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Club History

The Beginning

In 1982 British habitués of The Salty Dog, a well known watering hole on Siesta Key, challenged some American friends to back-to-back games of baseball and cricket. The results are long forgotten but it led in 1983 to the founding of the Sarasota International Cricket Club.

Early days

For 10 years the club played at a ground on Wilkinson Road graciously provided by The Fraternal Order of Eagles. The ground had a character all its own. A huge live oak provided a club house capable of sheltering 60 people from sun and rain. A slow grass wicket that humbled even the quickest bowlers. And a 40-yard mid-wicket boundary defended by a neighbor’s fence and two pit bulls that boosted both the run rate and the budget for balls.

The fixture list expanded as the club became known in the broader cricketing fraternity. Visits from English and Caribbean teams were added to those from Florida. A high point, and one of the last matches played at Wilkinson Road, was against a Lords Tavernier's side, captained by the late Sir Leslie Crowther, that included Mike Denness, John Snow, John Emburey, Graham Roope, Farouk Engineer and Roy Virgin.

League Play

Between 1985 and 1987 SICC played in the Central Florida Cricket League. But the long journeys and sometimes unpunctual opposition led members to abandon the league  in favor of friendly games which could be played mainly at home.

Move to Lakewood Ranch

In 1993 Lakewood Ranch offered SICC the use of a laser-leveled, full-size ground on University Parkway opposite the Sarasota Polo Club. The move was proceeded by raffles and fund-raising dinners to finance a club house an a low-maintenance cement wicket covered with carpet. The members gave generously in money, time and skills. Special mention is due  Yvonne Malone, Dennis Fox and Ken Fraser for donations when funds were desperately needed. The club house is still going strong and so are most of the members and friends who built it.

Permanent Home

With the ground scheduled for development, Lakewood Ranch provided a new field about one mile further east on University Parkway and the opportunity to make this the club’s permanent home. The last game was played on the old field in May 2002. The club house was moved to the new location in June and work progressed through the summer on roto-tilling and reseeding what had been cattle pasture with drought tolerant Bermuda hybrid grass.  New  ICC-approved Nott's Sport artificial turf match and practice wickets from the UK were installed in late September and the first match was played in October. In September 2003 new drainage and further leveling of the field was completed.

Richie Benaud

The club was honored in 1994 when Richie Benaud, cricketing legend and frequent visitor to Sarasota, agreed to become its Patron. Richie opened the club house in April 1994 and continues to spread the word about cricket in this part of the world and what has become known as SICC’s idyllic ground on University Parkway.