History of cricket in the West Indies from 1918–19 to 1945

This article describes the history of cricket in the West Indies from 1919 to 1945.

Inter-Colonial Tournament

The 1891–92 season had seen the first Inter-Colonial Tournament in the West Indies and these took place irregularly until the Second World War, winners in the inter-war period being:

1922-23 – Barbados
1923-24 – Barbados
1924-25 – Trinidad and Tobago
1925-26 – Trinidad and Tobago
1926-27 – Barbados
1928-29 – Trinidad and Tobago
1929-30 – British Guiana
1931-32 – Trinidad and Tobago
1933-34 – Trinidad and Tobago
1934-35 – British Guiana
1935-36 – British Guiana
1936-37 – Trinidad and Tobago
1937-38 – British Guiana
1938-39 – Trinidad and Tobago

After the war, there was no inter-country competition until the foundation of the Shell Shield in 1965, though the teams played occasional matches against each other in the intervening period.

English tours of the West Indies

Between the two World Wars, various English teams toured the West Indies. The 1929–30 team was the first to play Test cricket in the West Indies. West Indies was already capable of competing at the highest level with players like George Headley and Learie Constantine.

England 1925-26

LH Tennyson's XI 1926-27

LH Tennyson's XI 1927-28

Sir Julien Cahn's XI 1928-29

England 1929-30

1st Test at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados – match drawn
2nd Test at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad – England won by 167 runs
3rd Test at Bourda, Georgetown – West Indies won by 289 runs
4th Test at Sabina Park, Kingston – match drawn

Lord Tennyson's XI 1931-32

England 1934-35

1st Test at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados – England won by 4 wickets
2nd Test at Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad – West Indies won by 217 runs
3rd Test at Bourda, Georgetown – match drawn
4th Test at Sabina Park, Kingston – West Indies won by an innings and 161 runs