It’s quite a few months away from Cup Match in Bermuda in 2014, but we know visitors to Bermuda are planning vacations now and so it’s imperative you know about Bermuda’s biggest holiday. From my years of experience celebrating this holiday, I have put together 10 tips to survive and make sure you have a great time.
Cup Match this year will take place in Somerset at the Somerset Cricket Club. Below you will find:
- Dates
- Times
- 10 Tips to Survive
- Two Hotels near the Main Events
- Cup Match Summer Splash
If you aren’t sure what Cup Match is, or what you can expect, read our article from 2013 here.
Date: – July 31 – August 1, 2014
Time: 10:00am – 7:00pm
Location of the cricket game: Somerset Cricket Club, 6 Cricket Lane, Somerset MA 03
Tips to Survive Cup Match
For Everyone:
- Let Your Hair Down and Prepare for Stores Closing – It is okay to relax and enjoy yourself on the island. It may be best to head to the beach, the game, or another daily or nightly event taking place over the 4-day holiday weekend. Many services and shops will be closed Thursday and Friday, with only liquor stores, gas stations, and grocery stores remaining open. If you need anything from a pharmacy or other local store, make sure to get it on the Wednesday before Cup Match, or wait until Saturday.
- Look at the Public Transportation Schedule – You can expect the public transportation services will run less frequent than normal on the Thursday and Friday of Cup Match (and every Sunday), so make sure to plan around that. Find the bus schedule here.
- Pick your colors – red and blue if you support Somerset, or dark blue and light blue if you support St. Georges. You should wear different colors from either of the teams’ colors if you want to support who is winning at the time.
- Get a Seat at the Cricket Club Early – the game will take place over 2 days, the Thursday, and Friday. If you are interested in cricket and would like to watch the game, make sure to get to the club early, preferably as it opens the gates. This way, you will be certain to get a seat.
- Learn about Cricket – The game is made up of the best players from the east end of Bermuda against the best players from the west end. One team fields while another has everyone on their team bat until the whole team gets out. So one team goes first to bat with two players at a time while one sets up on the field, and then they switch once the batting team is all out. The batters can get out by having their hit ball caught while in the air, or if the ball hits their ‘wickets’ behind them. When batting, the two batters can score in one of three ways. First, by hitting the ball in the field and having both players switch sides of the cricket pitch, by running back and forth. This is counted as one run. Or the player can hit the ball in the air to the boundaries, similar to a home-run in baseball, and this counts as six runs. If the ball bounces on the ground and still hits the boundaries, the score counts for 4 runs. At the end of the two teams both having a chance to bat, the team with the most runs wins. If they do not finish the game in the two days, it ends in a draw until next year.
If You’re Looking to Party:
- Drink water – this is key, as you will most likely consume a lot of alcohol during the holiday.
- Go to the Visitor’s Section in the Cricket Stadium – Make sure to visit the visitor’s seating area at the cricket game, in years past they have had free drinks for visitors of the island.
- Don’t let the Rum Swizzle trick you – it seems like a sweet, fruity, and innocent drink. That is, until you have had 8 of the delicious drinks, which ends up being a lot of rum in your system.
- Make it to the Non-Mariners Race and Book a Space on a Charter Boat VERY Early in the Year – If you can, plan months ahead and find a party boat heading into the midst of the action. The Bermuda Tourism Authority sponsored a visitor’s boat with free admission in the past. We will update this article if more information is provided about a tourism board sponsored event this year. UPDATE: (A boat will depart Albouy’s Point in the City of Hamilton and be on the water from 10:30 am – 6:00 pm. Price is $60 and includes one drink, lunch, and a flotation device. RSVP with Tashae Thompson by telephone 441 292 0023 or email tcthompson@gov.bm.) There will be a few hundred boats in Mangrove Bay, and if you want to experience a party on the water, unlike any other in Bermuda, make sure to organize a trip on a boat with plenty of time to spare.
- Learn about the Gambling Game, Crown & Anchor – This is a board and dice game, and it is only played at the cricket game, this year at Somerset Cricket Club, over the course of the two-day holiday. It is played like this. You put your money down on one of 6 items on the board; a club, spade, heart, diamond, a crown, and/or an anchor. The same 6 board pieces are on each side of a six-sided dice. There are three dice like this in total that are rolled on the table by the table dealer. If you match your placed bet with one dice – you double your money, if you match two dice – you triple your money, if you match all three dice – you quadruple your money. Head over to the Crown & Anchor tent at the game just to have fun. If you win, that is great, but only gamble what you can lose.
Two Hotels in Somerset near the Cricket Club
– Cambridge Beaches (1.5 km, 1 mile) – (pictured above) From the hotel the cricket game is about a 15-minute walk and a 3-minute drive. The hotel is even closer to the Non-Mariners Race. In fact, one of their bars and pool overlooks the bay that will fill up with boats during the Sunday of the Cup Match weekend.
– Pompano Beach Club (4.9 km, 3 miles) –Pompano Beach Club is about a 10-minute drive to the game by taxi or 20 minutes by any of the buses, #7, #8, or #8C.
Last year’s Cup Match ended in a draw, which meant that the game couldn’t be finished in two days, and Somerset kept the cup. There was also some brief rain that held up the event, but all was well, and we can expect another amazing time this year in 2014. We look forward to all of our clients heading to Bermuda this year, and all else enjoying our island paradise.
Cup Match Summer Splash
This is the second annual musical celebration with world-class talent. If you love dancing and music, you will love this event spread out over three days in the City of Hamilton.
The lineup:
Friday, July 25th, 2014 –
- Who’s Bad – Michael Jackson tribute band (free admission)
Saturday, July 26th, 2014 –
- Tarrus Riley and the Black Soil Band – reggae superstar
- Dean Fraser – saxophonist
- Luciano – reggae superstar
Wednesday, July 30th, 2014 –
- Machel Montano and the HD family – King of Soca
- Patrice Roberts
- Farmer Nappy
- DJ Young Chow
To inquire about buying tickets for the final two events or to learn more, the event organizers can be reached at 441productions@transact.bm, or alternatively, you can purchase tickets here: http://www.bdatix.bm