Sheffield Cricket Lovers' Society Year Book 2016

32 twitter: @scloverssociety Sheffield Cricket Lovers’ Society The South Atlantic Ashes When one thinks of the Falkland Islands one would be forgiven if Cricket does not immediately spring to mind. For most people the iconic images of Royal Marines ‘yomping’ across rough terrain, and freeing jubilant islanders at Goose Green will be at the forefront of our minds. But there is indeed cricket played in the Falkland Islands on arguably the most southerly cricket ground on planet Earth. I was stationed at RAF Mount Pleasant in 2010-11 with my family and it was worth bringing my cricket kit because I was fortunate enough to play for the Commander British Forces (CBF) team against the Governor’s XI in ‘The South Atlantic Ashes’. I must admit that I had never heard of this series before so was intrigued and excited at the prospect of playing cricket somewhere new. Before I talk briefly about my small part in the 2011 tournament it may be useful to understand a little about the history of cricket in the Falkland Islands, and the fun of playing in what, even on a fair weather day, can be a challenging experience. Cricket has a chequered history in the Islands. There is anecdotal evidence that cricket was first played in the Falkland Islands capital, Stanley, as far back as the 1920s. Matches against visiting British ships and occasional matches against the Yorkshire Regiment, the resident military garrison, were played during the Second World War. And although there were games played and recorded by Stanley Cricket Club during the 1960s and 1970s, cricket albeit disappeared until 1989 when a series was played between the Governor’s XI and the Commander British Forces XI. This series, which evolved from a single match into a three-match series, became known as ‘The South Atlantic Ashes’. Originally played in Stanley on the playing field, the site of the match was moved to the ground at RAF Mount Pleasant when the old site became part of the grounds for a new school built in the early 1990s. The governing body for cricket in the Falkland Islands is the Falkland Islands Cricket Association (FICA) which, in 2004 was admitted to the ICC where by IAN PARTRIDGE South Atlantic Ashes Trophy The teams on the field