Qualifiers have been taking place in La Manga, Spain (European section). Five nations are competing: France, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and The Netherlands. This good news battles against concerns about cricket’s failure to spread its wings globally.
First some Results:
Ireland 89-9
Scotland 92-5 (Kathryn Bryce 46*)
France 45
Germany 46-1
Germany 71-6
Netherlands 72-3
France 24
Ireland 25-0
Germany 36
Scotland 37-0
The German Squad
Scotland scored a dramatic victory over Ireland. That must make them short-odds favourites to finish top of the table. They were indebted to their captain Kathryn Bryce who played the decisive innings, finishing with a 6 in the final over.
It is excellent to see sides from France and Germany taking part in this European competition, but the disparities speak for themselves.
A perusal of their two elevens reveals seven native French and four native German names in the line-ups. It might be fairer to refer to Breton names in the French team, as no fewer than seven of them come from the Nantes club, where enthusiasts have made a big effort to spread the game.
And even at this level Germany won a one-sided match due largely to the expertise of the captain Anuradha Doddaballapur and Tina Gough with the bat.
Ireland were happy to put out an eleven deprived of its leading players, yet France still struggled to score two dozen runs.
The matches are taking place on two adjacent grounds, revealingly named ‘Top’ and ‘Bottom’. The pity is that the lovely setting in Southern Spain is marred by pitches that leave a lot to be desired. The ICC chose a desirable location for this important series, but batters have problems caused by circumstances other than the bowling.
Cricket a worldwide game?
The results listed above show the way the game has lamentably failed to spread across the globe. Within Europe England stand head and shoulders above the rest. Two other constituent parts of the British Isles, Ireland and Scotland, are making great strides to raise their profile. On the continent only the Dutch figure strongly.
Historically the game was spread by ex-pats who traded and settled all round the world. The very first international match was played between Canada and the USA. But large tracts of land failed to take the game up as a major recreation.
The consequences are seen in this current competition.
Both the French and the German squads were delighted to be taking part. They were far from cast down by the results; they were glad to be meeting fellow enthusiasts who could help them raise their standards.
And that must surely be a leading policy of the ICC, to help these emerging nations – curious to think of France and Germany as emerging, but so it is with cricket – by offering them more coaching assistance and competition.
The tournament concludes on Monday 30 August.
