312 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
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312 lines
8.7 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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worldnews
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europe
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croatia
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5140520
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-----
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# Historic match for remote cricket outpost
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## Descendants of a hero in Nelson's navy, who established one of cricket's
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most unlikely outposts on the island of Vis, are returning to the remote
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Adriatic island to take part in an historic cricket match.
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By Alastair Jamieson 9:00PM BST 11 Apr 2009
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Two hundred years after British naval captain Sir William Hoste introduced the
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cricket to Vis, a team of his descendants are travelling to the idyllic
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Croatian island to take on the club named in his honour.
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Their remarkable journey was inspired by a 2003 report in _The Sunday
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Telegraph_ which told how the islanders were forming the club after learning
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how Sir William had encouraged locals to join his seamen in games of cricket
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to relieve boredom while his fleet was stationed there.
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"When we heard cricket was being played there regularly we knew that we had to
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go," said Dorothy Burrows, 84, whose maiden name was Hoste and who is Sir
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William's great great niece. "Now we have persuaded our family and friends to
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go and play a match there."
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Sir William regularly dropped anchor off the island during a six-year stint as
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a commander in the Adriatic in the Napoleonic Wars.
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During that time he was credited with almost bringing enemy trade in the area
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to a complete halt.
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## Related Articles
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* [Dalmatian Islands: where to eat and drink][1]
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07 Apr 2009
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* [Sailing in Croatia: 1001 Dalmatians][2]
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01 Apr 2009
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* [Islanders takes up cricket][3]
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23 Mar 2003
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He earned his place in British naval legend after defeating the French near
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Vis in 1811.
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Outgunned by a fleet with three times as many ships, he hoisted the rousing
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signal "Remember Nelson" and managed to rout the enemy.
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Earlier in the Napoleonic Wars, he had served under Nelson, who had regarded
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him highly.
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During his time in the Adriatic, Sir William explained in a letter home how
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Vis - then known as Lissa - became used to the sound of leather on willow as
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sailors sought distractions from the intense summer heat.
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"We have established a cricket club at this wretched place and when we anchor
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for a few hours it passes away the time quite wonderfully," he wrote, adding
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praise for the islanders who had taken to joining in the sport.
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His hopes that cricket would continue to be played after his ships had left
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the island came to nothing - until a resident discovered his letter in a book
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about him.
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The islander showed it to his neighbour, Oliver Roki, 37, a wine producer and
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bar owner, who was fascinated by the passion for the game which the letter
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evoked and decided with some friends to try to establish the [Sir William
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Hoste Cricket Club][4].
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Mr Roki said: "I always had a passion for cricket because my father visited
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Australia and I was born there. We had never played it but we got together and
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started the club.
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"The pitch is right next to the restaurant, which is our clubhouse. You have
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to get changed in the toilets but nobody minds. We can serve tea and cakes but
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also our local fish pie and wine, of course."
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Mrs Burrows said: "The island is beautiful but if you were stuck on a warship
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that dated from the 18th century in high temperatures then it would not have
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been much fun."
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She admitted Sir William's enthusiasm for cricket may not have been passed on
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to every member of the Hoste family.
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"We have some good cricketers in the team and some who have never played at
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all before, so we are not expecting to recreate the family victory.
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The youngest players are 27 and the oldest in his 50s and we have had to make
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up numbers on the team with some family friends but it remains a big family
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occasion."
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Among the family members in the visiting Hoste XI will be Mrs Burrows'
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grandson Michael Macey, a 27-year-old minor cannon at London's Westminster
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Abbey, David Primrose, a vicar from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, and his son
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Andrew, also 27, who will make the journey from Hong Kong where he is working
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for HSBC.
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"Everyone is looking forward to this latest part of the family story," said
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Reverend Primrose.
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Richard Holdsworth, regional development manager for Europe for the
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International Cricket Council (ICC) said: "More than half of the countries
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around the world that play cricket do so because of the influence of Britain's
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military forces down the years and Croatia is no exception. The country was
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recently promoted to the second division in Europe."
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Since the establishment of the club was reported in The Sunday Telegraph, it
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has become a popular destination for teams visiting from all over the world.
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The European Cricket Council awarded the club a £7,000 grant for equipment and
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paid for a coach from Manchester to work with the players, who include local
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fishermen.
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The club is hoping the Royal Navy's official cricket team will play a game in
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2011 to mark the bicentenary of Sir William's victory.
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Among the teams to have played on the island, which has a population of 3,600,
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is a pub side from the St Radegund inn on King Street, Cambridge.
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In addition to the cricket club, Sir William also gives his name to a small
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island in the entrance to the island's main harbour which was used as a
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military fortification, called Host Island.
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* Share: [Share][5] [ ][7] [ ][8]
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[Tweet][9]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/croatia/5140520/Historic-
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match-for-remote-cricket-outpost.html
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Telegraph
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## [Croatia][10]
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* ### [News »][11]
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* ### [UK News »][12]
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* ### [Cricket »][13]
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* ### [Cricket News »][14]
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External Links
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* ### [Vis Tourist Board][15]
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In news
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[![Soldiers of the Croatian Army 101st Brigade sing and shout slogans as they
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are greeted by residents and relatives in Susedgrad, a western suburb of the
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Croatian Capital, Zagreb 14 August. The soldiers are returning from
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particiption in Operation Storm and the recapture of the rebel Serb-occupied
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Krajina region][16] ][17]
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### [Operation Storm][17]
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[![A diver explores the remains of a 2nd century Greek trading ship lying at
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30 metres depth near Cavtat, Croatia with a cargo estimated to be worth
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5m][18] ][19]
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### [Underwater 'safe' for 5m treasure][19]
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[![Second World War bomber missing for 66 years is found][20] ][21]
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### [Second World War US bomber missing for 66 years is found in Adriatic
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Sea][21]
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[![New life for Croatia's griffon vultures ][22] ][23]
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### [A new life for Croatia's griffon vultures][23]
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[![The revolving hotel in Croatia will give each guest a view of the
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Adriatic][24] ][25]
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### [First revolving hotel][25]
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[X][5] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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[What are these?][6]
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Share:
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* [ ][5]
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* [ ][7]
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* [ ][8]
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* [Tweet][9]
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* Advertisement
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![][26]
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## [Europe news »][27]
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[France news][28]
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