The first mention of a game of cricket on the island, was recorded just two years after it was first settled in 1788. Lt. Philip Gidley King made an entry in his journal, of a match of some sort being played in 1790, between British soldiers of Norfolk's first penal settlement.

Norfolk Island, after being discovered by Captain James Cook in 1774, underwent three separate settlements. The first two were as British penal colonies, where hardened criminals from England and later, Australia were sent. The third and still existing, was when descendants of the "Mutiny on the Bounty" and their Tahitian wives arrived in 1856.

Although only one mention of cricket came from the First, it was during the Second settlement that mention is made of quite a few matches, and an account of the work that was undertaken to prepare the pitch, which is still being played on today.

Thanks to the diary of an officer serving on the island at the time, Ensign Best, we have the privilege of knowing we have one of the oldest, still played on cricket fields within our region.

On the 8th and 9th of October 1838 work was carried out in order to play a match scheduled for the 10th. With this work finished, the morning of the match saw much excitement. Soldiers were rushing about betting figs of tobacco on the outcome of the game. Unfortunately for Ensign Best, he and his men lost and even his excuse for losing is recorded. Best went on to mention matches played the following year until his departure back to Australia in 1839.

Due to the belief that this penal colony had become too harsh, the second settlement was abandoned in January 1856.

Later that year Norfolk's third and final settlement commenced. These new settlers knew nothing of the game of cricket, as their contact with the outside world had been very scarce owing to their isolation on the tiny island of Pitcairn - this isolation having saved their mutineer forefathers from persecution. With the mutineers now long dead and Pitcairn becoming over populated, Queen Victoria gave Norfolk Island to these people.

Two years after their arrival, the Melanesian Mission was set up on Norfolk to teach islanders from around the Pacific the ways of Christianity. Amongst the leaders of the Mission was a Bishop Patterson, who had captained the Eaton College XI during his, schooling days in England.

It was Bishop Patterson who introduced cricket to the new Norfolk Islanders. The new islanders took to this new game with much enthusiasm and it soon became one of the islands favorite pastimes.

It became a tradition that on the anniversary of their landing on Norfolk, a game of cricket be played between a Bounty descendants and Allcomers team.

During the 1920's Norfolk boasted six senior teams, there were regular contests between Norfolk and Lord Howe Island with the visiting team having to sail to the host Island.

The Second World War bought many Allied servicemen to the island and this gave the islanders more opposition to play against.

After this period cricket continued its healthy existence and four senior teams each year was the average. The absence of a junior competition from about 1974 eventually led to the demise of the sport in 1994, when no teams could be raised.

A few cricket-starved islanders decided that if we couldn't get a season up and running we could at least play the traditional match on Bounty Day, June 8. The match turned out to be our savior. Later that year a three team, senior competition commenced.

Since this competition started the development of cricket has undergone major improvements in as far as securing its continuation as a popular sport amongst all ages.

A practice facility within the school grounds, having been non-existing for 20 years, exposed cricket to a whole new generation. In 1998 our playing field the Kingston oval celebrated it's 160th birthday and in the past three seasons we have had four touring teams visit the island.

Needless to say our future holds much promise, we now have a junior competition, coaching programs and facilities, improved equipment plus the hope that we can increase our senior player base as the juniors begin to filter into the senior ranks.

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