Vanuatu between 23–29 September 2005 as part of the qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Six teams from the East Asia-Pacific Region competed in a round-robin stage, followed by ranking finals. Japan defeated the Cook Islands in a close final held at Club Hippique in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Both finalists qualified for the 2006 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy; the other four teams had their World Cup hopes dashed six years before the final competition.

Philippines national cricket team

The Philippine National Cricket Team is the team representing the Philippines in international cricket. It is organized by the Philippine Cricket Association (PCA) which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2003 The PCA became an associate member since 2017.

Vanuatu national cricket team

The Vanuatu national cricket team is the team that represents the Republic of Vanuatu in international cricket. The team is organised by the Vanuatu Cricket Association, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1995 and was promoted to associate status in 2009. Vanuatu made its international debut at the 1979 Pacific Games, at which time the country was still known as the New Hebrides. The majority of the team's matches have come against other members of the ICC East Asia-Pacific region, including both at ICC regional tournaments and at the cricket events at the Pacific Games.

Papua New Guinea womens national cricket team

The Papua New Guinea women's national cricket team represents the country of Papua New Guinea in international women's cricket. The team is organised by Cricket PNG, an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup EAP Qualifier is a regular cricket competition organised by ICC East Asia-Pacific (EAP) for the under-19 teams of its representative nations. The tournament acts as a qualifier for the Under-19 World Cup.

Tony Ura is a Papua New Guinean cricketer. Ura is a right-handed opening batsman.

Vanuatu womens national cricket team

The Vanuatu women's national cricket team represents the Republic of Vanuatu in international women's cricket. It is organised by the game's governing body in the country, the Vanuatu Cricket Association (VCA), which is an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Andrew Mansale is a Vanuatuan cricketer and the former captain of the Vanuatu national cricket team.

Jelany Chilia is a Vanuatuan cricketer. He played in the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament.

Patrick Matautaava is a Vanuatuan cricketer. He played in the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament.

Jonathon Dunn is a Vanuatuan cricketer.

Nalin Nipiko is a Vanuatuan cricketer who is the current captain of the Vanuatu national cricket team. He played in the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament.

Joshua Rasu is a Vanuatuan cricketer. He played in the 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament. In March 2018, he was named in Vanuatu's squad for the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Malaysia.

Ronald Tari is a Vanuatuan cricketer. He played in the 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Six tournament.

Callum Blake is a Ni-Vanuatu cricketer. Blake was born and raised in Vanuatu. He moved to Brisbane, Australia, to attend secondary school at Anglican Church Grammar School. Blake made his international debut for Vanuatu at the 2014 ICC East Asia-Pacific Men's Championship.

Clement Tommy is a Vanuatuan cricketer. He played in the 2016 ICC World Cricket League Division Five tournament. In August 2018, he was named in Vanuatu's squad for Group A of the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament. In March 2019, he was named in the Vanuatuan squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Vanuatu against the Philippines on 24 March 2019.

Williamsing Nalisa is a Vanuatuan cricketer. In April 2018, he was named in Vanuatu's squad for the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Malaysia. He played in Vanuatu's opening match of the tournament, against Jersey.

Wesley Viraliliu is a Vanuatuan cricketer. He played in the 2017 ICC World Cricket League Division Five tournament.

Jamal Vira is a Vanuatuan cricketer. He played in the 2016 ICC World Cricket League Division Five tournament.

Zechariah Shem is a Vanuatuan cricketer who plays for the Vanuatu cricket team. In March 2019, he was named in the Vanuatuan squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Vanuatu against the Philippines on 24 March 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "International Cricket Council: Vanuatu". Archived from the original on 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  2. ↑ "Live cricket resumes this weekend in Vanuatu". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "Bowled over: Cricket on a South Pacific archipelago being watched around the world". The National. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.