The Israel Cricket Association (ICA) plans to conduct a unique cricket clinic with children from the Palestine Authority as part of a peace initiative for the region over this weekend.

ICA president Stanley Perlman’s dream of seeing Palestine kids playing with Israeli counterparts will come true this Sunday. The clinic will take place in Beersheba, which is located south-east of the Israeli capital city of Tel Aviv.

This is the first attempt to bring children from both sides together and it will all happen in conjunction with the Peres Peace Centre, run under the name of Israel president Shimon Peres.
Peres Peace Centre conducts similar clinics with football and basketball. This is a first with cricket.

“The plan is to link the Palestinians and Israelis through cricket. An anonymous donor from London who is a Jewish businessman is putting in a fair sum of money as part of the first year’s activities. The Peres Peace Centre will play a part for this. They can also get the necessary security clearances to get the Palestine kids over," Perlman said.

In all, 15 children from two Palestine towns will come on Sunday to the other side of the border.

"The children will come from two towns, south of Hebron, Samoa and Yaata. Our national cricket development officer Herschell Gutman, who is a Level 4 coach, will impart knowledge on cricket. ICA’s youth development officer George Sheader will also assist in the project," Perlman added.

Two children’s groups from the low income groups from Dmiona and Yerucham in Israel will also be at the clinic.

The two-hour clinic on Sunday will not just be about cricket. "They will be taught about playing cricket together not against each other," Perlman said. "They will take part in other projects like learn to speak the other person’s language, learn about the other person’s food habits. We will have people who will teach the kids to speak Arabic and Hebrew. It will start at 4.30pm and will be telecast live on an Israeli TV station."

The project, once it takes off, is to take place once a month.

"We at ICA will provide all the cricketing raw material," Perlman said. "We will show them cricket videos. It is a dream come true for me. If the kids play together, they will learn about each other’s culture, language, food. We live so close to each other, the sooner we understand the better for us in the long run. ICA could well be a new avenue for peace."

Tony Munro

Israel easily won their Europe Division 2 play-off game against Croatia by six wickets in Zagreb on Sunday. The win means Israel will play in the Division 2 tournament in 2011, after winning this year's Division 3 tournament in Spain.

The visitors won the toss and a two-hour rain delay saw the match reduced to 36 overs per side. Israel elected to field and their opening bowlers, Eliezer Samson and David Massil restricted Croatia to 19 for 1 after 15 overs. Offspinner Steven Shein capitalised on Croatian attempts to accelerate, routing the middle order by taking 5 for 27 in eight overs. Eventually Croatia stuttered to 96 for 7 in their allotted 36 overs.

Israel started their run-chase positively, taking nine off the first over, but lost two wickets for 30. Herschel Gutman came in and scored 47 not out off 35 balls as Israel sealed the win by six wickets with 16 overs remaining.

Scores:

Croatia 96 for 7 (36 overs) (Steven Shein 5-27)

Israel 97 for 4 (19.3 overs) (Herschel Gutman 47*)

Tony Munro

Israel will be looking for a return from its development programme when its European Division Three campaign kicks off today against Belgium in La Manga, Spain. Demoted from Division Two in 2007 after losing a play-off to Croatia, Israel has made major changes to ensure its stay in the third tier of European non-Test countries is a short one.

"More than half the squad consists of players that have come through the Youth Development Program and I feel that this is the right time to change things around," Herschel Gutman, Israel’s captain-coach said. Gutman has spent time with South Western Districts in South Africa.

Among those promoted is Gabi Schachat, who recently hit the first century by an Israeli on foreign soil at the European Under-19 Division Two titles.

Opener Sabania Nagavkar, who emigrated to Israel as a 10-year-old, got involved in cricket as part of the adjustment to his new country, which he has represented in cricket at all age groups, including the adult level at the recent Maccabi Games.

Nagavbar is in the Israeli Air Force, and like many of his team-mates, cannot get to practice very often due to national service commitments. It is this lack of opportunity to train together which Gutman, who was also a nets coach at the MCC, cites as one of the main obstacles in the team's preparations for this tournament.

The side did at least get five games together in winning the Bronze Medal at the Maccabi Games and 11 of the players which played in that tournament will be in Spain.

In the other games today, Portugal play Isle of Man while the hosts and 2006 runners-up, Spain take on Malta.

The tournament winner meets Croatia in a play-off for a place in next year Division Two event.

Israel squad: Herschel Gutman (capt), Shailesh Bangera, Safania Nagavkar, Gabi Schachat, Nir Dokarkar, Eliezer Samson, Isaac Talkar, Eshkol Solomon, Yaniv Razpurker, Dovi Myers, Adrian Vard, Raymond Aston, David Massil, Steven Shein

Further information regarding the tournament can be found on its website
http://www.icc-europe.org/EURODIV3/index.shtml

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."

At the moment the row is limited to tennis, but Dubai's refusal to allow Israeli player Shahar Peer a visa to play in the Dubai WTA event should serve as a warning to the ICC, who moved its headquarters to the UAE in 2005. The UAE refuses to recognise Israel and blocks entry to any passport holders from that country.

While Israel are not a major force in the cricket world, they are Associate members. What's more, the ICC and the local authorities have invested huge sums in building state-of-the-art cricket grounds at the Dubai Sports City, and these are due to come into use later this year. The venue will also host the global cricket academy.

It seems likely that the ICC will look to play its more high-profile events at its base, and these would probably include the important Associate events. That would mean that it may face having to relocate tournaments if Israel qualified for them, leading to some serious logistical headaches.

The WTA, which governs women's tennis, are likely to cancel the Dubai event, and the state's aggressive bid to attract major sporting events could stall unless there is some change of policy.

There is a loophole. Israelis with a second passport can enter the country , and for several years Stanley Perlman, Israel's representative to the ICC and a member of its executive board, was able to attend meetings by virtue of his possessing a South African passport as well.

Now in Israel as part of a unique Israel team with several Jewish cricketers, Jonty Rhodes says he's excited by the talent in a country with no cricket culture. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, he says the book Exodus by Leon Uris really drew him to the country.

"My knowledge of Israel comes from the 'Exodus' and how tenacious and determined the people here are to have transformed the desert into this thriving economy. It's genius, and the people here are tenacious to be able to make a living in a really harsh environment."

Samir Inamdar, the chairman of Cricket Kenya, was elected as the chairman of the Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC at the annual conference in Dubai.

Inamdar, who was already one of the three representatives of the non Test-playing countries on the ICC executive board, replaces H.H. Tunku Imran who stood down because of his commitments with the IOC.

Inamdar, who polled 26 votes, is joined on the ICC executive board, by Imran Khwaja (Singapore, 22 votes) and Neil Speight (Bermuda, 21). Rene van Iashort from the Netherlands received 18 votes while Israel’s Stanley Pearman, who was a sitting representative, finished bottom of the pile with 16 votes.

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 Israel Cricket Association has announced that India A will play three one-day matches in Israel as part of the country’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

The ICA confirmed that the Indian board had agreed to the tour during which what was described as a “full-strength A side” will play against an Invitational XI featuring players from a number of countries, including Adam Bacher.

Seven overseas cricketers are reported to have accepted the invitations and the squad will be supplemented by local players.

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.

As revealed by Cricinfo last month, the 2011 World Cup will be shortened and the main victims of the change will be the Associate countries who will have their numbers cut from six to four.

"It is a move we both feared and expected and it's not great news for the Associates," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, told Cricinfo. "Neither is it a great vote of confidence in the ICC's own High Performance Programme.

Click here to tell us what you think of this? Is it the start of the gradual elimination of smaller countries from the World Cup or a necessary and welcome move?

Israel will have their first ever cricketer present at an International Cricket Council (ICC) Academy following the call-up of Solomon Varsulkar, reports the Totally Jewish website. Click here for the full story.

Croatia defeated Israel by five runs in a play-off in Tel Aviv on Sunday to secure promotion to European Division Two.

In the first cricket international to be held in Israel, Croatia batted first and made 152 for 7, the innings underpinned by 51 from their captain, John Vujnovich.

In reply, Israel slumped to 7 for 3 before Isaac Massil and Herschel Gutman added 62 for the fourth wicket, but as they pushed for quick runs wickets fell. They were still up with an asking rate that kept below six an over, and with two overs remaining they needed 12 - and six off one - with their final pair at the wicket. But Croatia took that wicket to secure promotion.

“The significance for Israeli cricket is amazing,” said Stanley Perlman, President of the Israel Cricket Association and captain for the historic match. “It was the first time that any country has come to play an international game of cricket in Israel and it was a great occasion. Our visitors from Croatia followed in the footsteps of their football and basketball teams who are regular visitors.

“The event was a huge success and we hope it is the start of more teams coming to play here in Israel."

Richard Holdsworth, the ICC regional development manager, who was also match referee, said: "The following and publicity this match has received is great news for the promotion of the game in Israel. Several hundred boys and girls watched the match live at the stadium, and many participated in a lunchtime cricket demonstration match.

"The future of the game is about these young people, and they were thrilled with their experience of being part of the first ever international match played in Israel".

Croatia now head to Guernsey in July 2008 for the Division Two event while Israel head back to Division Three.

Israel have announced their squad for the World Cricket League match against Croatia. As the Haaretz website reports:

Israel will be captained by Stanley Perlman. The side also includes plenty of other experienced players. All rounders Isaac Massil and Sanjay Gupta will both be key players in the middle order, and there will be big expectations from Herschel Gutman to perform with bat and ball.

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.

Israel will host Croatia in November for a play-off game to gain entry into the second division of the ICC’s World League tournament in 2008.

The match, to be played on either Sunday November 11 or 18, with the Monday set aside as a rain day, is being embraced by the Israel Cricket Association, with chairman Stanley Perlman delighted at the opportunity to host an international match.

"We have been trying to host international cricket in Israel for many years now, and hope that the visit of the Croatian team will pave the way for other countries to tour in the future," Perlman said. "We will invite the Croatians to play a couple of friendly matches before the game against our national team as well."

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.

Ramle shocked Lions Lod yesterday with a 35-run win:

Ramle pulled off a surprise 35-run win over Lions Lod, although the result should have little impact on the league title. A half century from opener Asher Penkar, and middle-order contributions from Isaac Talkar (22) and Shimon Penkar (24) gave Ramle a first innings score of 158 after they had won the toss. Janet DeSilva was the best of the Lions bowlers, taking four for 12 in his eight overs. Isaac Massil took two for 14.

Lions Lod lost wickets on a regular basis, and although David Massil (36) played well down the order, his effort was too little too late. Most of the damage had already been done by Samuel Borgawker (4 for 27), as Lions limped to 123 all out.

In Division 2, Beersheba A defeated Dimona C by 3 wickets, Eilat beat Ra'anana 2, and in Division 3 Negev Academy defeated Rishon Lezion 3.

Read more at The Jerusalem Post

srael's cricketers have become victims of the escalating crisis in the Middle East after they were forced to cancel their European Championship game with Jersey, which was due to played at Glasgow Academicals CC today, after they were targetted by the local Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS).

A rather vague press release issued by the European Cricket Council on Wednesday claimed that he match was off because the ground was unavailable.

But in The Jerusalem Post, Stanley Perlman, the president of the Israel Cricket Association, said that Cricket Scotland officials had received anonymous calls on Wednesday warning that the safety of the Israel players could not be guaranteed. He added that Glasgow police had approved a Muslim demonstration at "a Glasgow cricket club field" for approximately 2,000 demonstrators.

Click here for the full story on Cricinfo.

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.