The Inter-Colonial Tournament was the main first class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

competition in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

held between 1892-93 and 1938-39.

Competing teams

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

British Guiana * Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (1889–1958)

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

In the early tournaments British Guiana were sometimes referred to as

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state f ...

. For simplicity British Guiana is used in the article. The tournament was restricted to Amateurs. This excluded many of the leading black cricketers who were often Professionals.

Origins

A tournament between Barbados, British Guiana and Trinidad took place in 1891. Each team played the other, and then there was a final between the leading two teams. During this tournament a suggestion was made by Hon.

Aucher Warner Robert Stewart Aucher Warner (9 May 1859 – 1 December 1944) was Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago and a West Indian cricketer. He was known as Aucher Warner. He was born the son of Charles William Warner, the Attorney-General of Trinid ...

that there should be a regular series of matches between the three colonies to be played alternately at each colony. By the time of the next tournament in 1893, a cup had been subscribed for but British Guiana were unable to take part, Barbados being winners again. This 1893 match is regarded as the first proper tournament. Barbados as winners of the 1893 tournament were automatic finalists for the 1895 tournament, the other two teams playing to decide who would play them. The same procedure was used in the subsequent tournaments. Due to travel costs and logistics of travelling to the other colonies, Jamaica never took part in the Inter-Colonial Tournament.

Results

British Guiana did not take part in 1893–94. The 13th series was unfinished, the final between Trinidad and Barbados being left drawn with the Barbados team needing to catch the boat home. Initially the tournament was held every two years but after the 8th series it became an annual event although a number of years were missed for various reasons.

Summary

Of the 27 official series Trinidad won 11, Barbados won 10 and British Guiana won 5 with one unfinished. Trinidad competed in 24 of the 27 finals, Barbados 19 and British Guiana 11. In matches between Trinidad and Barbados, Trinidad won 11 and Barbados won 9 with 1 drawn. In matches between Trinidad and British Guiana, Trinidad won 13 and British Guiana won 6. In matches between Barbados and British Guiana, Barbados won 8 and British Guiana won 5.

References

Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) was founded in England in 1973 for the purpose of researching and collating information about the history and statistics of cricket. Originally called the Association of Cricket Stati ...

– A Guide to First Class Cricket Played in the West Indies *

– Complete First-class Match List, Volume 1 1801–1914 *

– Complete First-class Match List, Volume 2 1914/15-1944/45 *

– First Class Cricket Matches (various years) * First-Class Cricket: A Complete Record (various years) * Statistics of West Indies Cricket 1865–1989, Jimmy Richards & Mervyn Wong
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