The West Indies Cricket Team, formed in 1884, made its first overseas tour two years later to Canada and the United States. The tourists played thirteen matches during August and September; they won six, lost five and two were drawn. The first match was played against the Montreal Cricket Club, 16-17 August 1886. It ended in a draw after which the West Indians moved on to Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton.They arrived in the United States to play several matches in Philadelphia where the cricket culture was well established. Local clubs proved too strong an opposition for the tourists. The press was encouraging but made it clear that the islanders were out of their depth. It was an important tour for the first West Indians cricketers. It was the first international step in an apprenticeship that lasted decades. The English decided, finally, to host the West Indians in 1900. This book speaks to the Canadian and American beginning of the West Indian cricket culture that was to emerge a century later as the most powerful performance force the game had ever seen.

About the Author
Hilary McD. Beckles is Professor of Social and Economic History, Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of the West Indies, Barbados. He has published extensively on Caribbean slavery, gender, history, and sports, including Natural Rebels: A Social History of Enslaved Black Women in Barbados and Centering Woman: Gender Discourses in Caribbean Slave History. He has served as a consulting editor for several journals, including Journal of Caribbean History, William and Mary Quarterly, and Wagadebei. His most recent publication is Caribbean Indigenous Societies and Slave Systems, co-written with Verene A Shepherd and published by Cambridge University Press. He has also co-written with her two volumes, Trading Souls and Saving Souls.


Book Information
ISBN 9789768125866
Author Hilary McD. Beckles
Format Paperback
Page Count 140
Imprint Canoe Press
Publisher Canoe Press
Weight(grams) 237g