There is always a hive of activity in the Kensington Oval even when matches are not played, whether it is work happening on the pitch, cutting grass, watering, building, sales in the shop, office administration, or visitors milling around.
The biggest attraction for tourists is often photographs with statues of iconic superstars of yesteryears—Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Wesley Hall, and the latest edition, Sir Charles Griffith. The Kensington Oval shop is packed with memorabilia, T-shirts, and West Indies shirts—a must for mementos and absent friends.
Kensington Oval is steeped in history and dates back to 1871. It’s located close to the home of the great Sir Everton Weekes. The ground was formerly occupied by Pickwick Cricket Club, which then moved to Four Square in St. Philip after the ground was restructured, renovated, and replenished for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The first Test match was a drawn game against England, but the ground has been used for a variety of other events, including hockey, football, athletics, and entertainment.
In 2011, megastar Rihanna filled the famous venue with over 20,000 in attendance for a fabulous concert. It was said the Barbados Government paid US$45 million to make the changes, and there is no doubt the Kensington Oval is the Lord’s of the Caribbean.
The biggest event in 2024 was the T20 World Cup in June. Twenty countries vied for the US$11.5 million prize, and the venues were shared with the Caribbean and the USA. The final was staged at the Oval on June 29, although Barbados hosted eight preliminary matches, including the Super Eight quarterfinals. It was a huge success and started with several exciting opening games, including Australia against England.
However, the Aussies never reached the semi-final as there were several upsets, including the success of Afghanistan and the USA, and the elimination of Pakistan and New Zealand, two of the pre-tournament favourites. England fans turned up in numbers as their ‘Barmy Army’ loves Barbados, but they lost to South Africa, and India skittled Afghanistan in the other semi-final. The final was a sell-out, and fortunately, the weather was kind as India captured the major prize in a frenetic finale by the narrow margin of seven runs. The popular Virat Kohli was Man-of-the-Match with 76 off 59 balls.
After the thrills and spills in July, the Caribbean Premier League—Cricket played LOUDER—took central stage in September and October. CPL is always a big favourite with the fans, and it didn’t disappoint. Six countries compete, but with a difference, as each country has a franchise, bringing players from overseas and different islands together. Barbados Royals included South African superstars Quinton de Kock and David Miller, Rahkeem Cornwall from Antigua, Rovman Powell from Jamaica, and Barbados all-rounder Jason Holder.
Barbados Royals had four matches at Kensington Oval and appeared to be coasting to the final stages with five wins but lost four matches. However, they secured fourth place, and in the elimination series, it was a ‘do or die’ against the partisan Guyana Amazon Warriors on home ground at Providence, Guyana. Sadly, it was not to be for the Royals. The Warriors, in the final, were beaten by the underdogs St. Lucia Kings.
A huge disappointment for the thousands of local fans at Providence, but for St. Lucia Kings, a brilliant celebration—it was their first win! The stadium was packed to capacity, and it augurs well for the Kensington Oval, as the Republic Bank organizers have confirmed the final will be in Barbados in 2026.
The West Indies women played in their World Cup in October, and although the matches were staged in Dubai, Barbados was much to the fore as Hayley Matthews was captain, and leading players Leandra Dottin and Stefani Taylor have been mainstays for many years.
In November, England returned to the Caribbean with a T20 Series against the West Indies in games at Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados. The three matches at the Oval attracted even more interest as the England squad included two Barbados-born players in recent years, and now there is the arrival of Jacob Bethel, a brilliant 20-year-old all-rounder. The other players are Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer.
Chris was a former Combermere School pupil and attended alongside superstar Rihanna. He won a sporting scholarship at Dulwich College and made his England Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2014. He is an excellent all-rounder best suited for T20 and ODI competition.
Jofra was born in Bridgetown on April 1, 1995, and made his Test debut against Australia in May 2019 at the Ashes. He is an outstanding fast bowler but has been dogged by back injuries.
Jacob has a strong cricket pedigree. His grandfather Arthur played for the West Indies and Barbados in the 1960s, and his father Graham played for Barbados and Derbyshire 2nd XI. Jacob went to Rugby School at the age of 12 and scored 202 against Marlborough College in their annual fixture. He won a contract at Warwickshire County Club and made a big impression at Under-19 level. He was capped at T20 against Australia in September and is one of the best all-rounders of his era.