Sporting Witness
Sporting Witness
Cricket in North Korea
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April 14, 2022
9 minutes
Available for over a year
In 2008, a group of cricketers went on what is believed to be the first tour of North Korea. The Shanghai Cricket Club arranged at their own expense to play the first - and only - edition of the Pyongyang Cricket Friendship Cup. Although initially baffled by the sport, some of the North Korean players showed a surprising amount of talent. Jo McDermott talks to Jon Newton, the president of Shanghai cricket club - and the man who brought cucumber sandwiches to a pariah state.
PHOTO: Action from the Pyongyang Cricket Friendship Cup (Courtesy of Jon Newton)