Cricket in Iceland

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Cricket in Iceland
CountryIceland
Governing bodyKrikketsamband Íslands
National team(s)Iceland
First played20th century
Registered players35

Cricket is a fledgling sport in Iceland, with only a couple of teams playing the sport.[1] Iceland is not a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), but has ambitions to eventually join the European Cricket Council, which would make it an associate member of the ICC.

History[]

It is likely that cricket 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,[2] with the Air Force winning by 36 runs in the first game and 24 runs in the second.[3]

Efforts to grow participation in cricket by Icelanders are ongoing,[4] however, there remains strong competition from more popular and established sports, such as football, handball, swimming, skiing and athletics.

Governing body[]

Cricket in Iceland is organised by Krikketsamband Íslands (the Icelandic Cricket Association). As of 2018, they had 35 registered players.[5]

National team[]

Main article: Iceland national cricket team

A national team was formed in 2008, and competed at the 2016 Pepsi Cup tournament in Prague, finishing fifth out of six teams. They played their first (unofficial) international match, a win against Switzerland, in England during July 2018. Members of the r/Cricket forum on Reddit had raised money for the team through crowdfunding and became their official sponsors.[6][7]

Domestic competitions[]

Two cricket clubs, the Reykjavík Vikings and the Kópavogur Puffins, were set up in 2014.[8] They compete in a five-match series for the Domestic Cup, now rebranded as the Volcanic Ashes as part of the Reddit sponsorship. A six-a-side tournament called the Íslensk Premier League (ÍPL) was introduced in 2018.[9]

Grounds[]

Iceland's first purpose-built cricket ground, the most northerly in the world, opened in Hafnarfjörður in May 2019 and was officially inaugurated by Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the Prime Minister of Iceland.[10] Previously the country had no turf wicket, with matches being played on astroturf football pitches.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ "From Iceland to Azerbaijan". BBC. 2002-02-01. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  2. ^ "Global Cricket Profiles: Iceland". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. ^ Wisden's Cricketers Almanack. Wisden. 1944.
  4. ^ "On with the butter – the story of cricket in Iceland". 2016-07-27. Archived from the original on 2016-07-30. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  5. ^ "Five facts about Iceland Cricket, the body that has offered Ambati Rayudu permanent residency". The New Indian Express. Chennai. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  6. ^ Bell, Chris (27 April 2018). "BBC Trending: Cricket fans stump up cash for Iceland team". BBC News. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  7. ^ Middleton, Dave. "Fans chip in to grow Iceland 'krikket'". cricket.com.au. Cricket Australia. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  8. ^ Chandar, Anisha (2 June 2017). "Batting Up A Storm: Iceland's Cricket Scene". The Reykjavik Grapevine. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  9. ^ Prasad, Vishnu (20 May 2018). "Ice, fire... cricket". The New Indian Express. Chennai. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  10. ^ Ćirić, Jelena (16 May 2019). "World's Northernmost Cricket Ground to Open in Iceland". Iceland Review. Reykjavík. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  11. ^ Banerjee, Sandipan (27 July 2018). "Krikket — Iceland's 'game of thorns'". The Hindu. Chennai. Retrieved 31 July 2019.

External links[]

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