Kingston Sports Travel
Tips on Kingston sports and recreation, posted by real travelers and Kingston locals.
Local Time 7:05 pm Thursday, December 4, 2008
Kingston Map
Kingston Map
on April 5, 2008
Sabina Park was established in 1930, and the first test match was played here the same year. Sabina Park's most famous moment is when Garfield Sobers made a record breaking score of 365 not out in 1958, at the time the highest ever individual test score – a record that stood unbeaten for 36 years.
The stadium has recently undergone major renovations for the 2007ICC Cricket World Cup, including expansion of its capacity to 30,000 seats. The opening match of the World Cup between the West Indies and Pakistan was played here.
Jamaicans are enthusiastic cricket fans as are all West Indians, and I imagine the atmosphere here during a match is fantastic. In fact, one stand is known as the “Party Stand” and is the main area for those who enjoy a more raucous style of support for their team.
I’m not sure what I make of one story I read, about the members’ pavilion, which appears to be a throw-back to less politically correct times. Apparently no member is allowed to say a lady's name in the club, and if anyone slips up on this rule he must buy drinks for everyone there. This has its roots in a dispute, when a man mentioned the a name of a woman with whom he was having a liaison. Unfortunately for him, her husband was right behind him as he said it.
