Sabina Park is a cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in Jamaica.

History

Sabina Park was originally a Pen, the urban residence and adjoining land of a wealthy merchant, shopkeeper or professional. The entire estate was . Part of the land was sold to the Kingston Cricket Club for their ground. The Great House at Sabina Park Pen was named Rosemount.

Shalman Scott, writing in the Jamaica Observer, reported that:

Known ownership of Sabina Park Pen includes:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Dates !! Owner !! Notes

|-

| style="width: 6em;" | 1809-1820 || style="width: 13em;" | Isabella Hall || Free woman of colour. Died c. 1822, partner of Robert Rainford senior (q.v.) with whom she had two sons, Robert and Samuel. Probably the daughter of Elizabeth Pinnock, "a free Negro woman" by Oliver Hall, born 05/02/1762 and baptised 16/06/1762 in Kingston, Jamaica. In her will she manumitted several enslaved people and divided her property between her nieces and her two sons, adding "All my wearing apparel to be equally divided among my slave relations."

|-

| 1823-c1825 || Netlam Tory || A merchant in Liverpool, partner in Tory, Holt (q.v.) who apparently moved to Britain from Kingston Jamaica in the early 1830s.

|-

| 1825-1830 || William Titley || Resident merchant of Kingston Jamaica, dying there in 1851.

|-

| 1839-18?? || Robert Fairweather || Resident planting attorney and slave-owner.

|-

| 18??-1??? || Ellen Agnes Hill née Blakely<br>Albert Maurice Hill (spouse)|| Ellen Hill was the vendor of the land sold to Kingston Cricket Club.

Sabina Park became a Test cricket ground in 1930 when it hosted the visiting MCC team for the fourth and final Test in the West Indies' first home series.

The picturesque ground is perhaps one of the most significant in Test cricket history recording the first triple century in the game with England's Andy Sandham's 325 versus the West Indies in the 1930 game. The 365 not out by Sir Garfield Sobers which stood as a Test record for over 36 years is also regaled, as is Lawrence Rowe's world record on debut 214 and 100 not out against the visiting New Zealand in 1972.

Sabina Park was the venue for the abandoned test in 1998 involving the touring England team. The test was abandoned after less than an hour's play due to the pitch being deemed unfit for play.

Prior to Independence Park opening in 1962, Sabina Park hosted the Jamaica national football team.

The venue hosted the preliminary rounds of the boxing events at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Facilities

The members pavilion lies square of the wicket on the west side.

The Blue Mountains form a backdrop to the north, facing the George Headley Stand, with Kingston Harbour to the south. This view is currently blocked by the Northern Stand, built as part of the ground's redevelopment for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

A mural featuring 19 famous Jamaican cricketers was installed outside the ground in 2021.

See also

  • List of Test cricket grounds
  • List of international cricket centuries at Sabina Park
  • List of international five-wicket hauls at Sabina Park

References

  • Satellite image at Google Maps
  • Sabina Park at CricketArchive