First West Indies Cricket Tour: Canada and the United States in 1866

It is not generally known that 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 to 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 a number of 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 West Indies cricketers. It was the first international step in an apprenticeship that lasted decades. The English, decided, finally, to host the West Indies in 1900. This book speaks to the Canadian and American beginning of the West Indies cricket culture that was to emerge a century later as the most powerful performance force the game had never seen.