Ibiza Cricket Club at 40

To celebrate Ibiza Cricket Club turning 40, I asked some members, old & new, 3 questions

1. What’s your favourite Ibiza Cricket Club memory and what made it so special? 
2. What does/did Ibiza Cricket Club mean to you? 
3. How has the island & the club changed over the years – what stayed the same? 

Ian Gourlay (Member 1986) I have two standout memories. Scoring 13 not out in my first match against a side from Brighton in 1986 wearing fluorescent painted whites and winning the first ever Balearic Cup in the same year.

I grew up with the club almost from the very start as my wife’s father was a founder member. Playing was the best part but also being on the Ibiza and Spanish committee was a great privilege. Ibiza CC has been a massive part of my life.

The club has evolved into a more professional outfit, but the end game and the priority of playing with a smile on your face has never changed.

Colin Casbolt (Founder Member 1986) My favourite memory was when a visiting team came over in the early days in a hot July. We went out with them all night before the game and introduced them to hierbas. Of course, the next day the guys were in a hopeless state with hangovers in the boiling sun. Captain Len Hamilton Smith put them into bat, and they were 0 for 7 so we asked Len to ease up on them to which he replied “F**k ‘em, it’s a good lesson” and they were all out for 14. Len was a wonderful guy.I loved the cricket when it was in Es Cana, of course the pitch was dreadful, but the atmosphere was wonderful but felt it kind of lost the spirit when we moved to San Jose.

Don Andrews Player (Founder Member 1986) My favourite memory would have to be the first ever game against Cricket World magazine. We had lost about three quick wickets chasing a massive total, and Colin Prior scored 142 (I think) to win the match. He was partnered by Martin Meeson, whose contribution I cannot remember. I scored the winning run about three overs after Colin was out if I remember well.

Speaking of Colin Prior, he was on Scotland Yard’s most wanted list, and the Det Sgt playing for the Gentlemen of Hampstead knew this. Colin sent a ball skywards in his direction, and the Policeman dropped it. “You’re not going to get another chance to catch me,” Colin laughed.

The Ibiza Cricket Club meant a lot to me. It started my journalistic career with the (sadly defunct) Ibiza NOW (I can send you a copy if you don’t have one already), I opened the batting and the bowling at various times, and I think I hold the record for being the only person I know who scored 48/49 (5 times in all) more often than I scored 50.

The island has changed a lot over the years. Every successive Island Council has promised no more building – and still they build. From what I saw, on my last fleeting visit, many of the people who used to call Ibiza their home can no longer afford to. In the old days, it was a very egalitarian place, and the rich people kept quiet about it. Now they seem to flaunt it much more.

Deirdre Ellis (Founder Member 1986 and Scorer) ‘Anyone for Cricket?’ A question in the then local English newspaper ‘Ibiza Now’ written by Desmond King; It brought about an excited response from many and a meeting was held at his and Eileen’s house. “I haven’t seen a game in 19 years” moaned one man, almost weeping! So that was the beginning. Land for the pitch was chosen in Es Cana and a wicket of fine strands of straw was made to order. The astounding and exciting news was spread around the Balearics.

The team was Theo from ‘Casi Todo’, Len Hamilton Smith, Bosky Horridge and many more – please forgive my memory at nearly 90 years old!  Our season was limited to autumn due to tourism. We would go to the airport to pick up the visiting team and take them back again after the tour was over. I remember a Welsh team who were persuaded to sing to us all at the dinner dance. It was very moving. “Best bloody week of my life” sobbed one Welshman as they were seen off at the end of the tour.

Our tours away were memorable – imagine, one Island even had a grass wicket!

My part of the Island, Talamanca, leading to Ses Figueres has changed very little, I am so very lucky. No loud music nor shouting nor drug running, just locals and tranquil tourists calmly walking their families and dogs along the boardwalk, stopping for a coffee, lunch or dinner and a chat with the local residents.

When I came to Ibiza for the first time in 1963 the locals replied – after I’d commented on the beautiful simplicity of the Island – OJALA QUE  LO HUBIERAS VISTO ANTES (I Wish you had seen it before!).

Please keep me up to date with fixtures, I live on my own and I’m now in a wheelchair, but employ someone to take me to the shop and the doctor.

All the best and remember, please I’m “NOT OUT” yet!

Bill Hodges (Founder Member 1986, Captain 1999/2000) My fondest memory was winning the Balearic Cup for the very first time in 1986. Also many memories of our tour matches and the fun and games that went on. We always had a great time winning or losing and I made a lot of friends through Ibiza Cricket Club and enjoyed every minute. I have seen the club progress over the years and also the island. The club has and is growing from strength to strength thanks to the people who give their time and effort into making it so. Over the years the club has been lucky in having such people. I for one wish it every success in the future. As for the island, no comment. Enjoy your 40 years celebrations!

Julian Cobby (Captain 2001-2006) I always remember the Benidorm tours of yesteryear, when the whole club picked up bats and endured the horrifically long but fun ferry journeys, we would always be the runners up (never losers) and legends like Jack Hyams often joined us there.

The club was always an escape from the norm, meeting different eclectic Island characters and engaging in different levels of conversation. Now I have an immense sense of pride of what the Club has become, competing and winning at most levels.

The Island has changed and for me it is losing its Ibicenco magic and many of its famous/infamous characters and places. The club has changed immeasurably for the better and IMHO is no longer an old boy’s brigade.

Martin Makepeace (Member since 1994, Captain 2007-2010)
My favourite memory is captaining the side that won the 2007 Balearic Cup in Menorca. We were so close in 2006 but lost both games in the last over. After that I was on a mission and when we finally won it the following year, we celebrated for 48 hours in true Ibiza style. Let’s also not forget appearing on Sky Sports’ Cricket AM in 2013 and my first Benidorm tour in 1996 – getting goosed by a pensioner from Wakefield. Fortunately, she was female. A baptism of fire.

In the early days the club kept me grounded and gave me an outlet when I needed it most. I’ve watched with great pride at how the club has evolved. I’m determined to be the last man standing, they will have to carry me out in a box.

Like the island, the club is constantly evolving, we have had and continue to have some great people at the helm. It’s not always been plain sailing, but the tough times only make the good times sweeter. The club is now world famous and continues to grow at its fabulous home in San Lorenzo but it still all comes down to getting 11 players on the pitch and having fun and banter – and that’s what we are good at. This is Ibiza Cricket Club after all.

Stuart Browne (Member since 2001)
I always remember the boys returning with the Balearic Cup from Menorca in 2007. I played the first game but had to miss the second game due to work. The boys came to Peppers 2 with the cup. It was our first Balearic Cup win in over 2 decades.

Ibiza CC has been a huge part of my Ibiza life for over 25 years and still forms the basis of my connection to the island, even now.

⁠⁠Ibiza CC is almost unrecognisable from the club I joined in 2001 and continues to go from strength to strength, yet it still maintains that ‘village’ community feel. 
 

Cocoa Fowler (Cocoa’s XI 2001)
My best memory from Ibiza, and there are many, is in 2005 when everyone came together to help me raise the money to get to Sri Lanka and help with the tsunami relief and realising how many good people there were in my life.

The club made me feel accepted by the local community and a chance to fit in with the old and the new.

The club has moved on to a more cricket-based system and that’s a good thing but as for the island changing it seems that Ibiza is getting rid of all the crazy tourists and replacing them with crazy tourists.

Jeremy Parmenter (Captain 2011/2012)
My favourite memory, and strictly on a personal level, was the “Jerry-atrick” v Alfas on Sunday, November 13, 2016. Memorable not only for the 4 wickets in 4 balls and the 5 in 7 but being chased around the outfield by the team and then our supporters, firstly for the 3, again for the 4 and finally the 5. I’ve never been so knackered in my life with all that running but such an outpouring of emotion from not just me but all Ibiza CC. Talk about team camaraderie – amazing!

Ever since my first match in 2001 I have always felt a great affinity with the club having been welcomed from day one in those far off days. Great camraderie with great friends, with the principal “raison d’etre” being to enjoy the game and be together, come rain or shine and win or lose.

Ibiza is so much busier and so much more expensive, especially non-Spanish restaurants. Too many beach clubs now, spoiling the natural beauty of the “calas” and “playas”. Too many night clubs. Massive construction projects going on especially 5-star hotel complexes. More “Z” celebrities, especially English, that nobody has ever heard of but so good to see how the club has moved on with the help of major sponsors. Also great to see that the club, over the last few years, has at last become a serious contender for the Balearic Cup – apart from the odd unexpected win – and  not just an also-rans. The team spirit is still there but just hope it doesn’t revert to a “clickey” club again as it was in the late ’90’s/very early Noughties.

Finally, congatulations on a wonderful renovation project – proper showers and loos! 
 
Graeme Cooper (Captain 2013/2014)
So many occasions over the years I thoroughly enjoyed. The camaraderie, banter, p*ss taking, and being with the team stands out. The tours to Beni, Magaluf and Menorca were great days.

What does Ibiza CC mean to me? Bloody fond memories I’ll never forget, I miss those days. Winning the Balearic Cup as skipper in 2013 and to top it all off, being the boss of a band of lunatics and Shaggy ripping the p*ss out of Jeremy, always makes me giggle. Long Live Ibiza Cricket Club.

Graham Boe (Captain 2015/2016)
So many memories! Winning the Balearic Cup in 2013 in Menorca in my first season and captaining the side and scoring the 1st boundary at the Polo Ground described by a particular social media commentator as “a cut for 4 at the Carnes March end”.

The club is a place and time of friendship and community amongst a group of people that would probably not mix in your everyday life. Special times.

From afar and in a world where so much is changing the Island has a special place in my heart. Of course, it is expensive and hard to justify moving back (there are so many great places in Spain that are so much more affordable) he says as currently residing on the South Coast of England. Dipping in and out of the WhatsApp group the banter remains, a core of players/members are ever present which is important as that is Ibiza Cricket Club. Despite the big name players, getting a side seems to be a struggle but that’s amateur sport when work is a priority at times.

Anyway, definite FOMO felt from this ex-skipper.

Sam Gooda (Captain 2017-2021)
My favourite memory is winning the Cup in Menorca in 2013 for the first time.

Ibiza cricket means comradeship and fun in the Sun. 

Despite a changing world and changing Island, Ibiza CC continues to challenge itself and its members by striving to improve the club and increase membership year to year.

Paul Cruttwell (Captain 2022/2023)
Winning my 1st Balearic Cup in 2013 is up there but winning as skipper in 2022 and then retaining in it 2023 was special and showed the progression the club was making in its aim of making us a more competitive club in Spain on and off the field. This then enabled our 2 appearances at the Spanish National finals in 2022 and 2023.

Literally without Ibiza Cricket Club, me and my family would have not moved to Ibiza. Robert Short (Bob the Vicar) married me & Michelle in 2010 in Ibiza, at this time we were researching the move here, but my cricket club was what we was keeping me from committing to leaving London. In a pre-wedding meeting, Bob muttered the words, “you know we have a cricket club here in Ibiza,” Michelle then remarked, “I guess we’re moving then” and the rest is history as they say.

What’s been the biggest change: Obviously the move from playing on a football ground to our current home is the biggest change of all and for the better for us and the visiting teams, but also before we had the current ground, the football pitches gave us all a chance to play cricket in Ibiza, which was a big part in all our lives in a foreign land to have that little slice of home comfort playing this great game we love here in Ibiza. What’s stayed the same? Pabs not buying a round & Shaggy’s terrible banter!

Rory Thomson (Captain 2024/2025)
Favourite memory, lots to choose from but I’d say it was the Balearic cup 2024, my first one as skipper and we won at an absolute canter, what made it so special was the levels of improvement I saw in everyone on the pitch that weekend really made it hit home of how far we’d come as a club/team in the 4/5 years I’d been playing.

To me, Ibiza CC means family! The faces that have come and gone over the years that I’m still in contact with and the people who are still around the club that I’m proud to call some of my best friends, none of that would have happened if not for Ibiza Cricket Club. For such an eclectic bunch, it’s amazing how this club brings everyone together. Just like a “normal” family.

The club has changed astronomically over the years I’ve been involved in. From starting out on the astroturf football pitch, not knowing if we’re going to get kicked off as there’s a football match on, to where we are now is just incredible and I’m proud to be a part of all the hard work that’s gone into it. Long may it continue!

What has stayed the same is the terrible banter, at times the village cricket and the smiles on faces from us and opposition teams! 
 
And the final word to

Lyn Carpenter (Club Legend)
I have lots of happy memories of the club, but I think that one of my favourite ones was when we won the Balearic Cup in 2007. I remember feeling sick, with butterflies in my tummy, and we won on the last ball. Cocoa and I stood there hugging each other and crying like babies. The other two teams had always treated us as poor relations until then, but we made them change their minds that year.

Ibiza Cricket Club feels like my extended family. It was hard at first as women were no nos when I joined. I won a voucher at one of the dinners to go to Benidorm for 2, and when we got there Richie and I were ignored all weekend. Gradually things got better as younger players came in, and older players drifted out, and the atmosphere changed for the better.

The club has grown greatly over the years. After always playing on football pitches with astroturf to the cricket ground we have now is absolutely amazing. If you had ever suggested a few years ago that we would have a place like this I would have said you were mad. The thing that does not change is my feelings for all the boys. I love how they all treat me with respect, affection, and friendship, and hope it continues for years to come. 

Dedicated to those who wore our colours, stood beside us, and supported us – we honour the friends, supporters, and players of Ibiza Cricket Club who are no longer with us.