In 1893 however owing to a death of players these clubs merged to become the Gymnastikos club, one of the eldest clubs in Greece, the sole opponents being frequent visiting ships of the Royal Navy. In 1923 the Ergatikos club was formed and in 1936 it opened its doors to members of the aristocracy and became known as the Byron C.C. in honour of the famous poet. High peaks in the period before the First World War were the 1904 season with the commander in chief of the Mediterranean fleet with 30 – 40 ships attending the cricket festival and the 1932 season when the Prince of Wales on the battleship Queen Elizabeth and a total of 45 ships were present. |
After the 2nd World War cricket has survived due to the excellent publicity made by the British media (BBC, Daily Telegraph etc) with player’s interviews and parts of cricket matches. So many British clubs considered making a visit in Corfu. The British Airways also contributed at the perpetuation of cricket and clubs such as the Eton Ramblers, the Cricketer XI, the old Wellingtonians, the Lord Taverners (immortalized on film) the cricket Society toured frequently Corfu. In 1966 inaugurated the airline from London to Corfu and British Airways accommodated in London at its own expense the Greek national team for a week, which was the one that traveled abroad for the first time. After that trip Greek teams started visiting England to play cricket matches. From 1987 even single clubs organize frequently tours in England. The Times of 14th December 1859 reported that: “Corfu has this year been visited by an extraordinary number of fashionable tourists – politician, artistic and sporting. The later are the most numerous.” Still true 140 years later. In 1976 a third club was formed: Feax C.C. and in 1980 a fourth one resurrecting the name Ergatikos.
The seventies was the period when the structure of cricket in Corfu was changed as it was enrolled in the Greek Federation for Amateur Sport (SEGAS) and under 18s and under 14s sides were made in every club encouraging the perpetuation of the game among youth. Papigis and Stefanidis were the two men who helped cricket to enroll in SEGAS.
Whilst the history has been somewhat chequered, cricket is now a very popular game on the island. A new ground at Kontokali Marina has been added to complement the original ground, the Esplanade at Corfu Town, which has been reduced in size to accommodate a car park. Cricket is still played here but is generally reserved for Colts matches. Over 100 games are played each year, not only against touring sides but also between the various sides on the island such as Gymnastikos, Ergatikos, Byron and Feax.
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