From Warships to Wickets: The British Naval Roots of Cricket on Vis Island
Cricket on Vis Island has a surprisingly deep-rooted connection to British naval history. Over 200 years ago, during the Napoleonic Wars, British Royal Navy officer Sir William Hoste—nicknamed “The Young Nelson”—stationed his fleet on Vis and introduced cricket as a way to boost morale and pass time between battles. Hoste, remembered for defeating a superior French fleet in the last historic battle of sailing ships, used the island as a base from which he disrupted over 200 French vessels across the Adriatic. During peaceful moments, he and his crew would play cricket on the island’s sun-drenched fields, unknowingly planting the seed for a tradition that would resurface centuries later.
There are two possible reasons why cricket vanished from the island after the British Navy ended its six-year stay on Vis. One explanation is that the local people simply didn’t embrace the game—perhaps it was too unfamiliar or complex to catch on in such a short time. The other, more likely theory is that the British packed up all their cricket gear when they left, leaving the islanders without the means to keep the sport alive.
Reviving a Lost Legacy
Fast forward to the early 2000s, local winemaker and restaurateur Oliver Roki stumbled upon this little-known story while reading about Admiral Nelson. Intrigued, he decided to revive the sport on Vis. With support from the community and a passion for preserving this piece of history, he established a cricket ground in Plisko Polje—close to a former British WWII airstrip—and founded a club in honour of Hoste. Despite having no background in the sport, Roki brought cricket back to life on the island, inspired by both family ties to Australia and a desire to enrich the island’s cultural and tourism offerings.
Today, the Vis cricket club competes in Croatia’s national league, hosting international tournaments that draw teams mainly from the UK. Players from the island have even gone on to represent the Croatian national team. The revival of cricket on Vis adds a unique historical and cultural layer to the growing appeal of a Croatia charter experience in Vis Island, blending sport, heritage, and Adriatic charm into something truly memorable.
Photo: pixabay