news worldnews europe croatia 5140520 ----- # Historic match for remote cricket outpost ## Descendants of a hero in Nelson's navy, who established one of cricket's most unlikely outposts on the island of Vis, are returning to the remote Adriatic island to take part in an historic cricket match. By Alastair Jamieson 9:00PM BST 11 Apr 2009 Two hundred years after British naval captain Sir William Hoste introduced the cricket to Vis, a team of his descendants are travelling to the idyllic Croatian island to take on the club named in his honour. Their remarkable journey was inspired by a 2003 report in _The Sunday Telegraph_ which told how the islanders were forming the club after learning how Sir William had encouraged locals to join his seamen in games of cricket to relieve boredom while his fleet was stationed there. "When we heard cricket was being played there regularly we knew that we had to go," said Dorothy Burrows, 84, whose maiden name was Hoste and who is Sir William's great great niece. "Now we have persuaded our family and friends to go and play a match there." Sir William regularly dropped anchor off the island during a six-year stint as a commander in the Adriatic in the Napoleonic Wars. During that time he was credited with almost bringing enemy trade in the area to a complete halt. ## Related Articles * [Dalmatian Islands: where to eat and drink][1] 07 Apr 2009 * [Sailing in Croatia: 1001 Dalmatians][2] 01 Apr 2009 * [Islanders takes up cricket][3] 23 Mar 2003 He earned his place in British naval legend after defeating the French near Vis in 1811. Outgunned by a fleet with three times as many ships, he hoisted the rousing signal "Remember Nelson" and managed to rout the enemy. Earlier in the Napoleonic Wars, he had served under Nelson, who had regarded him highly. During his time in the Adriatic, Sir William explained in a letter home how Vis - then known as Lissa - became used to the sound of leather on willow as sailors sought distractions from the intense summer heat. "We have established a cricket club at this wretched place and when we anchor for a few hours it passes away the time quite wonderfully," he wrote, adding praise for the islanders who had taken to joining in the sport. His hopes that cricket would continue to be played after his ships had left the island came to nothing - until a resident discovered his letter in a book about him. The islander showed it to his neighbour, Oliver Roki, 37, a wine producer and bar owner, who was fascinated by the passion for the game which the letter evoked and decided with some friends to try to establish the [Sir William Hoste Cricket Club][4]. Mr Roki said: "I always had a passion for cricket because my father visited Australia and I was born there. We had never played it but we got together and started the club. "The pitch is right next to the restaurant, which is our clubhouse. You have to get changed in the toilets but nobody minds. We can serve tea and cakes but also our local fish pie and wine, of course." Mrs Burrows said: "The island is beautiful but if you were stuck on a warship that dated from the 18th century in high temperatures then it would not have been much fun." She admitted Sir William's enthusiasm for cricket may not have been passed on to every member of the Hoste family. "We have some good cricketers in the team and some who have never played at all before, so we are not expecting to recreate the family victory. The youngest players are 27 and the oldest in his 50s and we have had to make up numbers on the team with some family friends but it remains a big family occasion." Among the family members in the visiting Hoste XI will be Mrs Burrows' grandson Michael Macey, a 27-year-old minor cannon at London's Westminster Abbey, David Primrose, a vicar from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, and his son Andrew, also 27, who will make the journey from Hong Kong where he is working for HSBC. "Everyone is looking forward to this latest part of the family story," said Reverend Primrose. Richard Holdsworth, regional development manager for Europe for the International Cricket Council (ICC) said: "More than half of the countries around the world that play cricket do so because of the influence of Britain's military forces down the years and Croatia is no exception. The country was recently promoted to the second division in Europe." Since the establishment of the club was reported in The Sunday Telegraph, it has become a popular destination for teams visiting from all over the world. The European Cricket Council awarded the club a £7,000 grant for equipment and paid for a coach from Manchester to work with the players, who include local fishermen. The club is hoping the Royal Navy's official cricket team will play a game in 2011 to mark the bicentenary of Sir William's victory. Among the teams to have played on the island, which has a population of 3,600, is a pub side from the St Radegund inn on King Street, Cambridge. In addition to the cricket club, Sir William also gives his name to a small island in the entrance to the island's main harbour which was used as a military fortification, called Host Island. [X][5] Share & bookmark Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! 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