Port Jackson Masters Cricket Tour of Malta and Sicily

7 days ago
3 min read

Following on last year’s successful tour of Corfu, we headed off this time to Malta and Sicily in June 2026.

Touring Squad: John Jackson, Harvey Weir, Ben Bacon, Mal Coleman, Douglas Latto, Graham Keaney, Greg Cook, Steve Byfield, Geoff Kirk, Geoff McQueen, John Granata, Bill Ireland.

The squad consisted of 9 players from the Corfu trip plus 3 younger newbies. This managed to bring the average age down to about 70!

MALTA

Cricket has been played in Malta for over 200 years. Our matches were to be played at the Marsa Sports Club , not far from Valletta. This is a fantastic sports complex providing multiple sports facilities. The synthetic pitch was in excellent condition, as was the grass outfield.

We were met by temperatures in the early 30c, typical of the time of year. Four games were slated for successive days. We knew we were in for a challenge. To ensure that we remained upright for all 4 days we agreed 30 over a side games.

The first 3 days saw our opposition consist mostly of sub-continent players, average age somewhere in the mid 20s. We diplomatically decided to let the home team bat first for the first 2 matches. In the first game we did well to restrict them to a score that gave us a chance. We were well-placed with Mal Colman scoring an aggressive 50, but our later batting struggled to maintain the required scoring rate.

The second match saw us hit to all parts of the field. The score was well out of reach for us but we lost only 3 wickets, highlighted by an excellent opening stand by Harvey Weir and Ben Bacon.

The third match saw a change of tactics with us batting first. Another solid opening partnership and another 50 by Mal Coleman gave us a very competitive score. Marsa reversed their batting order and we were able to contain them. Our error was in dismissing them which brought in their better batsmen. The match went to the wire, losing with only one over left.

The last game saw a slightly older team. They batted first and again made a competitive score, but not out of reach. Our batting clicked with many useful contributions. The highlight was Greg Cook’s 50 and Steve Byfields 40, both aggressive knocks. We won with 6 overs to spare!

A special mention must now be made of the bowlers. We lacked depth, meaning the same bowlers had to shoulder the load each day. Geoff McQueen, John Granada and Steve Byfield bowled their full quota in each match. A magnificent effort by all.

Also our perpetual keeper in Bill Ireland kept all 4 days. Age does not weary him. Well done Bill.

The hospitality of the Marsa club was excellent throughout. The first special mention goes to Johnnie Grima who entertained us with his singing and guitar, during lunch and after the games. However a BIG special mention to Paul Bradley who organised all 4 matches. Paul is the England Over 60s Manager, has a Maltese wife, and spends a lot of time in Malta. He made sure all games were played in true spirit and also joined us on our post matches cruise. Paul, we cannot thank you enough.

The final word is about John Jackson whose vision enabled the tour to happen

So many great moments and great memories. We are all looking forward to next year’s tour.

Douglas Latto

SICILY

A unique feature and the highlight of this year’s tour was the five day visit to eastern Sicily hosted by John and Ronda Granata and John’s cousin Mario who lives in Milan. John was born in Acireale, a city on the east coast of Sicily. The culmination of this Sicily visit was an extraordinary day on Sunday June 14th with a visit to Siracusa and a tour of Ortigia, Greek theatre and a game of cricket against a combined Siracusa side of expats from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

T20 Port Jackson Tourists v Siracusa XI at Floridia, Sicily Sunday June 14th 2026.

Siracua XI 3 for 214 (S Byfield 1-30) def. Port Jackson Tourists 2 for 168.( J Kirk 22 ret, B Bacon28 ret, H Weir 28 ret., Mario 2 no.)

Everyone batted and bowled in this match. Mario made up our XI and played his first ever game of cricket. John Granata opened the batting and the bowling in his first game of cricket on his “home” soil.

The multicultural nature of cricket was in full display with conversations in English, Italian, Sinhalese and Bengali. Truly a unique and unforgettable cricketing experience.

John Jackson