England’s Cricket Team Lands In St. Kitts – Nevis
Photo By Erasmus Williams
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
January 21, 2009
St. Kitts & Nevis‘ Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas (center) welcomes Team Captain Andrew Strauss (pictured immediately left of P.M. Douglas) and the English Cricket Team to St. Kitts & Nevis to start their Caribbean tour. Senator Ricky Skerritt, St. Kitts’ Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports & Culture and former West Indies cricket team manager (far right), looks on along with Virgin Atlantic Airways’ flight attendants and local cricket officials. The team arrived today via a special flag stop made by Virgin Atlantic from London and will spend 11 days in St Kitts preparing for their first test match against the West Indies on Wednesday, February 4, 2009.
Senator Ricky Skerritt said, “We are very pleased about the prospect of increased tourism from the UK and honored that the English cricket team will begin their tour preparations in St. Kitts. We will extend them our warm Caribbean hospitality and do everything possible to ensure that they enjoy their time on island to the fullest.”
Continuing momentum from both the arrival of British Airways’ inaugural flight from Gatwick, London on January 10, 2009 and St. Kitts’ hosting of key ICC Cricket World Cup matches in 2007, the England cricket team will play two three-day warm up matches in St. Kitts, as follows:
Venue – Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts
Sunday, January 25 ““ Tuesday, January 27
10:00AM – St Kitts/Nevis v England XI
Venue – Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts
Thursday, January 29 ““ Saturday, January 31
10:00AM – West Indies A v England XI
The team from England will then depart St. Kitts on February 1 for Jamaica, where they will have their first Test match against the West Indies on Wednesday, February 4, 2009.
For North American cricket fans who want to go see the matches in person, St. Kitts & Nevis is served non-stop daily from Miami by American Airlines. It is also served non-stop by American Airlines from New York’s JFK International Airport, by Delta Air Lines from Atlanta and by US Airways from Charlotte. Additionally, travelers can connect via San Juan on American Eagle. Regional air carriers include Windward Island Airways (WinAir) and LIAT with connections over St. Maarten, Antigua and San Juan, Puerto Rico.