Timothy Abraham

Hungary clinched the third invitational European Twenty20 title after a dramatic victory over Russia with one ball spare in the final at the Alexander The Great Cricket Ground in Skopje, Macedonia.

Russia posted a commanding 165 for 6 from their 20 overs thanks largely to the tournament’s highest runscorer Akila Milan De Silva Thotahewage who made 81 before he was dismissed by Magyars captain Andrew Leckonby (3 for 42).

The game looked beyond Hungary as they stumbled to 42 for 3 at the tenth over but Sufiyan Mohammed brought his side back into the game with a blistering 82, including five sixes in one over.

Hungary still required 17 to win off the final over in near darkness but some frantic hitting by Ranjeet Kumar and Habib Deldar sealed the victory with just one ball to spare.

Earlier, a Cricket Board of Wales XI won the plate competition after they defeated tournament debutantes Romania by 11 runs in the final thanks to an unbeaten 32 from wicketkeeper Dafydd Bailey.

The week-long tournament, which also included hosts Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria and a Croatia ‘A’ side, was hailed a success by co-organiser Timothy Abraham who took the ambitious decision to move it out of the UK after twice holding it at Carmel & District Cricket Club in North Wales.

“Undoubtedly taking the tournament to Skopje brought a huge set of logistical problems but apart from a few minor issues the event was largely a success due to the excellent work of those on the ground in Macedonia,” Abraham said.

“The EuroTwenty20 tournament goes from strength to strength and continues to provide invaluable experience for those European countries working towards ICC Affiliate Member status and nations where the game is largely in its infancy.

“Indeed special praise should also be reserved for the likes of Serbia whose team was predominantly made up of native players and their passion, pride and commitment - particularly when fielding - impressed everybody."

Fellow organiser Ray Power, of the British Business Group Macedonia, who is involved with the development of cricket in the region, and was the driving force behind holding the event in Skopje, is confident of seeing the benefits to Macedonian cricket in the near future.

He added: “Hosting the event was a real honour for Macedonia which did not, until now, have a dedicated space for a cricket ground, but the significance of the EuroTwenty20 and visiting countries has instilled a sense of pride in Macedonia that is lending itself to a very successful promotion of the sport.

“Overall, it has been an exciting tournament and a real victory for cricket as it cements itself in a new area that is adopting the sport very rapidly. There has also been a lot of media and public interest in the event and going forward we are working towards introducing the sport to schools and starting up a women’s team.

“Indeed, the visiting countries also meant a great deal to the sport as everyone built new relationships off the field which will pave the way for more regular regional games in the Balkans and there is already talk of follow up matches later in the year.”

The infighting within Canadian cricket was again in evidence on the day the Ontario Cricket Association began legal action against Cricket Canada over team selection.

The Interprovincial tournament match between Ontario and Manitoba was switched at short notice from Malton to Inverhaugh after officials ruled the original venue was unplayable.

However, another game between Alberta and Quebec not far away from Malton was able to proceed with no difficulties, so why the issues with the original venue?

An eyewitness told Cricinfo the reasons might have more to do with a planned protest at Malton where Ontario CA members were preparing to demonstrate. They were left bemused when the last-gasp venue change was made.

Tony Munro

Papua New Guinea has initiated the new turf wicket at Amini Park, Port Moresby with a comfortable 4-0 series win over a young Cricket Australia Indigenous XI last weekend.

The home team, coached by former Australian player, Andy Bichel, were too experienced for the Indigenous XI, most of whom were under 21, in the series which alternated between Twenty20 and 50-over formats.

The series, the first to be played in PNG on a turf wicket, saw the return of allrounders, Rarua Dikana and Mahuru Dai to the Barramundis team for the first time in a couple of seasons. Both made telling contributions, particularly with the ball. Raymond Haoda Junior, a Queensland Bulls Elite Pace Bowling Programme participant, took four wickets for PNG in the first of the 50-over games.

Indigenous XI all-rounder, Josh Lalor, then provided perhaps the individual performance of the series. Batting at number eight, he hit 92 as his team scored 100 runs off the last 15 overs. Lalor then took 3 for 40 as Dai (67) and Chris Amini (50) lifted their side to a five-wicket win.

The Cricket Australia Indigenous XI improved as the series progressed, and pushed PNG in the third game of the series, falling just three runs short.

Game 1 - Twenty/20

Papua New Guinea 110 for 3 (Vala 20, Amini 42*, Pala 18*) beat Cricket Australia Indigenous XI 109 for 9 (Bailey 22, Ugle 23; Dikana 2 for 15, Dai 2 for 26) by seven wickets

Game 2 - 50 overs

Papua New Guinea 211 for 5 (Vala 48, Amini 50, Dai 67, Lalor 3-40) beat Cricket Australia Indigenous XI 210 for 9 (Lalor 92, Swain 26, McGregor-Cassady 24*, Haoda Jnr 4-45, Dikana 2-30, Areni 2-55) by five wickets

Game 3 - Twenty20

Papua New Guinea 128 for 8 (Vala 19, Dai 34, Pala 22, Kent 20, Lalor 3-21, Swain 2-13) beat Cricket Australia Indigenous XI 125 (White 71, Short 18) by three runs

Game 4 - 50 overs

Papua New Guinea 266 (Vala 45, Amini 33, Dai 74, Pala 48; White 4-50, Ugle 3-28) beat Cricket Australia Indigenous XI 118 (Bailey 31, White 29, Fleehan 22; Dai 5 for 33, Areni 2 for 42) by 149 runs

The victorious Jersey team pose with the European Division One cup © ICC/CricketEurope

Jersey 231 (Morrison 77, Driver 53, Fernando 4-49, Munasinghe 3-46) beat Italy 115 (Driver 3-23) by 116 runs

Hosts Jersey finished with a 116-run victory over Italy at FB Fields to finish the five-match tournament undefeated.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Jersey were set on the road to a clean sweep with a stand of 131 for the second wicket between Dean Morrison and Ryan Driver. Driver was the first to go, stumped off Andy Northcote for a 90-ball 53. Morrison soon followed having made 77 off 103 deliveries with nine fours and a six.

Peter Gough weighed in with 47 from 48 balls, but Gayashan Munasinghe (3 for 46) and Dilan Fernando (4 for 49) bit back for Italy, and Jersey were all out for 231.

Driver soon had the Italians reeling on 23 for 3 with three quick wickets. Northcote and Michael Raso produced a partial recovery, but with Ben Stevens, James Faudemer and Peter Gough picking up two wickets each Italy were dismissed for 115. Driver ended with 3 for 23 to go with his half-century, and took the Man of the Match award.

Ireland A 236 for 6 (Strydom 108, R McCann 32*) beat Scotland A 235 for 9 (Chalmers 61, Flannigan 42, van der Merwe 3-34) by four wickets

The battle for second place between Ireland A and Scotland A at Grainville resulted in victory for the former, as they chased down the Scots’ total of 235 for 9 to win by four wickets.

Scotland were given a good start by Freddie Coleman (38), Ryan Flannigan (42) and Ewen Chalmers. However it took some hard hitting from Sean Weeraratna and Marc Petrie in the closing overs to get the total up to something defendable. Albert van der Merwe was again the most successful of the Irish bowlers with 3 for 34.

Reinhardt Strydom and Niall McDonnell got their side off to a solid start. Together they put on 90 in 18 overs, but McDonnell departed for 38. Strydom started to raise the tempo, and reached his century in the 46th over. He and Rory McCann added 54 for the sixth wicket. Strydom went on to 108, made off 122 balls with ten fours and two sixes. McCann finished on 32 not out.

Netherlands A 268 for 5 (Heggelman 128m Griujters 48) beat Denmark 251 (Pederson 70, Luten 3-40, Woutersen 3-51) by 17 runs

A depleted Netherlands A side completed a fine victory over Denmark, moving into fourth place in the process. Tom Heggelman posted the first century of the competition with a splendid 128, made off 153 deliveries with 17 fours and two sixes. He was involved in two century partnerships, the first of 104 with his captain Tim Gruijters (48), and the second of 122 with Tom de Grooth, who also made 48.

Heggelman then claimed Denmark’s first wicket in his second over as they set out in pursuit of the Dutch total of 268 for 5, and then came back to finish it off by taking the last as the Danes were all out for 251, just 18 short of their target.

There were half-centuries from brothers Michael and Carsten Pedersen, and another from Jacob Larsen. Michael Pedersen top-scored with 70, made from 114 balls with six fours, while Carsten made 57 and Larsen 51. Adam Woutersen and Mattijs Luten collecting 3 for 51 and 3 for 40 respectively.

Winners Guernsey pose with the European Division Two trophy © ICC/CricketEurope

Guernsey 219 (Frith 109, Prevost 53, Aamir Waheed 3-35) beat Norway 110 (Barton 51, G Rich 4-22) by 109 runs

Guernsey duly completed a clean sweep, winning their fifth game of the ICC European WCL Division Two Championship by comprehensively beating Norway by 109 runs at KGV. Their total of 219 was dominated by two individual performances – Jeremy Frith scored his second century of the tournament, while skipper Stuart Le Prevost made 53. Frith scored 109 from just 107 balls, striking 13 fours and three sixes, as he shared in a match winning stand of 131 with Le Prevost.

The stand took 140 balls, with Le Prevost’s 53 occupying 77 deliveries. At 186 for 3 with 14 overs remaining, a total of 280 looked on the cards, but a dramatic collapse saw them lose seven wickets for 33 runs.

Aamir Waheed (3 for 35), Shahbaz Butt (3 for 37), and Aram Dawood (2 for 22) were shared the wickets for Norway. But any thoughts that the batting failures could be costly were quickly dispelled as Lee Savident (3 for 8) ripped through the Norwegian top order to leave them reeling at 29 for 4. A fifth wicket stand of 57 between Will Barton (51) and Shahbaz Butt (23) gave Norway some hope, before the spin combination of Gary Rich (4-22) and Jeremy Frith (2-22) saw them dismissed for 110 in 38.1 overs.

It was a much deserved win for Guernsey, who played the most consistent cricket all week.

Israel 222 (Gutman 73) beat Germany 166 (Gutman 4-20) by 56 runs

A fine allround performance from Israeli captain Herschel Gutman has led Israel to their first ever win over Germany as they ended their ICC European Championship Division Two campaign with a 56-run win.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Israel started their innings steadily but then lost wickets, reaching 51 when the danger-man Eshkol Solomon was the fourth wicket down in the 14th over. This brought Herschel Gutman to the crease and he played what was very much a captain’s innings.

He put on 66 for the fifth wicket with Gabriel Schachat and 74 for the sixth wicket with Josh Evans, playing the dominant role in each of those partnerships. Gutman was eventually out for 73 with the score on 194, and the tail put on 28 more runs to help Israel finish on 222, bowled out with one over to spare.

Germany's reply started badly, with the Israeli opening bowlers reducing them to 9 for 3 in 5.4 overs. But the fourth wicket pairing of Andre Leslie and Tarun Rawat recovered the innings, putting on 103 together. Leslie was out having scored 39, and Rawat followed him five overs later having scored 54.

Once those two were gone, the German reply lost its impetus, and the game drifted towards its inevitable conclusion. Gutman finished with 4 for 20 to complete his allround performance and Germany were bowled out for 166 with one ball to spare, Israel winning by 56 runs.

Despite their defeat today, Germany still qualify for Division Eight of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League by virtue of their win in the head to head match with France. That tournament is due to be played in Kuwait later this year.

France 282 for 6 (Ayyavooraju 90, Malik 81*, Sadhwani 2-54) beat Gibraltar 139 (Farrell 35, Akbar 3-10) by 143 runs

France ended their tournament on a winning note following a thoroughly professional display against Gibraltar at College Field. France’s solid batting performance was highlighted by a brilliant knock from the talented Arun Ayyavooraju (90) and a destructive innings of 81 from the explosive Shahid Malik. Malik’s 81 occupied just 36 balls and contained 6 sixes and 5 fours, as the Gibraltar bowlers wilted in the heat. Arun Ayyavooraju was more circumspect, content to play the anchor role – his innings of 90 took 144 balls and included 8 boundaries.

There were useful cameos from Usman Khan and Waseem Bhatti who both scored 21 in the French total of 282 for 6. The wicket-takers for Gibraltar were Karan Sadhwani (2 for 54), Iain Latin (2 for 62) and Vickram Khatwani (1 for 57).

In reply Gibraltar got off to a decent start with Ian Farrell (35) and Karan Aswani (29) adding 62 for the first wicket. Both were dismissed in quick succession by Shahid Malik (2 for 23), before they pressed the self-destruct button. They suffered no fewer than four run-outs, as the sharp French fielding put them under increasing pressure.

Ali Akbar (3 for 10) wrapped up the tail as Gibraltar were eventually dismissed for 139 despite some late resistance from skipper Christian Rocca (20).

The win gives France six points, but they finish third below Germany by virtue of the fact that they lost their head to head encounter.

Jersey 150 for 4 (R Driver 70*) beat Scotland A 149 for 9 (M Petrie 39, Z Bashir 32*, C Jones 3-26) by six wickets

Jersey's R Driver remained unbeaten on 70, from 107 deliveries © ICC/CricketEurope

Jersey continued their unbeaten run with a comprehensive six-wicket win in Farmers Field. Scotland opted to bat but got off to a disastrous start, losing four wickets for 20. The spinner Ben Stevens took two wickets and the total was soon 41 for 6. Chalmers (24) and Petrie (39) battled with a seventh-wicket stand, and with Zeeshan Bashir contributing an enterprising unbeaten 32 towards the end, they managed to push the total up to 149.

Jones was the pick of the Jersey bowlers with 3 for 26, while Driver and Stevens took two each, and the bowling was backed up by some excellent catching. Sam de la Haye held on to two splendid catches, while Driver’s catch at midwicket to dismiss Petrie was the pick of the lot.

Jersey batted out seven overs before lunch and reached 27 without loss. Stuart Chalmers and Tyler Buchan struck immediately after the break, leaving the hosts at 41 for 3. Driver and Peter Gough scripted the recovery stand with 93 for the fourth wicket. Gough was dismissed for a patient 26, while Driver remained unbeaten on 70, from 107 deliveries, as Jersey reached their target with eleven overs to spare.

Denmark 174 for 7 (R Mahmood 66*, F Klokker 48, G Munasinghe 4-26) beat Italy 173 for 9 (H Patrizi 30, J Larsen 3-15, D Borchersen 3-26) by three wickets

At Les Quennevais, Denmark recorded their first win of the tournament by beating Italy by three wickets. Opener Hayden Patrizi gave Italy a good start with 30, and Hemantha Jayasena, Michael Raso and Gayashan Munasinghe all contributed in the middle order to take the score to 173. Jacob Larsen bowled economically and took 3 for 15, while David Borchersen later claimed 3 for 26.

Denmark got off to a good start, with Freddie Klokker making 48, but Munasinghe returned to the attack to put them under pressure. Italy were back in the game at 149 for 6. Rizwan Mahmood, however, led Denmark’s charge with a solid 66 not out, facing 92 deliveries and hitting five fours and a six. Munasinghe finished with 4 for 26, but it was Mahmood’s innings which settled the match, and it earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.

Ireland A 90 for 2 (R Strydom 43) beat Netherlands A 86 (A van der Merwe 3-13) by eight wickets

Ireland A had the easiest of wins as they sent Netherlands A crashing to 86 and then chased down the target in 19.2 overs. The experienced Tom de Grooth top-scored with 34 while Albert van der Merwe was the most successful of the Irish bowlers with 3 for 13, and there were two wickets each for Reinhardt Strydom, Shane Getkate and Andrew Balbirnie. Strydom blasted an 18-ball 43, with three fours and four sixes, taking Ireland to victory with more than 30 overs in hand at FB Fields.

Israel 200 (Solomon 120, I Latin 4-43) beat Gibraltar 170 for 9 (K Murpuri 45*, R Talkar 3-31, J Evans 4-21) by 30 runs

Eshkol Solomon goes over the top during his 120 © ICC/CricketEurope

Eshkol Solomon became only the second Israel batsman, after David Moss, to score a century as his 120 helped his team beat Gibraltar by 30 runs at College Field in Guernsey. Solomon contributed a generous chuck to his team’s total, playing some audacious reverse sweeps and helping Israel recover from a perilous 102 for 7. Iain Latin was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 43.

Gibraltar started poorly when they lost their first two wickets with just one run on the board. Opener Vikram Khatwani was stuck at the crease, crawling to 22 from 110 balls. Richard Buzaglo attempted to provide some impetus with a 37-ball 30 and Kabir Mirpuri hit a 54 ball 45, by which time it was too late. Josh Evans, Israel's young legspinner, bowled excellently to take 4 for 21, as Gibraltar were kept to 170 for 9.

Israel will play Germany on the last day of the tournament on Monday. Despite their win, Israel are now out of the reckoning for the final place in Division 8 of the WCL, with France and Germany still in the running.

Guernsey 190 for 4 (B Queripel 57, J Frith 46, S Le Prevost 31*, L Savident 28) beat France 189 (Ramesh Sithambaranathan 51, William Singh 45, J Nussbaumer 2-26, J Frith 3-30, G Rich 3-46) by six wickets

At Port Soif, Guernsey remained on course to win the ICC Europe WCL Division Two Championship after defeating France by six wickets. Opener Blane Queripel top scored with 57 to help Guernsey chase down 190 with seven balls to spare. France got off to a decent start, moving to 119 for 1 with 21 overs remaining. However, The dismissal of Ramesh Sithambaranathan for 51 proved a turning point as France lost their last seven wickets for 49 runs. Jeremy Frith and Gary Rich took three wickets apiece to set off the collapse.

Queripel led the chase while the Guernsey captain Stuart Le Prevost also contributed with a typically positive 31 not out, off just 39 balls, and contained three boundaries.

Germany 213 for 6 (J Eggleston 87, S Srinivas 34, Aamir Waheed 2-33) beat Norway 209 for 9 (Shahzad Butt 73, Ehsan Latif 4-33) by four wickets

It was a close finish at KGV as Germany’s James Eggleston played a captain’s knock to help his team chase down 210 with three balls to spare. Egglestone played the perfect anchor role, hitting 87 off 145 balls, striking nine boundaries. He shared in two big partnerships – 82 for the second wicket with Andre Leslie (27), and a more crucial 74 for the fifth with Satya Srinivas (34). The pair fell in the 49th over bowled by Aamir Waheed, but Shakeel Hassan’s boundary in the last over sparked off great scenes of celebration.

Earlier, Norway’s Shahbaz Butt scored an under-pressure 73 from 113 balls to help his team recover from a precarious 50 for 5. Ehsan Latif, the left-arm seamer was the main wicket-taker with 4 for 33. Butt received support from the lower order as Norway recovered from 97 for 6 to 209 for 9.

Italy stunned previously-unbeaten Scotland A on the third day of the European Division 1 Championship in Jersey on Friday, pulling off a narrow seven-run victory in a rain-affected match at Farmer’s Field. Scotland’s defeat left hosts Jersey in pole position to win the tournament, since they were much too strong for Netherlands A in their game at FB Fields, while Ireland A bounced back from their defeat by Jersey on Wednesday by cruising to a comfortable victory over Denmark at Grainville.

Italy reached 249 for 7 at the end of their 50 overs after choosing to bat against Scotland A at Farmer’s Field. Top scorers were Andrew Northcote and Dilan Fernando, with 72 and 62, respectively, while Hemantha Jayasena was unbeaten on 47. Sean Weeraratna, was the pick of the Scottish bowlers with figures of three for 44.

Rain delayed the start of Scotland’s reply, and with the match reduced to 47 overs their target was adjusted to 244. They were well placed at 124 for 2 in the 27th over, Ewan Chalmers (57) and Qasim Sheikh (38) having given them a solid platform, but as the Scots attempted to accelerate wickets began to fall. Jan Stander and Willie Rowan kept their hopes alive, and at 217 for 5 they were again well placed. But then Gayashan Munasinghe returned to the attack to remove both of them, and in the end the target proved just too great.

Jersey made 236 for 8 in their 50 overs against Netherlands A after choosing to bat. Top scorers were Peter Gough and Chris Jones, with 57 and 36, respectively. The best bowlers for Netherlands A were Tom Heggelman, Matthis Luten, Mohsin Ghaznavi and Bernard Loots, who all captured two wickets.

Netherlands A reached 13 without loss before a break for rain, but immediately after the interval both openers fell without addition to the score. They were partially rescued by a stand of 63 between Adeel Raja (35) and Tim Gruijters (36), but Hague and Ben Stevens bowled steadily to restrict the scoring rate in the middle overs. The innings closed on 159, with Driver taking four for 26 and two wickets each for Jones, Stevens and Tom Minty.

Ireland A made 334 for 6 in their 50 overs after being asked to bat by Denmark. Top scorers at Grainville were James Shannon and Niall McDonnell, with an unbeaten 84 and 66, respectively, while Stuart Thompson, Andrew Balbirnie and James Hall all made scores in the thirties. The most successful bowlers for Denmark were Henrik Hansen and Michael Pedersen, who recorded figures of 2 for 74 and 2 for 78, respectively.

Denmark were set 323 to make from 47 overs due to rain delaying the start of their innings. Although Freddie Klokker made 36 and Michael Pedersen 62 they were never really in the hunt, and the Irish spin trio of Albert van der Merwe, Andrew Balbirnie and Gary Kidd took eight wickets between them as Denmark were dismissed for 184. Van der Merwe had the best figures with 4 for 44, while Balbirnie took 3 for 31.

Jeremy Frith produced a fine all-round performance, scoring an unbeaten century and taking three wickets, as Guernsey beat Germany by 8 wickets to remain unbeaten in their quest for the ICC European Division Two title.

The hosts won the toss and chose to bowl. led by Frith, they reduced Germany to 123-6 but an unbeaten seventh wicket stand of 65 between Rishi Pillai and Shakeel Hassan helped Germany partially recover to 188-6 from their 50 overs. Frith finished with 3-37 from his 10 overs.

Guernsey lost both openers with just 57 on the board, but Frith and Tim Ravsenscroft came together to put on 133 and see Gurnsey home, with Frith making exactly 100*.

Norway beat Gibraltar by three-wickets thanks to a 71-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Shahbaz Butt and Aziz Ataul. Chasing 190, Norway were in all sorts of trouble at 122 for 7, but Butt’s superb 70 from 88 balls, with eight fours, carried them home with almost six overs to spare. Gibraltar made of 189 for off their 50 overs.

In the day’s third match, France defeated Israel by 65 runs in a high scoring encounter. Batting first, France made 271, led by Arun Ayyavooraju’s 78. Despite a number of contributions, Israel was never in the hunt and were bowled out for 206.

Guernsey currently tops the table with six points, followed by Germany, France and Norway with four points each.

Jersey threw the ICC European Division 1 Championship wide open on Wednesday as they cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Ireland A at Les Quennevais, while elsewhere the heavy rain which enveloped Jersey in the afternoon produced two tight finishes in rain-reduced run chases.

Jersey’s new-ball pair of Ryan Driver and Chris Jones seized the initiative after Ireland A chose to bat first, quickly reducing their opponents to 39 for 4. The Irish were in real trouble at 61 for 6. Albert van der Merwe managed to get the total up to 128 but his side finished on that score in the 46th over. Stevens finished with 3 for 15 and Jones with 3 for 20.

Jersey openers Dean Morrison and Ed Farley had reached 40 before rain intervened, and after the break they extended their opening partnership to 63. Driver and Morrison then added another 41. Morrison, having made a match-winning 66-ball 55, departed with Jersey needing 21 for victory. Peter Gough and Jones knocked off the remaining runs as Jersey completed their win with nearly 20 overs to spare.

Scotland A claimed a second win by beating Denmark by five wickets in a game at FB Fields. Put in by Scotland, Denmark began steadily despite the early loss of key wickets. The Scottish attack generally bowled with great discipline, Tyler Buchan and Zeeshan Bashir the most economical with 2 for 30 and 1 for 27 respectively from their ten overs. Denmark managed to reach 175 for 5 due to some controlled aggression from Martin Pedersen and Jacob Larsen.

But then, just 14 deliveries into the Scottish reply, a succession of heavy showers held up play for three-and-a-half hours, and when the match could continue there was time only for the minimum 20 overs. The target was revised to 95 and Ryan Flannigan’s 23 from 20 balls, including one massive straight six, proved to be the decisive innings. Although they lost five wickets in the process Scotland A got home with seven balls to spare.

In the remaining game Netherlands A accounted for Italy by three wickets after their innings at Grainville was cut to 30 overs. Italy were put in to bat and were in desperate trouble against the new ball, collapsing to 38 for 5. They were rescued by a fine knock of 56 from Michael Raso, who added 84 for the sixth wicket with Gayashan Munasinghe, and Italy reached a comparatively respectable 153 for 7. Mohsin Ghaznavi was again the leading wicket-taker for the Dutch with 3 for 32.

The Dutch batsmen did not find conditions any easier after a long interruption for rain, and at 46 for 4, chasing a Duckworth/Lewis target of 114 in 30 overs, they were in danger of a second successive defeat. Skipper Tim Gruijters steered them towards victory with a fighting 28, with Heggelman and 17-year-old wicketkeeper Werner Erkelens, playing for his country for the first time, knocking off the remaining runs without further loss.

Hosts Guernsey produced a comprehensive 141-run victory over Gibraltar to seize the initiative in the European Division Two championships. Lee Savident’s 91 was the centerpiece of his side’s surge to a strong score of 264 for 4 from their 50 overs.

In reply Gibraltar floundered early, at one stage being 9 for 3. They were dismissed for 123 in the 44th over. The wickets were shared between Andrew Hutchinson, Jonny Warr, Jamie Nussbaumer, Jeremy Frith, Gary Rich and Tim Ravenscroft.

Germany had to earn a hard fought win against France after scoring 172 for 9. Farooq Ahmed led the charge with 40. France just fell short in their bid for victory, though while Arun Ayyavooraju (63) was at the crease. Time was on the French’s side, but the last pair were left needing to score 30. They were bowled out for 167 in the 49th over.

The third game of the day was another close contest between Norway and Israel. Norway were bowled out in the final over for 204. Damien Shortis top scored with 66. At 191 for 4 with nearly 4 overs remaining Israel looked in control, but contrived to lose their cool in a spate of wickets. As it transpired, no. 11 Eliezer Sampson was run out off the penultimate ball of the match, with the Israelis still 4 short of the target, giving Norway a thrilling win.

Ireland A 162 for 3 (Hall 61*, Thompson 33) beat Italy 161 (Coghlan 2-28, Getkate 2-30, van der Merwe 2-21) by seven wickets

James Hall topscored for Ireland A against Italy © ICC/CricketEurope

Ireland A began their defence of the European Championship Division One title with a convincing seven-wicket win over Italy at F.B. Fields, while hosts Jersey and Scotland A also began their campaigns with victories.

Ireland’s bowlers turned in a clinical display as Italy struggled to keep wickets intact. They eventuallt folded for the sub-par score of 161. Ireland A were made to work hard during the chase, by a persistent Italian attack, but opener James Hall was equal to the challenge, scoring a patient unbeaten 61 to see his side through.

Scotland A 215 (Chalmers 59, Hairs 42, Iqbal 36, Ghaznavi 5-50, Loots 3-36) beat Netherlands A 110 (Stander 3-13, Iqbal 2-13, Weeraratna 2-18, Buchan 2-20) by 105 runs

Scotland A proved much too strong for their Dutch counterparts in, cruising to a 110-run win. Put in by Netherlands A, the Scots made an excellent start, with solid contributions from Oliver Hairs (42), Ewan Chalmers (59) and Moneeb Iqbal (36) taking them to 215. Man of the Match Mohsin Ghaznavi led the way with five for 50 for Netherlands, but their batsmen were a big letdown. Tom Heggelman and Vinoo Tewarie managed to double the score after they had stumbled to 33 for 4, but once they were both removed, there was little resistance as the innings closed on 110. Stander finished with three for 13, while there were two wickets apiece for Tyler Buchan, Sean Weeraratna, and Iqbal.

Jersey 167 for 5 (Morrison 55, Farley 39, MR Pedersen 2-33) beat Denmark 164 for 7 (Klokker 67*, MNL Pedersen 38*, Hague 3-19, Driver 2-29, Minty 2-43) by five wickets

At Grainville tournament hosts Jersey put it past Denmark who won the toss but little else. They elected to bat on a pitch that was expected to favour seam bowlers and the hosts made them pay immediately. Opener Frederick Klokker scored a defiant 67, but wickets kept tumbling at the other end as Denmark stuttered to 164 for 8.

Jersey struggled initially, losing two early wickets before getting back on track through opener Dean Morrison and wicketkeeper Ed Farley. Farley was run out on 39, while Morrison was caught behind off Michael Pedersen for 55, but by then they had seen off the toughest period of the chase. Chris Jones, supported by Tim de la Haye saw the hosts through to a five-wicket victory. The match was the 100th international appearance by batsman Carsten Pedersen, who became the first Dane ever to reach this milestone.

Jeremy Bray's presence adds to the experience of the Ireland side © Martin Williamson

The ICC European WCL Division One Championship heads to Jersey today where Denmark, Jersey and Italy line up alongside A teams from Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland.

Ireland, holders of both the European Division One and A team titles, have named a strong 14-man squad with five players from the side that played in the Global World Cricket League Division One championship in Netherlands.

Andrew Balbirnie, James Hall and Craig Young, wicketkeeper Rory McCann, and offspinner Albert van der Merwe are all named in the squad, with Balbirnie and Young having both being named in the Under-19 World Cup qualifier squad. Australia-born left-hander Jeremy Bray, who has played 83 games for Ireland offers a good balance between youth and experience.

Scotland have opted for similar balance, with three WCL Division One squad members in allrounder Moneeb Iqbal, opener Ollie Hairs and the promising Ewan Chalmers. Experience in the Scottish squad lies with batsman Qasim Sheikh and allrounder Jan Stander, both veterans of Scotland's World Cup qualifying campaign in South Africa last year, while seamer Sean Weeraratna has also played for Scotland before.

Chalmers and Hairs will be returning to Jersey, where they played last season in the Under-19 side, and other graduates of that side who will be back this time in the senior ranks are Freddie Coleman, Marc Petrie and Willie Rowan.

The Netherlands come to Jersey with captain Tim Gruijters, batsman Matthijs Luten and legspinners Lucas Brouwers and Vinoo Tewarie, who all played here last year in the Under-19 World Cup qualifiers.

They also have included the experienced pair of batsman Tom de Grooth and offspinner Adeel Raja from the WCL Division One squad. The squad also includes several players who have played in A tournaments in the past, namely Steven de Bruin, Wilfred Diepeveen and Jelte Schoonheim. The young players to watch out for in their side are the South Africa-born seamer Bernard Loots, Zachary van Baren and Tom Heggelman.

Denmark have once again opted for experience, including eight from the squad which played in the World Cup qualifier in South Africa. Michael Pedersen, the new captain, has been named alongside former skipper Freddie Klokker, seamer Henrik Hanse and David Borchersen. Allrounder Rizwan Mahmood is looking to make an impact during the tournament, alongside the youngest player in the team Hamid Shah.

Italy's squad will be led by Hementha Jayasena, and will feature six other players who took part two years ago in Ireland. They include Thushara Kurukulasuriya, Andy Northcote and experienced opening bowler Alauddin who also all took part in World Cricket League Division Four. New faces include local talents Luca Poli and Leandro Jayarajah, and Australia-born Hayden Patrizi d'Agnello and Michael Raso.

Jersey have named a number of younger players for their squad including a new captain in Peter Gough, though his predecessor Ryan Driver retains his place along with opener Dean Morrison. Following the World Cricket League Division Five in Nepal earlier this year, Jersey have brought in Tim de le Haye, Steven Blackburn and James Faudemer to try and improve their fortunes on home turf and consolidate their place in European cricket.

© ICC

After their performances over the last week in the Netherlands, where they finished rock bottom, Kenya's players ought to slink back into Nairobi with their tails between their legs and beg Cricket Kenya to give them a contract. Instead, it is likely they will return home and arrogantly resume their demands for an even bigger share of a small pot.

Kenya were the only fully-professional team in the Netherlands. Actually, they were professional only in the sense they got paid. Their performances with both bat and ball were dismal and they finished the ICC World Cricket League exactly where they deserved to be.

There is a depressing and overwhelming feeling Kenyan cricket may have reached its zenith at the 2003 World Cup and the last few years have not been so much a period of transition as the start of a possibly terminal decline.

Public awareness of the game is low, few bother to watch even the bigger games, the club network is old and creaking, and the game only survives to any degree thanks to increasing ICC handouts and the hard work of a small group of passionate enthusiasts. The development network is not sufficient to produce the number of players to allow Kenya to compete with leading Associates, let alone the bigger fish.

Kenya can no longer afford the luxury of paying mediocre players - and make no mistake and despite their bellyaching, it pays them well - who consistently fail to perform. If contracts are to remain they have to be far more weighted to performance and not seniority.

The money Cricket Kenya pours into the abject first team would be far better spent on an aggressive grass-roots strategy and attracting top coaches to help boost the youth groups. What's there now is simply not working. If it continues to pay its first-team squad then it ought to make them play abroad to get as much experience as possible.

The selectors also need to grab the bull by the horns and cut the remaining ties with the past. An even younger bunch could not have done any worse than the team in the Netherlands. And too many of the old guard seem embroiled in the world where money matters more than results and performances.

Maurice Ouma, who was at the forefront of the player rebellion on the eve of the trip, should be sacked and dropped as soon as the side gets back. His form is not good enough to make him safe, and Cricket Kenya cannot allow someone who works against the national interest to captain the side.

A final thought. Last week Kenya alternated their opening pairs as they unsuccessfully tried to find a partnership that worked. Any yet nobody thought to get in touch with one proven opener, Seren Waters, the 20-year-old international who had been playing daily for Durham University, who had more experience of European conditions than almost anyone else in the side, who scored a hundred at Lord's days before the start of the tournament, and who was available. If only he had been asked.

Papua New Guinea's Raymond Haoda was the leading wicket-taker at the ICC U-19 World cup earlier this year © ICC/Bryan Vandenburgh

PNG Barramundi fast bowler Raymond Haoda Jnr has landed in Brisbane to have a crack at Queensland cricket, after being selected to take part in the QLD Bulls Cricket Elite Pace Bowler Development Programme.

Along with nine of the best young fast bowlers from around Queensland, Raymond will have the benefit of state-of-the-art sport technology and science, will receive advice from some of the best cricket coaches in the world and will also be able to pick the brains of some former and current Queensland and Australian cricketers, with whom he will share training facilities.

The programme will see training six days a week at Queensland Cricket's facilities at Allan Border Oval and with a personal trainer in a local gym. As part of his training, Raymond will spend time under the expert tutelage of QLD Cricket's pace bowling and strength and conditioning coaching staff and PNG coaching director Andy Bichel. He will be competing throughout the programme for a future position in the QLD Bull's State Program and has also signed to play premier cricket for North's Cricket Club in Brisbane as part of his development.

Cricket PNG high performance manager and captain of the Barramundi's, Rarua Dikana said: "Raymond was quietly confident ahead of his arrival into Brisbane. We have to remember that he is the first player from outside a Test playing nation to take the most wickets at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. He took more wickets than Josh Hazlewood, who has since gone on to play one-day internationals for Australia in England this week."

Raymond is a rare talent and if he works hard and takes on board the advice of the coaches around him, we may well see him playing first-class cricket in Australia for the QLD Bulls."

With the PNG Barramundi's in training to take on the Australian Indigenous XI in the "Don't Drink and Drive Challenge" in late July, Raymond will take a week off from the programme to fly home to represent his country.

Cricket PNG CEO, Bill Leane, wished Raymond the best of luck: "Raymond is a great young ambassador for our sport and we wish him all the best for his time in Australia. I would like to thank Queensland Cricket for recognising Junior's potential and I congratulate his very proud family for all the support they have given him in pursuing his dreams."

This article first appeared in the ICC East Asia-Pacific Newsflash July 2010

A new era came about on June 15-16 when the first ever Cricket Workshop was held at Makhubu Cricket Club in Selebi Phikwe for primary school teachers from 27 primary schools.

The workshop was run by the Botswana Cricket Association in conjunction with the Primary Schools sports running Board, BOPSSA. The orientation course was part of the development programme being undertaken by the Botswana cricket association in trying to introduce cricket to all regions of the country. The teachers underwent both theory and practicals at the two-day workshop under the tutulege of the Northern based BCA Coach, Clement Chipanga who was ably assisted by Taurai Chakanetsa, Selibe Phikwe and Claire Maele.

The course covered the basics in cricket skills that comprised of bowling, batting and fielding. The teachers also had the opportunity of learning the basics of officiating and scoring in cricket. One positive note was the composition of the participants that saw both male and female teachers attending thereby giving opportunities to all as the game is now widely being played by both sexes as this will see cricket being introduced in the schools and creating a wide base from which talent can be taped from. It will also culminate in more citizens being involved in cricket thus fulfilling the BCA theme 'Bringing Cricket to the Nation'.

Also present was the chairman of Makhubu Cricket Club Mr. A. Dunlop and the BCA General Secretary Mr. F. Sheriff who urged the teachers to grab this opportunity and introduce the sport in their respective schools right away. Teachers were also encouraged to improvise equipment and utilise the current facilities in their schools.

Cricket will be played for the first time at the South-east Asian Games in 2011 in Indonesia as a demonstration sport .

Six sides featuring the national teams from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar and Indonesia will contest a Twenty20 tournament, although as a demonstration sport medals will not be at stake. Cricket Indonesia official, Prakash Vijaykumar, said it was likely the cricket event would be staged in Jakarta.

Vijaykumar said local Indonesian stations normally telecast the SEA Games, and it was likely feeds would be provided to the other visiting countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam which won't be taking part in the cricket event. Laos and Timor-Leste are the only countries taking part in the SEA Games which do not have cricket clubs.

A boom in player numbers has resulted in a record number of teams playing in this year's Seoul competition and the likely creation of the country's first league outside Seoul.

Such is the demand, Korea Cricket Association officials had originally omitted three teams. However, the unexpected acquisition of a second ground at Ajou University in Suwon has allowed all 13 teams to play.

KCA official, Daami Cagney, attributed the increase to several factors: "2009 saw a lot more awareness of cricket in Korea through several events throughout last year - the Sixes tournament, junior coaching clinics as well as elementary and high school clinics. There are also more ex-pats living in South Korea than ever before, and the network is likewise expanding - information gets around."

Ulsan, on the southern coast, is likely to become the second city in South Korea next year to have its own competition. "A group of mostly expats with some Koreans have been playing cricket for several years in the Gyoungsangname province, mostly out of the city of Ulsan. The standard has mostly been 'backyard' or 'street' cricket. The plan is that they take this year to sort things out, develop an appropriate organisational structure, and commence a competition next year," Cagney said.

The KCA’s attempts to build on the progress achieved last year in junior development through visits to elementary and high schools in the Seoul/ Gyounggi Province region will only be slowed temporarily for the football World Cup.

"Interest from organisations at the junior level has faltered somewhat in the lead-up to the World Cup, which stops the nation every four years. From what we have observed, cricket is not the only sport that suffers during this period. However, from the end of the summer vacation in August, there will be a drive to boost cricket's awareness even more. This drive will target local sports academies and schools, and will be pitched as not just sport, but a 'cultural/ language' experience - the idea being the obsession of English language education may be a good way to give younger students an opportunity to experience cricket." Cagney said

The ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament began in Netherlands with Ireland aiming to defend their title, but Afghanistan sensing another trophy.

Scotland prevailed in a nerve-wracking contest against hosts Netherlands, winning off the penultimate ball with one wicket in hand in Amstelveen. Their chase of 235 had been dealt a serious blow when the first six wickets fell for 121, but the lower order set about pulling things back.

Afghanistan put in an admirable batting display to overcome a challenging target of 258 set by Canada in Voorburg. Captain Nawroz Mangal led the charge with an unbeaten 70, off just 58 balls, and the innings was also supported by half-centuries from opener Noor Ali and Mohammad Shahzad. Noor and Shahzad were involved in a 87-run stand, though both fell in quick succession. Afghanistan recovered quickly from those jolts, thanks to an attacking knock from their captain, who ensured victory was achieved with eight balls to spare.

A collective bowling effort and a solid opening performance from Paul Stirling kicked off defending champions Ireland's campaign on a successful note against Kenya in Rotterdam.