History

The game of cricket has been played on the Rock of Gibraltar since the late eighteenth century. Initially played by British Servicemen, it was not long before some of the local inhabitants took up the game. It is recorded that by the year 1800 there was a cricket ground on the land immediately to the north of the Rock, and that by 1822 there were civilians playing the game as well as Servicemen. The Gibraltar Cricket Club was established in 1883 and it was to form the backbone of civilian cricket on the Rock until well into the twentieth century.

By the 1930's Gibraltar was producing many local-born cricketers and the game flourished. The occasional touring side came along, but this was hardly a regular feature. During the Second World War the game came to a temporary halt, and the playing fields at the North Front disappeared to make way for the construction of an airfield. After the war the Gibraltar Cricket Club was given a site adjacent to the airfield, the location of the present-day Victoria Stadium.

The 1950's saw an increase of civilian cricketers and the emergence of other non-service cricket clubs. In May 1960 the Gibraltar Cricket Association was formed, to be responsible for the running of civilian cricket on the Rock. In 1969 the Association achieved full recognition as a cricketing body when elected an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council. Visits from UK sides then became a regular feature of the cricketing calendar, and this continues to this day.

International competition

Gibraltar took part in ICC Trophy Competitions between 1982 and 2001, as well as in all the ICC European Championships from 1996 to the present day. Results against much stronger opposition were hard to come by but Gibraltar was always determined to do its best. The crop of cricketers playing at the turn of the last century were our most successful to date, winning ICC European Championship Division Two in 2000 and 2002. In 1993 an MCC side visited Gibraltar and played a series of matches. It was during this tour that Gibraltar first established links with Richard Cox, a member of the touring side, and who later became Gibraltar's National Coach.

2001 saw a second visit by an MCC side, which lost its matches against a Gibraltar XI and the President's XI. The third match played was historic since it was the first ever day/night game staged on the Rock. MCC salvaged some of their pride by winning that one! In terms of youth cricket, Gibraltar has taken part in all possible events since the formation of ICC Europe. Perhaps our best results were in 1999 when the Under 19s came top of the 'B' Group in the championships staged in Belfast, and in 2005 when the feat was repeated.