Cricket in Iceland
| Cricket in Iceland | |
|---|---|
| Country | Iceland |
| National team | Iceland |
| First played | 20th century |
Cricket in Iceland is still a fledgling sport, with only a handful of incorporated clubs playing the sport.[1] Iceland is not a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), but has applied to join the European Cricket Council, which would make it an affiliate member of the ICC.
Origin of the game
Some cricket writers have speculated that the game of cricket has its origins in sports devised in Iceland during the Middle Ages,[2] although this theory does not seem to have gained wide acceptance. It is far more likely that the game was introduced to the country in the 20th century by immigrants and expatriates from cricket-playing nations such as England, Australia, and India. The 1944 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack records two wartime games played between the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, with the Air Force winning by 36 runs in the first game and 24 runs in the second.[3]
Modern Times
Cricket is now played on a friendly, informal basis in Iceland, largely by the nation's expatriate population. There are two club sides - Reykjavík Puffins and Kópavogur Vikings - who together form the squad for the de facto Iceland Cricket Team: http://cricketiceland.org/. Efforts to grow participation in cricket by Icelanders are ongoing, however, there remains strong competition from more popular and established sports, such as football, handball, swimming, skiing and athletics.
Captained by native Icelander Jakob Robertson, in 2015 the Iceland Cricket Team hosted four touring sides: Columbia Cricket Club of New York, Galah Cricket Club of South Australia, Carmel Cricket Club of Wales, and Dollar Cricket Club of Scotland. The team competed for the inaugural Liberty and Leifur Cup against Columbia Cricket Club, losing a three-match competition 2-0 (one match was tied). Versus Galah Cricket Club, the side succumbed to a narrow 2-1 series loss, however, the team secured a comfortable 2-0 series win against Carmel Cricket Club. An end-of-season one-off T20 match against Dollar Cricket Club was lost on the last ball. Highlights from the 2015 season included centuries for Muhammad Younas (114) against Carmel Cricket Club and David Cook (118) versus Galah Cricket Club. Muhammad Younas was named Player of the Season at the club's annual award's night, held at the Radisson 1919 Hotel in Reykjavík during November.
Iceland Cricket Team are currently managed by an enthusiastic committee of club members, comprising Lee Nelson (President), Abhishek Chauhan (Fixtures and Events Organizer), Jakob Robertson (Captain), David Cook (Secretary and Statistician), and Nolan Williams (Coach). The team train bi-weekly in Sportshúsið, Kópavogur, and play their outdoor and indoor fixtures at Kórinn in Reykjavík.
In 2016, Iceland Cricket Team has ambitions to compete in one overseas competition, as well as to continue to host touring sides in the summer (May to September), and grow the club's squad size from 20 to 35 members.
2015 Iceland Team
Batsmen: Jakob Wayne Robertson, Jason Capps, Dries Roux, Dennis Gamblen and Anil Thapa.
Bowlers: Nolan Williams, Nick Abbott, David Cook, Lakmal Bandara, Alasdair Barbour, Junaid Raja, Fida Wur and Ihtisham Ul Haq.
All-Rounders: Abhishek Chauhan, Dushan Bandara, Sulaiman Malik, Muhammad Younas, Javed Hussain, Mahindra Dissanayaka and Deryck Deonarain
Wicket-Keepers: Lee Nelson and Keena Botha
2015 Tournaments
Columbia Cricket Club(New York) Columbia won 2-0 in a three match tournament. Man of the Series: Ashwin Venkat( Columbia) and Abhishek Chauhan( Iceland)
Galah Cricket Club(Australia) Galah won 2-1 in a three match tournament. Man of the Series: David Cook(Iceland)
Carmel Cricket Club(Wales) Iceland won 2-0 in a two match tournament. Man of the Series: Muhammad Younas
Dollar Cricket Club (Scotland) Dollar won 1-0 against Iceland Cricket team.
