Germany's Andre Leslie writes about the ICC WCL Division Eight.

Well, all good things have to come to an end. Our wonderful Kuwait experience is now over and - unfortunately - so is our winning streak. Kuwait were worthy winners of this tournament, no doubt about it, but I would be lying if I said that we were satisfied with our performance today.

After a good start, our top order - including yours truly - failed to capitalise. Losing wickets regularly always makes scoring a big total difficult. We still thought we had a chance though with 163 on the board, but we knew we would have to bowl well from the start. Kuwait were always going to come out guns blazing ... and this time their plan worked.

Still, I was really impressed by how the team fought their way back into the game and put the Kuwait batsmen under pressure despite the low total. Our spinners once again bowled well. In the end though our hosts played it sensibly to the end and got the runs comfortably. It was a disappointing end for our DCB side, even though we have managed our main goal of qualifying for Division 7 - of that we can be really proud.

This evening we get straight back on the plane to Frankfurt in Germany. It is a quick turn around for the squad. But, we all have jobs to get back to and lounging here in Kuwait will not pay the bills! Although I am looking forward to getting back to family and friends, I will definitely miss the warm weather here a bit.

I hope to catch you all in Botswana next May for the World Cricket League Division 7!

ICC Europe has announced the tournament fixture schedule for the upcoming ICC European Under-19 Division 2 Championship to be held in Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium.

This will be the third time that a Division 2 tournament has been staged at this age group and will see the Under-19 national squads from Belgium, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Israel, Italy and Isle of Man contest the Championship title over a series of 50-over and Twenty20 matches.

“The competition is of particular importance to national development programmes and player pathways as it gives young cricketers a taste of international cricket before they play
for their country's senior side,” said, ICC Europe regional development manager
Richard Holdsworth. "With seven teams participating, this event is one of the larger tournaments in Europe this summer. There is nothing greater than representing your country in any sport and to be able to do so prior to senior level will hopefully inspire continued growth and development of cricketers in our junior age groups."

The opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 tournament in Guernsey was almost entirely washed out by persistent rain.

Two matches did get underway before being abandoned - Bahrain were wobbling on 52 for 4 against Gibraltar and Japan were 28 for 1 against Guernsey. The game between Suriname and Nigeria did not even get started.

Tuesday is scheduled to be a rest day and it is possible the organisers might replay today’s matches then.

	The Hamburg players ahead of the championship game © Khawaja Rauf

By Sven Hansen

The 2008 German cricket season is nearing its end with the national club championship taking place on Sunday, September 14 in Hamburg.

Hamburger Sportverein (HSV) will play hosts to the Sports and Social Club (DSSC, Berlin) at their ground in Hamburg-Billstedt (Beim Saaren, 22115 Hamburg). Both are reigning champions of their regional leagues, Northern Germany and Berlin respectively.

DSSC had a rather easy semi-final win against the Hessen champions (Olympia Cricket Club, Frankfurt) reaching their target of 112 runs with eight wickets in hand. Olympia had qualified for the semi-final by beating the Munich International CC (Bavaria league).

HSV however, had a close encounter with Cologne Cricket Club (Champions of Northrhine-Westphalia league). Having bowled Cologne out for 103 runs in just 18 overs, HSV took things lightly and with four runs needed for victory, lost wickets N o.8 and 9 consecutively. Two wides and a boundary then turned the outcome once more in their favour much to the delight of their supporters. Both batting line-ups will be looking to resist some effective bowling with the DSSC boys having four top batsmen in their favour.

Key Players

Opener Dilshan Rajudeen has been a top scorer in Berlin reaching 99 not out in the final of the Berlin championship. He’ll be supported by German national players Imran Chaudhry, Asif Khan and skipper Javed Rana Iqbal.

Zaheer A Malik and Barkatullah Masaud as the leading wicket-takers in the Northern league in 2008 will seek to stop the Berlin run-rate with their colleague Tahir A Butt ready to tempt the batsmen with some leg breaks.

In return, Altaf Rehman and Sohil Mian are expected to attack Hamburg openers ZA Malik and Fahad Saeed, the latter a PhD student and known to turn the crease into his home.

Defending champions DSSC will be looking to take the cup home to Berlin for the third year running. They are, undeniably, the favourites. But as they say in Hamburg: „Lobe den Tag nicht vor dem Abend!“ (Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched).

Cricket in Germany

In 2008, Germany played host to the Euro U-17 Division 2 Championships and celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a visit from the Marylebone Cricket Club. Check the Deutsche cricket association website here.

The ICC European Division 2 Championship gets underway on Monday in Guernsey. Six countries - Croatia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey and Jersey - will compete for the title, and their finishing positions will determine their potential entry into the proposed expansion of the World Cricket League.

Click here for the full preview.

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.

Germany’s Graham Sommer has been reprimanded after being found guilty of two breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct during his side’s match against the USA in the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey.

The punishment was handed down by match referee David Jukes following a hearing that took place on Monday after the USA won the match in question by six wickets. The player was charged under clauses 1.3 and 1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct which refer to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision” and “using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or the making of an obscene gesture” respectively.

This followed an appeal for a lbw by Sommer which was turned by umpire Sanjeev Kad. The charges were laid by Kad, of Finland, and his fellow on-field umpire, Mike Carpenter of Jersey.

Explaining his decision after the hearing, Jukes said: “On the basis of the evidence put before me, it was proved beyond doubt that Mr Sommer showed dissent and also used language that was obscene after his appeal was turned down. Even though it is not the sort of example that players should be setting at any time, I decided to reprimand and warn Sommer of his future conduct for a period of 12 months after he showed a degree of remorse and apologised for his actions.”

It may be three long years years away, but the road to the 2011 World Cup begins this week in the unlikely setting of Jersey. More famed for its cattle and potatoes than a venue for cricket tournaments, Jersey plays host to 12 of the world's lesser-known teams in Division 5 of the World Cricket League (WCL), as they battle to climb the ladder to the fourth division and dream of a World Cup place in Asia.

Will Luke previews Division 5 of the World Cricket League which gets underway this week.

Associate Member Bermuda picked up two prizes in the ICC Development Program Annual awards, making them the winners in this year’s competition. They were awarded the Best Overall Cricket Development Program and the Photo of the year titled “It’s a Catch”.

A happy Reginald Pearman, president of the Bermuda Cricket Board, said: “I am excited and proud that Bermuda cricket has won these distinguished awards, which confirm that we are making progress in the right direction when it comes to our strategic goals. I am particularly pleased with the growth in our junior membership and the fact that our women’s team participated in the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Stellenbosch and our youngsters appeared in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia makes me even more proud.”

Jos Heggleman won the Volunteer of the Year Award for his outstanding contribution to the game in the Netherlands, while the Hong Kong Cricket Association won the Best Cricket Promotion and Marketing Award for the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.

Cricket Indonesia’s Tetrapak U-19 Development Program was declared the Best Junior Cricket Initiative program. Deutscher Cricket Bund did well in the Global Awards, picking up the Best Women’s Cricket Initiative prize for their U-19 Women’s Tournament in Oldenburg, Germany. The best Spirit of Cricket Initiative in Partnership with UNAIDS was won by the Mozambique Cricket Federation’s National Commission for School Cricket.

John Wright of Ireland and Laurie Pieters of Namibia won Lifetime Service Awards for their long and dedicated service to cricket development not only in their home countries, but also internationally, given both have served on several ICC committees.

Wright, the honorary secretary of the Irish Cricket Union for 10 years until stepping down this year, said: “I am extremely delighted to receive this award. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in cricket and I must admit that it is very pleasing to be acknowledged and honoured for your services. It’s been a privilege to be part of the ICC Development Program and I wish it best of luck in the future”

Ray Mali, the ICC president, who served as one of the four global judges alongside former ICC presidents Ehsan Mani and Malcolm Gray and MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw, said: “This whole process has shown once again the outstanding work being done in the development of cricket around the world. It was immensely difficult to select the winners but those lucky enough to be chosen reflect the contributions they have made to our wonderful worldwide sport. Everyone involved, winners and those not chosen, deserve immense credit for their efforts.”
Best Overall Cricket Development Program Bermuda Cricket Board

Best Women's Cricket Initiative Oldenburg U-19 Women’s Tournament (Germany)

Best Junior Cricket Initiative Tetrapak U-19 Development program (Indonesia)

Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Award – Hong Kong Cricket Sixes (Hong Kong)

Best Spirit of Cricket Award in Partnership with UNAIDS – National Commission for School Cricket (Mozambique)

Photo of the Year Award “It’s a Catch” (Bermuda)

Volunteer of the Year Jos Heggleman (The Netherlands)

Lifetime Service Award John Wright (Ireland) and Laurie Pieters (Namibia)

Each Global award category is allocated US$2000 of equipment to be received by the winning national cricket body.

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.

Click here for the full story.

Paul Baldwin, the England-born German umpire, has steadily climbed the rungs and will officiate in the upcoming Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. KR Nayar of the Gulf Times caught up with him in during the ICC Intercontinetal Cup in Sharjah.

Just before stepping out for the match, a few players asked him: "Do people play cricket in Germany?" Baldwin's prompt answer shocked them. "We have 70 teams playing every weekend and are already in the World League Division five."

Baldwin went on to impress everyone with his shrewd decision-making skills. "I was born in England. My parents were with the British forces and I moved to Germany when I was 17. I've never been to England since then," said the 34-year-old umpire who has also acted in two German movies.

How did he land up as an umpire? "I was the captain of my team, not because I was a good player, but as someone who used to do the rounds to make sure 11 players were on the bus at the right time. During matches, I also used to umpire. In fact, I once gave a decision which was disgusting," he revealed sheepishly.

The ICC Development Program has announced the regional winners of the 2007 Annual Awards. Scotland and Germany were the biggest winners in the Europe region, picking up two awards each.

Scotland received the awards for the best overall cricket development program and best cricket promotion and marketing. Cricket Scotland had a particularly successful 2007 as its grassroots programme grew significantly.

Germany was awarded the best women’s initiative award for an Under-17 women’s tournament held in Oldenburg in February and the best junior initiative award for its “Cricket to German Schools” project which has helped double the number of school children participating in cricket across Germany.

John Wright of Ireland was awarded the Lifetime Service Award. John is set to retire from his duties as Honorary Secretary of the Irish Cricket Union this weekend after years of service to cricket in both Ireland and Europe.

Elsewhere across the globe, two countries Bermuda and Namibia received three awards each, and, aside from Germany and Scotland, five other member countries collected two awards each: Botswana, Nepal, Indonesia, Japan and Vanuatu.

Two members – Peru, who only joined the ICC as an Affiliate member in 2007, and Suriname – received prizes for the first time.

Guernsey secured their first ever title when they beat Jersey in the final of the European Under-15 Division 2 Championship in La Manga, Spain on Saturday. Click here to read the full story.

The European Cricket Council has announced a deal with ICC Europe, ECB and Premium TV to make ECBtv available on subscription throughout Europe.

In many areas of Europe there is no access to TV highlights of matches, and this move looks to make coverage accessible to everyone.

"ECB is pleased and excited to be able to offer Europe’s cricket fans access to ECBtv and it is hoped that it will take the game to previously uncharted areas, inspiring people to get involved in this great sport,” Richard Holdsworth, the ICC’s regional development manager, said. "Delivering live video coverage via broadband to European territories has brought people closer to the game than ever before.”

ECBtv shows Test and one-day international matches live to certain territories, as well as match highlights, exclusive interviews, press conferences, coaching master classes and many other features to a global audience. Live streams start at £2.99. Click here for full details.

Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008.

The ICC’s decision follows a recent visit to the island by a development team to inspect the country’s suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord's in June.

Jersey has been an Affiliate Member of the ICC since June 2005 and as such is one of the more recent additions to the ICC’s Development Program. Selection to host this global event is recognition of the successful developments that the Jersey Cricket Board (JCB) has achieved over the past two years since gaining membership.

The largest of the Channel Islands, Jersey is located off the north coast of France and has a population of around 90,000 people. Approximately 3,500 participate in the game in Jersey. There are six grounds with turf squares on the island, which play host to a league structure made up of more than 40 teams competing across two weekend divisions, three evening league divisions and two indoor league divisions. There are also a further 47 teams that compete at junior level.

Chris Minty, JCB’s director of cricket, said: “This is tremendous, not only for Jersey cricket, but also for Jersey. We are looking forward to the challenges that this will present and will be doing all we can to ensure it is a successful tournament.”

Keith Dennis, chairman of the JCB, commented: “We feel very proud and honoured that the ICC has awarded this big tournament to Jersey and it's a tribute to the structure we have in place here and, of course, our facilities, together with support from our local government and sponsors. This has created the opportunity to be in a position to host such a tournament and we are looking forward to it.”

The WCL Divison 5 is scheduled to take place sometime in May or June of 2008, but the exact date is yet to be confirmed. Originally planned to be an eight-team event, a recent decision at the ICC Development Committee meeting earlier this month opted to expand the league to include 12 teams - Botswana, USA, Afghanistan, Norway, Nepal, Singapore, Jersey, Mozambique, Bahamas, Germany and two teams yet to qualify from the East-Asia Pacific region.

The WCL is made up of five divisions with the Europe region contributing eight teams to the overall event: Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland (Division 1), Denmark (Division 2), Italy (Division 3), Norway, Jersey and Germany (Division 5).

ICC Regional Development Manager for Europe Richard Holdsworth said: “Jersey’s excellent facilities and administration will ensure this is a memorable event for those countries participating. This will do the game of cricket a tremendous service in Jersey.”

The top two teams from the Division 5 tournament will progress to WCL Division 4 which is a six-team round-robin event to be staged in late 2008 at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008, the ICC confirmed on Tuesday.

The decision follows a recent visit to the island by an ICC Development team to inspect the country's suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord's in June.

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.

The European Cricket Council's European Cricket Championships, which are being held in Scotland, are the first to be organised under the auspices of the International Cricket Council’s World Cricket League.

The tournament will feature 13 countries in two divisions playing 30 matches in seven days at 12 west of Scotland grounds, starting on Thursday (August 3).

The Division 1 sides - Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Italy - will play a round-robin tournament, from which there is no relegation. The three matches involving the first three named teams are deemed by the International Cricket Council as official One-Day Internationals, and will be played at Ayr Cricket Club, where ground facilities have been upgraded with support from South Ayrshire Council.

Scotland’s other two matches will be played at New Anniesland (against Denmark) and Hamilton Crescent (against Italy).

Division 2 consists of eight teams - France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hellas (Greece), Israel, Jersey and Norway - who will play in two initial pools of four, followed by crossover semi-finals and four ranking finals - and one team will be promoted to the first division in two years’ time. The facilities at all grounds have been equipped with additional weather protection and other enhancements, thanks to a range of local authority grants and commercial support.

A huge bonus is available for the Division 2 teams, with the winners not only promoted to the European Division 1 in 2008, but also a place in the new ICC World Cricket League Division 5 in 2007-08. This team will receive $20,000 towards preparation of that event, the venue of which is still to be decided.

Cricket Europe has an interview with the renowned scorer, Bill Frindall, otherwise known as the "Bearded Wonder." Frindall spoke with Wraye Wenigmann, secretary of German Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (DCUSA).