West Indian Club facts for kids
The West Indian Club was a special social club for men in London, England. It started in 1898. People joined this club if they were interested in the British West Indies and British Guiana. These were places in the Caribbean and South America that had strong ties to Britain.
The club was a place where members could meet and share their interests. One of its main goals was to help organize cricket games every year. These games would be between teams connected to the West Indies and British Guiana. They also wanted to arrange other fun activities, like those enjoyed at English universities and schools. To make this happen, the club created a special group called the Sports Committee.
Starting a Cricket Team
The Sports Committee was very important for cricket. Lord Hawke was the leader of this committee. In June 1899, he sent a letter to all the cricket clubs in the West Indies. He had an exciting idea: he wanted to form a cricket team made up of players from these clubs.
The First West Indies Tour
Lord Hawke imagined a team of 14 players. They would come to England for three months. During their visit, they would play against famous teams. These included the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the best county cricket clubs in England.
He thought this trip would cost about £2,500. This amount covered travel and payments for the professional players. Lord Hawke believed the West Indian Club could raise this money. He asked the clubs to reply by November 1899. This was important because the MCC planned its match schedule for the next year around that time.
His plan worked! This led to the first ever tour by a West Indies cricket team in 1900. The team ended up having 15 players. Ten of these players were white, and five were non-white.
