Cyprus have won the European Division 4 Championship on net run rate from Switzerland and Austria in Happy Valley. All three teams won four of their five matches, but Cyprus thrashed Switzerland in the opeing round of matches only to lose to Austria who, in turn, were themselves defeated by the Swiss. Cyprus’ drubbing of Slovenia, who they bowled out for 128 after amassing 360 for 4, tipped the net run-rate in their favour. Cyprus gain promotion to Division 3 while Slovenia are relegated to Division 5.

ICC Europe has announced the regional winners of the ICC Development Programme Awards for 2008.

Cricket Scotland was awarded Best Overall Cricket Development Programme for its multi-faceted approach to growing the game at a community and national level. One of the key initiatives staged in 2008 included a national pilot programme to improve the way cricket is introduced to children in the primary school environment. Due to the success of the pilot programme, 18,000 children were introduced to the game by primary school teachers, an increase of 10% on 2007, with a staged roll-out now in the planning for 2009-10. Cricket Scotland’s Coach Education Programme also enabled more than 100 coaches around the country to achieve a formal ECB coaching qualification, whilst the continuing development of activity centres offering weekly coaching sessions for girls, regional academy and scholarship schemes, and the TOPClub junior programme also highlighted Cricket Scotland’s wide breadth of development activities.

“With such a varied programme of activities and proven results, Cricket Scotland is a worthy winner of this coveted award. What is encouraging is that each year Cricket Scotland proposes and actions new and different cricket development initiatives - an achievement which ultimately benefits the sport and its players at all levels,” said Richard Holdsworth, ICC regional development manager - Europe.

Cricket Ireland was awarded Best Women’s Cricket Initiative for their Leinster and Irish Women’s Cricket forum. Organised by Siobhan McBennett and Catherine Goodman, the forum saw Ireland players, coaches and volunteers attend a highly interactive workshop session aimed at identifying a range of critical issues for women’s cricket nationally. Key outcomes from the forum were fed in to the Cricket Ireland Irish High Performance plan 2008-2015 and have already resulted in an increase in funding towards the women’s game this year.

Winner of the Best Junior Cricket Initiative Award was the Finnish Cricket Association (FCA) for their Junior Girls UK Tour and associated cricket training camps and schools programme in Finland. The vision and enthusiasm of FCA Cricket Development Officer, Maija Scamans, in driving this project forward stood out amongst the entries this year.

The Spirit of Cricket Award was awarded to the Jersey Cricket Board for bringing the game and spirit of cricket to a group of young offenders in Jersey’s prison in May 2008. Jersey also won the Best Cricket Promotion and Marketing Award for their efforts in promoting the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 tournament held on the Island.

The Photo of the Year was taken by Barry Chambers of Ireland. A very unique entry, Barry’s photo montage captures Mahaboob Alam of Nepal taking all ten wickets during the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 match against Mozambique in Jersey in June 2008. The montage was presented to Alam at the end of the tournament to commemorate his exceptional achievement; however Barry’s ability to capture each and every wicket was also a remarkable achievement in itself - a key reason why Barry was selected as the worthy winner of this category.

Timothy Belton of Guernsey was awarded Volunteer of the Year for his services to the Guernsey Cricket Development Programme. A chartered surveyor by trade, Tim coaches over 100 hours during the winter programme working with players of all ages and abilities. During the summer he gives over ten hours per week and accompanies the Under-12 and Under-13 squad to over 20 matches both on and off the Island whilst also running cricket sessions for his local school.

The prestigious Lifetime Service Award was awarded to Tom Finlayson MBE of Gibraltar Cricket Association (GCA). Since returning to the country in 1982 after a teaching career in the UK, Tom has been fully involved in the game at all levels. Tom not only introduced the game to and coached a generation of players but he also represented the country internationally. Throughout the years Tom has been responsible for arranging tours and also became the Secretary of the GCA, a post which he held for 18 years before becoming chairman, an appointment he maintains to this day.

“Tom Finlayson has for many years been the ambassador for Gibraltar Cricket and for the game as a whole. His unwavering dedication to the sport can only be described as an inspiration to many. We congratulate Tom on his well deserved honour and can only assume that this award will only inspire him to devote more time and energy to the game he loves,” said Holdsworth.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Although the ICC draws considerable flak on many fronts, it is quietly committed to promoting the game in as many countries as possible, and it does that by means of a myriad of competitions and initiatives. Most do not warrant much media attention, but they are there and they work.

Until now, the gripe of the smaller countries, and especially those bubbling just underneath the top flight, has been about the inequality of the way in which the game is financed. That was never more apparent than when it came to earnings from last year's World Cup.

Ireland got a flat fee of US$125,000 a year for four years for taking part, and on top of that they received another $50,000 for reaching the Super Eights. However, because of the extra costs involved in their progression, not least because their players are not professional cricketers and their absences from their full-time jobs had to be underwritten, Ireland's success actually left the board out of pocket.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, turned up, tied with Ireland and never threatened to progress after being thumped by Pakistan and West Indies. For those three matches, Zimbabwe Cricket received US$11 million, their share of the pot as a Full Member.

The top six Associates receive no more than US$500,000 a year - some substantially less - to fund their entire operations. Out of that they have to pay all their cricketing and administration costs. Only those with a low cost of living, such as Kenya, can hope to maintain a professional squad on that kind of money.

The gulf between the haves and have-nots is further widened by the limited sums Associates can earn from sponsorship and media contracts. Zimbabwe can exploit home series against, say, India to carve out lucrative TV deals worth millions, and on the back of that, attract shirt- and other corporate sponsorship. As highlighted by Scotland's failure to secure any TV deal for their forthcoming ODI against England, the Associates struggle to get such income streams.

The new deals will provide a substantial increase for Associates, especially for the countries who are pressing for space at the top table. Until now the share has been roughly equal, rewarding Netherlands and Kenya on par with Thailand and Fiji. The new system will see more demarcation between the top Associates and the rest.

The leading ten could earn as much as US$1.5 million a year from 2009. There will then be an onus on them to professionalise their administrations, but several of them are already well down that route. They will also be more accountable - the ICC does not want a repeat of the mess that came following a spike in Kenya's funding earlier in the decade.

The second-string Associates will also get more - around US$160,000 as a base figure - but then again the demands on them are less. Even Affiliates will receive US$15,000, with the opportunity for more should they make a good enough case. There will also be more cash in the pot for participating and hosting competitions.

There have never been more opportunities for development outside the Full Member countries, but there remain some nagging worries.

The main one is how to bridge the gap between semi and full-blown professionalism. Almost all the Associates rely on dedicated amateurs, both on and off the field. As the number of ICC competitions has increased - and they have to be welcomed - the pressure has begun to tell. Scotland and Ireland particularly have already found players cannot meet all their commitments, and even the increased income will not allow them to employ a full-time squad.

"So much of putting players on full-time retainers depends on how many fixtures we can command," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, said. "At the moment, all we can promise the squad in 2009 is a World Cup qualifying campaign, eight FP Trophy matches, an England game, and probably some Intercontinental Cup matches. Of course, we hope to have more, but can't be sure at the moment.

"Our top players are already plying their trade in county cricket, while others have full-time jobs which they may not wish to give up. The actual number of players that the coach will want to put on a full-time contract, or else the number that even want to have one, may not be that many."

The other quandary is how to get them fixtures. Kenya, widely regarded as the leading Associate, have found it almost impossible to get Full Member countries to visit or host them. As a result they invariably play other Associates. Good for the win-loss ratio, not so clever in providing the kind of experience that no amount of money can buy.

These issues will need to be addressed, but for now the future has never looked so promising beyond the Test world.

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

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Denmark have won the 2008 European Indoor Championship in Finland, beating old foes Portugal in a thrilling encounter. Denmark scrambled a two-wicket win off the penultimate delivery, overhauling Portugal's total of 132.

Hamid Shah was their hero in the decider with an unbeaten 28, sharing a match-winning partnership with Taha Ahmed (25*), after they were precariously placed at 65 for 3. For Paulo Buccimazza, the captain of Portugal, there was the consolation of being awarded Player of the Tournament after finishing as the leading run scorer in the competition, and once again in the final showed his quality making an unbeaten 38.

Such was Denmark's strength that they sailed through the competition unbeaten - eight games in total. Finn Kleissl, the captain, marshalled his squad superbly, and their disciplined bowling, backed up by athletic fielding, was a powerful combination which ensured their deserved success.

The host nation Finland finished a very encouraging third, and was just reward for the hard work the side put in to prepare for their debut as a host nation. They also unearthed a star, the wicketkeeper Jonathan Scamans, who was one of the standouts in the event.

France improved considerably as the competition progressed and thanks to wins over Hellas and Luxembourg, clinched fifth place. They came dramatically close to recording the highest ever European Indoor score when they totalled 158 for 1 - just one short of the 159 made by Hellas in 2002.

Their main performer was Arun Ayyavooraju, who performed consistently throughout.

Luxembourg steadily improved as the competition went on, and won the 'Spirit of Cricket Award'. William Heath, their captain, was pipped at the post for the Player-of-the-Tournament award, but he did record the highest individual score over the three days with an undefeated 41.

Hellas finished seventh, but there were moments of encouragement for their very young and inexperienced team. Their main contributor was Spyridon-Marios Kavvadias, who turned in some determined all-round performances.

"It's been an amazing few days of cricket, finished off with a nail-biting final," Richard Holdsworth, ICC's European development manager said. "The facilities here have been exemplary, with two pitches playing superbly. The players have all learnt a lot and improved as a result. This is what it's all about - it's primarily a development tournament.

"This is by far the youngest group of players we've had in the ten years, and that's encouraging, as it means that there are better, younger players being put forward by their Associations. I am also thrilled by the fantastic web coverage which has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to our website over the weekend - a great promotion for the game in Europe."

"I think indoor cricket is a marvellous way of promoting the game, particularly in some countries where they struggle with pitches and they haven't got a cricketing culture," Roger Knight, the chairman of European Cricket. "It helps with the basics of cricket - bowling straight, finding the gaps when batting, and running quickly between the wickets. All the teams have played good cricket, and it's been a pleasure to watch so many young teams in action.

"This is what European cricket is all about, and it's a great experience for them to meet people from other countries and learn from them."

The tenth ICC European Indoor Championship take place this weekend in Kuortane, Finland. This will be the first tournament to take place in Finland and Kuortane will become the most northerly venue ever to be used for an official international cricket championship.

Originally held every year, the European Indoor Championship has now become a biennial event. The 2006 tournament was held at Lord's and was won by Denmark, who were victors in three of the last four championships. The only other winner in that period was Hellas (Greece), who defeated Denmark by 3 runs in the 2005 final in Herning, Denmark.

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Finland will host the 10th European Indoor Championship, in Kuortane next February, ICC Europe announced today.

This is the first time that the Scandinavians will host the European Indoor Championship, which made its debut in Versailles, France back in 1998. That year it was won by Portugal who went on to win the competition three times before hosting it in Lisbon in 2001.

Like Portugal, Denmark have also been crowned champions three times (2003, 2004, 2006), and the only other teams to win the competition are Greece (2005, 2002) and the Netherlands (2000).

17 ICC European member countries have competed in the competition since its inception and the 2008 Championship will include eight teams: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.

This year’s host, Finland, has only competed in the competition once before at the previous tournament in 2006 held at Lord’s, where Denmark took the title and where Finland's final position was a very creditable sixth.

“This is a great time for cricket in Finland which is growing extremely fast,” Richard Holdsworth, the ICC European Development manager said. “ Their development programmes have reached out to many girls and boys over the last few years, and awarding them their first ICC event will help this expand even more.”

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

With the exception of Bermuda, cricket is not a mainstream sport in any of the participants. And yet it survives, and in some instances thrives, despite the lack of attention and a relatively small number of enthusiasts.

The ICC, who do sterling work in supporting the game's second and third tiers, will rightly use the event to highlight that cricket is not just about the Indians and Australias of the world.

But there remains a nagging worry. The ICC boasts that the game is spreading across the world. But is that right? Is it taking root or is it surviving because more people from its hotbed - south-east Asia - are emigrating and keeping it alive for the duration of their careers?

In last year's Wisden Almanack, Matthew Engel raised this very issue. "Overwhelmingly, the game in non-traditional countries is played by expatriates, mostly South Asian. Journalists were kidded into believing that cricket was about to burst on China, on the basis of some warm comments by civil servants and a couple of coaching courses. I have seen not one shred of evidence to back this up. Are the kids playing with tapeballs on the streets of Shanghai? Are they heck!"

Take Canada. Of the squad in Nairobi at the moment, only three were born in the country, and two of those are over 35. Of the rest, five come from the Caribbean, four from India and each from Pakistan and Uganda. Whereas other Associates have a smattering of expats, Canada are utterly reliant on them.

Engel's comment attracted fierce criticism from those who either argued that England had more than their share of "imports" or that the game only spread in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Caribbean through expats playing it in the first place.

The worry in some countries is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants

With regards to England, yes there have been quite a few non English-born players who have been picked for the side, but the game still has a massive stronghold in the country. The selection has been more about improving a solid side. And as for the ex-pats argument? Well, yes, but that's the crucial point. In the regions flagged the game was brought in but it was then embraced by the indigenous population and taken on as their own. This is exemplified no better than in CLR James's seminal work, Beyond A Boundary.

The worry in some countries - and again I come back to Canada - is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants. Canada's cricket heritage is rich but there is little sign that it has been built on. This is best underlined by the selection of former West Indies international Anderson Cummins. Forty years old and without a major match to his name since 1995-96, he made his debut in Mombasa last week. What message does that send out about the strength in depth of cricket in Canada?

It's not just Canada. Look at the USA, whose 2004 Champions Trophy side was a collection of ageing expats whose performances verged on the disgraceful. And the UAE, which is almost entirely dependant on its ex-pat workforce to keep the game alive.

Cricket's expansion should not be about filling teams with expats and expecting the locals to get excited about it. The only way cricket can gain a foothold in emerging countries is by actually getting the indigenous population to embrace the game, and two excellent examples where this is happening are Nepal and Uganda.

Anderson Cummins of Barbados, West Inbies ... and now Canada © Eddie Norfolk

Does it matter? Yes, because as the ICC looks to develop the game in as many places as possible, that means the financial cake has to be cut in ever thinner slices. The ICC needs to concentrate on a smaller number of countries where the chances of the game taking off. It is invidious that Uganda gets the same basic allowance as Belgium.

Cricket is in trouble in its traditional homes in Africa - Zimbabwe are hell-bent on destruction and South Africa seems to be falling out of love with the game. So efforts should be made in Uganda . And in Asia, which everyone accepts is the game's stronghold, a side like Nepal should really be given the leg up. It's about targeting rather than a scattergun approach.

In fairness to the ICC, they have a tough time and a lot of countries scrambling for a share of the spoils. It's about weeding out the weak and really looking to grow the game in areas where it has the best chance of taking root. It's an almost impossible ask. Look at the repeated failure of American Football to crack Europe ... and if football itself still battles for acceptance outside expats and schools in the USA, then the size of the ICC's task becomes clear.

Of course expats have a key role to play in expansion. But if the game is basically played by them, is it the game spreading or is it more about diehards clinging to the traditions of their homelands? In the UK there are baseball and American football sides, but they are almost all expat Americans and so few would seriously claim the games have taken hold. However, basketball and ice hockey are widely played by locals, boosted by some imported players and expats, and, crucially, the national side can stand on its own two feet. That's the difference.

Finland have returned to Division 3 of the European Championships after winning this week's 4th division tournament in Belgium.

Speaking to the teams at the tournament’s closing dinner, ICC European Development Manager Richard Holdsworth pointed out that three years ago Norway had played in the equivalent competition.

‘By winning three consecutive tournaments,’ Holdsworth said, ‘they have earned promotion to the 1st Division, and will also be part of Division 5 of the World Cricket League in 2007-2008.

‘This gives them an opportunity to reach the 2009 ICC Trophy, the qualifying tournament for the 2011 World Cup. In preparation for all this, they will receive a grant of $US20,000.’

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