The International Cricket Council has announced the 14-man squads for the six teams – Nigeria, Kuwait, Fiji, Guernsey, Jersey and Malaysia - participating in ICC World Cricket League Division 6 next month in Malaysia.

The finalists of the event, which will be played from 17 to 24 September, will be promoted to ICC World Cricket League Division 5 which will be staged in Singapore in early 2012.

The tournament will be played on three grounds in Kuala Lumpur, Kinrara Oval, Selangor Turf Club and Bayuemas Oval. These venues were also used for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup which was held in Malaysia in 2009.

The full squads are as follows:

Fiji: Joe Rika (captain), Viliame Yabaki, Iniasi Cakacaka, Sakaraia Lomani, Kitione Tavo, Sekove Ravoka, Jikoi Kida, Colin Rika, Waisake Tukana, Josefa Baleicicia, Tasheed Tawheed, Maciu Gauna, Joji Bulabalavu, Mohammed Khan.

Guernsey: Stuart Le Provost (captain), Gary Rich, Tom Kimber, Jeremy Frith, James Nussbaumer, Ben Ferbrache, David Hooper, Tim Ravenscroft, Ross Kneller, Chris van Vliet, Stuart Bisson, Lee Savident, Adam Martel, GH Smit

Jersey: Peter Gough (captain), Ed Farley, Thomas Minty, Sam de la Haye, Charles Perchard, James Faudemer, Ben Stevens, Anthony Hawkins-Kay, Ben Silva, Dean Morrison, Alex Cooke, Paul Connolly, Corey Bisson, Daniel Garton

Kuwait: Hisham Mirza (captain), Sibtain Raza, Muhammad Amin, Abid Mushtaq, Aamir Javed, Irfan Bhatti, Ahsan Naseer, Azmatullah Nazeer, Abdullah, Mohammad Murad, Sharjeel Tahir, Jagath Roshantha, Saud Qamar

Malaysia: Suhan Kumar Alagaratanam (captain), Sureah Navaratnam, Rakesh Madhavan, Hammad Ullah Khan, Hassan Ghulam Muhammad, Ahmad Faiz Noor, Shukri Abdul Rahim, Eszrafiq Azis, Abdul Rashid Ahad, Shafiq Sharf, Faris Almas-Lee Rosmanizam, Aminudin Ramly, Shahrulnizam Yusof, Hiran Brahman Ralalage

Nigeria: Endurance Ofem (captain), Ademola Onikoya, Obejide Bejide, Varun Behani, Chukwu James, Ramit Gill, Joshua Ogunlola, Saheed Akolade, Segun Olayinka, Chibuike Iteogu, Seun Odeku, Lekan Awolowo, Seye Olympio, Kunle Adegbola

The full schedule for WCL Div. 6 is as follows:

Fixtures

15 September – Team Arrivals
16 September – Practice
17 September – Guernsey v Jersey (Kinrara Oval), Malaysia v Kuwait (Selangor Turf Club), Fiji v Nigeria (Bayuemas Oval)
18 September – Malaysia v Nigeria (Kinrara Oval), Kuwait v Jersey (Selangor Turf Club), Guernsey v Fiji (Bayuemas Oval)
19 September – Reserve Day
20 September – Malaysia v Fiji (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Nigeria (Selangor Turf Club), Kuwait v Guernsey (Bayuemas Oval)
21 September – Fiji v Kuwait (Kinrara Oval), Nigeria v Guernsey (Selangor Turf Club), Malaysia v Jersey (Bayuemas Oval)
22 September – Reserve Day
23 September – Malaysia v Guernsey (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Fiji (Selangor Turf Club), Nigeria v Kuwait (Bayuemas Oval)
24 September – Final (Kinrara Oval), 3rd/4th Play-off (Selangor Turf Club), 5th/6th Play-off (Bayuemas Oval)

The ICC European Development Programme has announced its 2010 tournament schedule which will see a number of European countries participate in an exciting and challenging programme of tournaments during July and August next year.

Following the programmes’s bi-annual rotational process, it is the turn of Divisions 1 and 2 to take to the stage at senior level.

Jersey have taken the opportunity to host Division 1 for the first time in early July. The six participating teams will play a round-robin format and participation is based on ICC global rankings.

Division 2 will be hosted by Guernsey in mid July and again participation is based on World Cricket League (WCL) rankings and will also include Israel, who having won 2009’s Division 3 Championship then went on to triumph at the play-off in October with Division 2’s sixth-placed side Croatia and were consequently promoted to Division 2.

Division 2 will be a particularly vital tournament for France, Germany and Israel as these countries are currently not imbedded in the WCL structure and a good performance in this tournament could see them win a place in the WCL Division 8 tournament to take place in late November/December 2010. Progress into the ICC World Cricket League enables countries to vie for qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup so an important event for these three European countries.

The European women’s cricket programme is represented in 2010 by the senior European Women’s CWC Qualifier Championship to be held in mid August and hosted for the first time by Scotland. A four-team round robin fixture list will see the welcome addition of the ECB Women’s Academy side to the event.

A busy youth programme gets underway in July with the 8-team Under 17 Division 2 Championship and followed in late July by the European U19 CWC Qualifier hosted by Ireland and will give the opportunity for the same group of players to prepare for the global qualifier in 2011 and ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in 2012. In August the Under 15 Division 1 Championship will be held in Netherlands.

A new initiative for 2010 is the Under 17 Challenge Series which replaces the Under 17 Division 1 Championship. This pilot programme will consist of the six Division 1 countries participating in two three-match series of home and away fixtures during the summer season. The opposition for these matches will be the other Division 1 countries and also possibly English county sides and it is hoped these fixtures will have the result of adding value to the countries’ youth development programmes with more consistent and testing opposition.

2010 ICC European Championship Schedule

1-7 July
ICC European WCL Division 1 Championship: Jersey
Participants: Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Jersey, Netherlands, Scotland

13-19 July
ICC European WCL Division 2 Championship: Guernsey
Participants: France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Israel, Norway

18-23 July
ICC European Under 17 Division 2 Championship - venue TBC
Participants: TBC

24-30 July
ICC European Under 19 WCQ Championship: Ireland
Participants: Denmark, Guernsey, Ireland, Jersey, Netherlands, Scotland

9-13 August
ICC European Women’s WCQ Championship: Scotland
Participants: Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, ECB Academy

9-14 August
ICC European Under 15 Division 1 Championship: Netherlands
Participants: Denmark, Guernsey, Ireland, Jersey, Netherlands, Scotland

Various Dates
ICC European Under 17 Challenge Series: various venues
Participants: Denmark, Guernsey, Ireland, Jersey, Netherlands, Scotland

Buddika Mendis continues to shine for Singapore, who remained unbeaten in the fourth round of matches in the ICC World Cricket League Division 6. Botswana and Malaysia also notched wins, but Guernsey suffered yet another defeat. Click here for the full round-up.

Stuart Le Prevost

So today hasn’t been a great one for us, we lost our second match in the tournament and this time to Bahrain.

We didn’t play well today and that’s the fact of the matter, if we had played well and still lost then I maybe would feel better, but we didn’t we simply failed to perform, that’s all there is to it.

It’s obviously upsetting for us to lose to Bahrain again, as we lost twice to them in Division 7 and now its happened in Division 6.

Obviously all the guys are disappointed but I think generally morale is good within the team, we’ve got a good group and we’ll try and get each other motivated so hopefully we’ll rock up to the ground tomorrow and there shouldn’t be too much of a problem to get back on it and beat Norway.

The conditions here are very different to Guernsey – it’s hot and humid in Singapore and the guys are struggling to make sure that they take a lot of fluid on board. The pitches here have been good, we just haven’t bowled well on them that’s all – I’m hoping now we’re at Indian Association for two matches in a row it will mean we get more of an opportunity to analyze the pitch.

By Thursday of this week we would have played three matches in a row, but I’m not too worried about the guys being tired from it, we have to keep going to make sure we play good cricket and try our best to adapt to the conditions we’re in.

We’ve not got any niggles in the side which is good, however my room-mate Gary Rich managed to dislocate his finger today in practice which our physio popped back in so he could still play. I’ve got to say he’s been very good about the whole thing and I spoke to him about it earlier and he’s icing it ready for tomorrow game, so hopefully it’ll be fine.

Today has been a disappointing one – but we’ve got to move on and look to beating Norway, which ultimately I think we can do.

Stuart Le Prevost is the Guernsey captain, whose exclusive diary will be here throughout the tournament

Stuart Le Prevost

It’s been an interesting first day for us and admittedly losing to Singapore wasn’t great. It was a game where we did some things pretty badly and other things pretty well and we now have to move forward.

For the Guernsey side, this is probably the first time for roughly 90 per cent of the side to be playing abroad and that’s something we’ve all had to get used to. The conditions here in Singapore are extremely different to Guernsey.

It’s hot and humid and having five days out here before the tournament started has definitely helped me and the rest of the team get used to things, but we need to work harder after today’s disappointing seven-wicket loss to Singapore.

We’re up against Bahrain tomorrow, a side we’ve lost to twice before but I am hoping not to make it three times in a row. I know their game went down to the wire today against Malaysia so hopefully they’ll be fairly tired when they face us at Kalang.  
It’s something that could work in our favour, if they’re feeling tired as we finished our game fairly early today (not without a lack of trying) so we could see things go well for us. I just have to remember today’s game is in the past and it’s about looking forward and going for a win tomorrow.

I’ve really enjoyed Singapore so far,  I didn’t really know what to expect but the food has been great, good hospitality, everyone’s been very friendly and the hotel’s great, but now I’ve had my chance to explore the city with the rest of the lads, I’ve got to focus on the nitty gritty of the cricket.

Stuart Le Prevost is the Guernsey captain

There were wins for the hosts, Singapore, along with Norway and Bahrain on the opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 6. Click here for a full round-up, and be sure to read our exclusive player diaries from the leading figures in the tournament.

Six teams start their next step towards the 2015 World Cup on Saturday, as the ICC World Cricket League Division 6 gets underway in Singapore. The diverse nations of Bahrain, Botswana, Malaysia, Guernsey, Norway and Singapore will compete for the two places to gain promotion to Division 5, which is due to be held in Nepal in February 2010.

Click here for the full report

Full coverage, including scorecards, reports and photographs will be on Cricinfo throughout the tournament

A outstanding all-round performance from Jeremy Frith, who scored his second successive century and took five wickets, helped Guernsey secure promotion from the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 with a thumping 263-run victory against Suriname, who relegated to Division 8

Frith, who has scored 364 runs in the tournament to date, won his third man-of-the-match award this week but he was happier to focus on his side’s promotion and Sunday’s final against Bahrain than his own individual success.

“As I said earlier in the week, the man-of-the-match award is incidental. The important thing was to win the game and book a place for Singapore which is what we set out to do,” Frith said. “Stuart [Le Prevost] and I have batted well on a few occasions. It was nice to get 300 on the board, as this week we have fielded first a lot.

For a full report from this and the other matches click here

Stuart Le Prevost Guernsey captain

It’s not often that the eyes of the cricketing world take even a passing glance at Guernsey, but it is fantastic that we are staging the first qualifying event for the 2015 World Cup.

As somebody who was born on the island and has played cricket ever since I can remember, I am very proud that we are holding an international event of this magnitude and we are determined to put on a good show (if the weather will let us!)

Now, I am guessing you are probably thinking two things at the moment. Why are teams trying to qualify for the 2015 World Cup already, and where in the world is Guernsey?

Firstly, Guernsey along with Bahrain, Gibraltar, Japan, Nigeria and Suriname are taking part in the ICC World Cricket League Division 7. This is the first part of the four-year qualifying process for the World Cup in 2015, which culminates in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in 2013.

If we finish in the top two at this event, we get promoted to Division 6 and will compete in Singapore in August. If we come third or fourth, we play in Division 7 again in 2011 and if we’re relegated we go into Division 8 in 2010. The aim for us is to get as high up the ladder as we can and certainly to the same level as Jersey, currently in Division 5, who are our main local rivals and are another island in the Channel Islands. Afghanistan have shown it is possible to climb the ladder from the lower divisions and is an inspiration to all the teams at this level.

As for Guernsey, it is a small island in between England and France. In fact we are closer to France, but we seem to have inherited England’s passion for cricket! The population of the island is just over 60,000 – indeed if all the islanders came to support us at the MCG in 2015 we would still only fill two thirds of the stadium.

Guernsey is a beautiful place, with the feel of an English village about it. We have some superb beaches and it is a brilliant place for people to visit and I really hope that all the players in this competition will enjoy their time here.

There is a great passion on the island for cricket, with five divisions made up of eight adult teams playing in the midweek leagues alone. The biggest game of the year used to be against Jersey, who we play once a year in our equivalent of the Ashes, and is a match that has been played since the 1950s! It is a massive day for everybody on the island and nobody likes to be on the losing team.

As well as being captain of Guernsey, I am quite well positioned to talk about how the wickets will play in the tournament as I am one of the groundsmen on the island. The pitches normally offer something to both bat and ball, so there should be some competitive matches.

We have been lucky enough to have had some international teams come and play here before. A couple of years ago, Bermuda toured here and although they beat us, I don’t think there was a massive gulf between the sides. Knowing you have played against people who have played in the World Cup makes you dream that you can compete with sides at a higher level.

It will be a great effort if we can get promoted this week and a trip to Singapore in August for Division 6 would be an amazing experience. We have seen how much Jersey benefited from playing in the World Cricket League, getting to travel to places like Tanzania, and I am excited about having our moment in the spotlight.

Stuart Le Prevost is one of a number of players blogging for Cricinfo during the WCL Division 7

Tony Munro

Guernsey will continue their preparations for the World Cricket League Division Seven this weekend with two matches against near neighbours Jersey. The matches will be part of a lengthy buildup for the tournament to be played in Guernsey from May 17-24 which also involves Bahrain, Gibraltar, Japan, Nigeria and Suriname.

Last weekend Guernsey played a match against a Sussex Cricket Academy XI containing about five first team regulars while some of the team members played the same opposition two days later as part of a Development (Under-23) XI. The regular domestic season also starts this weekend providing Guernsey players with two rounds of competitive cricket before the Division Seven tournament.

Meanwhile, the hosts have announced their squad for the tournament, which contains four players new to international cricket at the ICC level - Ross Kneller, Justin Meades, Tom Kimber and Mark Renouf. Stuart Le Prevost, who captained Guernsey to the final of last year's European Second Division tournament, has been retained as skipper while Andy Cornford of Sussex CC would be coach.

Guernsey: Stuart Le Prevost (capt), Lee Savident, Matthew Oliver, Jeremy Frith
Ross Kneller, Justin Meades, Gary Rich, Ben Ferbrache, Kris Moherndl, Jamie Nussbaumer, Blane Queripel, Stuart Bisson, Tom Kimber, Mark Renouf; Dave Hearse (manager)

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.

Guernsey will play in Division 7 of the World Cricket League next season, a reward for their runners-up place in the European Division Two tournament held in August. BBC Guernsey has the full story.

ICC Europe development manager Richard Holdsworth told BBC Guernsey that the island deserves its place.

"Because of their good performances in the European league and their regional ranking they've been promoted into World League Seven," he said.

They will face Gibraltar, Bahrain, Japan, Nigeria and Surinam in a tournament next year at a venue that has yet to be announced.

Tony Munro

The two best teams in the recent European Division Two tournament, undefeated Guernsey and Jersey, fittingly met in the final round of matches to decide the title (no final having been scheduled). Guernsey needed nine from three overs with six wickets in hand, yet Stuart Le Prevost, the Guernsey captain, was dismissed at the start of the 48th over. Two late run-outs, and Jersey were jubilant. Cricinfo spoke to the Jersey coach, Peter Kirsten, and Le Prevost, about the final, and the tournament in general

	Peter Kirsten, the former South Africa batsman, and Jersey's coach © Getty Images

Peter Kirsten

How are your nerves after the way Jersey secured the win?

PK: It was a memorable match, emotions ebbing and flowing continuously. I always felt though that if we could dismiss their main batsman even with them cruising at 170 for 3 we would still be in the match as he was beginning to look lazy (already dropped twice) and the Jersey spinners were bowling well. This is exactly what happened - three run-outs ensued due to panic and the spinners were always going to be difficult for new batsmen to handle under pressure. It was still very tight though and our fast bowlers were also able to bowl magnificently at the end. Nerves there were aplenty but our disciplines, belief & work ethic won through in the end.

Which aspect of the team's performance were you especially happy with?

PK: Since my term with Jersey cricket began on April 17 2008, we have trained according to various programs. These have included fitness and preparation, but also the introduction of promising youngsters in various positions, and the mantra of playing as a team and importantly developing a sound relationship with the captain and manager. Many of these aspects we executed well to remain unbeaten in the last six matches and have lost only 1 in the last 12 matches.

In which areas would you like to see Jersey improve for the ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament?

PK: The Tanzania tournament poses different challenges for Jersey. Firstly it is away from the Channel Islands - playing in Africa is vastly foreign to them - different wickets, climate and so on. However, they will be prepared as mentioned before and a solid, well composed team has been selected. Again some talented youngsters have been included which brings good energy to the squad. Physical fitness, strategy are key areas of our preparation during September.

	Stuart Le Prevost, Guernsey's captain © thisisguernsey.com

Stuart Le Prevost

How has Guernsey found the transition from playing against English domestic opposition such as in the Four Islands tournament, to playing the various Associates? Has it been good for the team's cricket?

SLP: Playing against the Associate members of the ICC has improved our game no end. We definitely up our game when we play better sides so it can only be good for us to keep punching at, and above, our weight rather than playing mediocre club sides on mini tours. I think we take more responsibility in tougher games which we need to transfer into every game at club and Island level.

Which aspect of your team's play during the tournament were you most pleased with?

SLP: I think our batting came good during the tournament (except for 20 minutes at the end of the last game). We had not performed well as a batting unit for the whole of the summer so we were under a bit of pressure in that department going into the tournament so it was pleasing to chase pretty well and also to set decent totals during the week.

Who would you say was your best batsman and bowler and why?

SLP: I think our best bowler was off-spinner Gary Rich. Rarely does he bowl badly and his economy rate is always good which creates pressure and in turn often ends in a decent wicket haul for him too.

Our most consistent batsman was Jeremy Frith. He is at home whether we are setting totals or chasing them down. His quick assessment of what is a good score on certain pitches often puts us exactly where we need to be.

Which player from the other teams most impressed you and why?

SLP: I think Jersey's Ryan Driver impressed me most. His allround game is very good and invariably if he plays well, Jersey play well. His century against us in the recent championship was well paced and he didn't give a chance. He also bows pretty accurately and has bucket hands.

Look out soon for our interview with the Gibraltar captain, Christian Rocca, and France coach, Dave Szumowski

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.

Jersey retained the Inter-Insular Challenge Trophy with a three-wicket victory over Guernsey at Grainville.

Guernsey, who were elected to Associate status by the ICC in July, lost early wickets after winning the toss and struggled to 119 all out in 46 overs, with Jeremy Frith’s 38 the only innings of substance. Jersey found the going equally difficult, but Ryan driver followed his two wickets with an gritty unbeaten 45 to steer them home.

Kenya’s preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers took a dent when they were well beaten by an Abeed Janmohamed XI at Cranleigh School. Janmohamed, who played for Kenya in 2004-05, led a strong side which included New Zealand’s Grant Elliott.

Kenya started well, reaching 81 for 1 before suffering a mid-innings collapse that left them 133 for 6 off 34 overs. Alex Obanda made a confident fifty but there was little else of note, and Steve Tikolo made only 1. Teenger Phil Roper, like Janmohamed, a product of Cranleigh School, took 2 for 20 off 10 overs, while Luke Woodcock returned 3 for 18. In the end, Kenya limped to 162 all out in 43 overs.

Elliott smashed 77 as Kenya’s bowlers were struck to all parts, while Seren Waters made 47. Waters, the son of former Kenya chief selector David Waters, left Cranleigh earlier this month and made the second-highest number of runs in the school’s history in 2008. He has already represented Surrey 2nd XI. Janmohamed’s side romped to a five-wicket win.

Twenty-four hours later, Kenya got back on track with a win at Hove against Guernsey, but again the side ranked as the leading Associate were forced to struggle after being bowled out for 194. Tikolo again failed, making 4, as Kenya slipped to 51 for 4 before Thomas Odoyo (61) bailed them out. Guernsey never challenged after being reduced to 40 for 6, although they did well to make 122 in 44.4 overs.

Guernsey have become the 34th country to be granted Associate membership of the ICC after their application was unanimously approved during the annual conference in Dubai.

Vanuatu had also applied but they failed to meet the necessary playing requirements as they had not beaten two existing Associates in competition. Mozambique withdrew their application.

A further three countries from the Europe region - Bulgaria, Estonia and Turkey - were granted Affiliate status, taking the ICC's total member count to 104.

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.

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.

Three countries have applied for ICC Affiliate membership and two more to be upgraded from Affiliate to Associate membership.

Bulgaria, Estonia and Turkey’s applications for Affiliate membership will be considered by the ICC and its annual conference in Dubai at the end of June.

Guernsey and Vanuatu have applied for an upgrade to Associate membership which, if successful, will mean a substantial increase in the funding available to their national associations.

Consideration of Vanuatu's application is subject to it meeting the playing standard criterion in its matches against existing Associates in the World Cricket League Division 5. An ICC team is inspecting the facilities in Guernsey this week.

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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Guernsey and Jersey are the two new additions to the European Under-15 and Under-17 Division One Championships for 2008. It is the first time more than four teams have battled for the title since the tournament began in 1999.

In 2007 Jersey won the Under-19 and Under-23 Division 2 Championships and were runner-up to Guernsey in the Under-15 Division 2 Championship. Both sides did not lose a single match, other than to one another, in any of the competitions.

The two championships will be the first real test of Guernsey and Jersey since their elevation to ICC Associate status.

"It is a fantastic opportunity for Guernsey's young cricketers to test themselves against the strongest nations in Europe at their own age group," David Piesing, chairman of the Guernsey Cricket Board said. "Young players can only benefit from playing against strong opposition and in the past couple of years these youngsters have acquitted themselves well in friendlies against Scotland and Holland so they will be keen to renew those acquaintances.

"Our Under-15s showed this year that they were a very strong side by winning the Division 2 tournament in La Manga. Five or six of those same players are still in the Under-15s in 2008 while the remainder of that squad will now move to the Under-17s age group.

"We are delighted that ICC Europe has recognised the playing strength of our youth sides in this way and we eagerly look forward to the challenges ahead. It will provide an additional impetus for our youngsters as they enter this winter's coaching programme."

The Under-17 Division One tournament will be held in Belfast over four days in July 2008. Six teams will form two groups of three, with each team playing two 50-over matches over the first three days. Following a coaching day, each team will play-off against its counterpart from the other group to determine the final championship standings.

The Under-15 Division two championship will take place in Jersey, also in July, and will be played to 45-over playing conditions.

Scotland host the Under19- Division One championship in August, with the same playing conditions as the Under-19 World Cup, whilst remaining a four-team competition. And Germany will host the Under-17 Division Two championship in the Northern Rhine region surrounding Düsseldorf.

Dates and precise venues of all events have yet to be finalised.

The ICC Europe Cricket Committee (ECC) have confirmed Ireland as the host for next year's European Division One Championship.

They lasted hosted the tournament in 2002 when 12 teams participated. In the past five years, however, six more countries have joined including Europe's four High Performance Program countries: Denmark, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. Norway - who won Division Two in 2006 - also join Italy.

The previous championship, hosted by Scotland in 2006, crowned Ireland as the European Champions and 2008's event will also feature three official one-dayers.

Meanwhile it was also confirmed that Guernsey will host the Division Two Championship in August, a six-team tournament which includes France, Germany, Gibraltar and Jersey. The sixth place will be decided later this year when Croatia meet Israel on November 18.

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.

The ICC has announced the regional winners of the ICC Development Program Awards 2006 with Guernsey, Jersey and Ireland coming out on top for the European Region.

Guernsey Cricket Board picked up the Best Overall Cricket Development Program Award for their development program governed by the Guernsey Young Cricketers Development Committee and spearheaded by Jason Shambrook, full-time Cricket Development Officer, and Jon Orme, full-time Cricket Development Coach. The program begins in schools, giving children as young as seven years of age the opportunity to take part in cricket, and providing a player pathway to develop and feed these youngsters into senior club cricket.

Guernsey also had success in the Best Women’s Initiative category, where a series of after school ‘clubs’ resulted in the first ever match between two all-girls colleges and from this stemmed the first girls-only cricket league.

The Jersey Cricket Board picked up two awards - the first in the Marketing and Promotional Program category, for its newsletter “Around the Boundary” and the second the Spirit of Cricket Initiative in association with UNAIDS, awarded for a joint venture between the Jersey Cricket Board Development Team and St James School, a school for children with emotional and behavioural disorders. Children from the school formed a combined cricket team with two other primary schools enabling them to compete in a hardball match for the first time.

The Irish Cricket Union produced two successes in the Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Service categories. Richard Johnson won the Volunteer award for his tireless contributions to Irish and European cricket, which included helping to stage Ireland’s first official ODI against England and organising the Under 19 European Championships in 2006.

The Lifetime Service award went to Clarissa Pilkington who, amongst her many contributions to women’s cricket in Ireland, led the steering committee for the formation of the Irish Women’s Cricket Union in 1982 and guided the Irish team to their first World Cup in Australia in 1987.

Elsewhere Belgium won the award for Best Junior Initiative following a year of hard work by Full Time Youth Development officer Fazil Mahmoud, which has delivered cricket to many Belgian schools and has brought a new crop of youngsters to the game. And finally, The Photo of the Year award went to a pair of action shots from Peter Power of Denmark.

ICC Regional Development Manager-Europe Richard Holdsworth commented on the awards. “Each year Europe’s member countries continue to produce great initiatives to develop the game, particularly at youth level. This area is so crucial if the game it to grow and further develop and all the very many volunteers and professionals should be congratulated on their efforts. It is particularly encouraging to see the women’s game grow so quickly and participation increase by 37% in the last 12 months”.

ICC global development manager Matthew Kennedy congratulated all of the award winners on their achievements. “Winning these awards is a fantastic tribute to the successful Members,” said Kennedy. “They will rightly take the plaudits but the whole process of deciding the winners has left the regional judges feeling immensely positive about the health of the game around the world. Since the ICC’s Development Program began in 1997 the number of ICC Members has more than doubled and the sheer volume and quality of nominations for these awards is a positive indicator that cricket is a strong sport growing stronger.

“This year’s awards illustrate the way many established development programs are flourishing. At the same time it is really pleasing to see awards going to Members for the first time and also that women have received significant recognition for contributions to the game.”
Best Overall Cricket Development Program - Guernsey Cricket Board

Best Junior Cricket Initiative - Belgian Cricket Federation

Best Women’s Cricket Initiative - Guernsey Cricket Board

Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Program - Jersey Cricket Board Newsletter

Photo of the Year - Peter Power (Denmark)

Best Spirit of Cricket Initiative in Partnership with UNAIDS - Jersey Cricket Board Development Team & St James School (Jersey)

Volunteer of the Year - Richard Johnson (Ireland)

Lifetime Service Award - Clarissa Pilkington (Ireland)

ECC media release

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.

Guernsey and Jersey in the Channel islands are set to host their first international tournaments in 2007. Jersey will host the European Under-19 Championship, while Guernsey is set to host the first European Under-23 Second Division Championship, featuring both Channel Island teams, Italy, and either France or Gibraltar.

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.

In April, Jamie Nussbaumer, James Mullen and Johnny Clark are off to Spain and the La Manga sport resort to undergo intensive week-long training programmes. Nussbaumer has been selected for the European Cricket Council’s cricket academy, a fact which will also see him play for the under-21 European side against England under-17s during the summer, while Mullen and Clark have made it into the ECC’s Centre of Excellence.

[Via This Is Guernsey]